Journal · Page 2
Insurance, KiwiSaver, and money. in plain English.
Short, useful articles from the Smiths advisers, the same notes we share with clients when something changes in the NZ market or a common question comes up.
Financial Advice · 10 May 2025
The Behavioural Mistakes That Quietly Cost KiwiSaver Investors the Most (NZ)
Loss aversion, recency bias, herding, action bias and performance chasing are the behavioural mistakes that quietly cost KiwiSaver investors…
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KiwiSaver · 9 Aug 2025
Best KiwiSaver Provider for First-Home Buyers in NZ (2026): What to Look For
When your deposit is only a few years away, the provider features that matter are low fees, a suitable low-risk fund and a fast, reliable wi…
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KiwiSaver · 21 Apr 2025
Best KiwiSaver Provider for Over-50s in NZ: What Matters Near Retirement
Once you are in your fifties, the right KiwiSaver provider is the one you can retire with, not just save with. Here is what to weigh up on f…
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KiwiSaver · 12 Apr 2026
Best KiwiSaver Provider for Self-Employed and Contractors in NZ (2026)
With no employer match, the self-employed lean harder on low fees, easy voluntary contributions and the government top-up. Here is what to w…
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Financial Advice · 30 Jun 2025
Blended Family Estate Planning NZ: Protecting Children From a First Relationship
Re-partnering after children changes who inherits what. Here is how relationship property can override an old will, and the practical tools …
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General Insurance · 6 Sep 2025
Body Corporate Insurance for Apartments and Units in NZ (2026): What It Covers and Your Personal Gaps
What body corporate insurance covers for NZ apartments and units, what you still need personally, how the Unit Titles Act sets the building …
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KiwiSaver · 27 Apr 2025
Bonds in Your KiwiSaver (NZ, 2026): Why the 'Safe' Part Can Still Fall
Conservative KiwiSaver funds are mostly bonds and cash, and bonds fall when interest rates rise. That's why 'safe' funds lost money in 2022 …
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KiwiSaver · 12 May 2026
Booster vs Simplicity KiwiSaver 2026: Fees, Returns and Who Each Suits (NZ)
Booster's active, advised approach versus Simplicity's low-cost index model. Fees, returns, fund range, ownership and who each suits.
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Retirement · 22 Dec 2025
The Bucket Strategy for Retirement in NZ (2026): Cash, Income and Growth Buckets Explained
How to split your KiwiSaver, savings and term deposits into cash, income and growth buckets so a market drop never forces you to sell at the…
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KiwiSaver · 4 Mar 2026
Budget 2025 KiwiSaver Changes Explained: The Smaller Match and What to Do Now (NZ, 2026)
Budget 2025 halved the KiwiSaver government match to 25c per $1 and capped it at $260.72 a year. Here is what changed, who it hits hardest, …
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KiwiSaver · 18 Mar 2026
Budget 2025 KiwiSaver Changes: What First-Home Buyers in NZ Need to Do in 2026
Budget 2025 halved the government contribution to $260.72 and pushed default rates to 3.5% (2026) and 4% (2028). Here is exactly how that ch…
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Retirement · 22 Apr 2026
Selling Your Business as a Retirement Plan in NZ: Why Owners Need KiwiSaver Too (NZ, 2026)
A business sale is a fragile retirement plan: 74% of NZ enterprises have no employees and may not sell. Why owners need KiwiSaver and invest…
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Business · 27 Nov 2025
Business Loan Protection in NZ: Insuring the Debt if an Owner Dies
If an owner dies, the bank loan and the personal guarantee don't disappear. How business loan protection works in NZ, how much cover you nee…
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Personal Risk · 29 Jan 2026
Business Overheads Cover in NZ: Keeping the Doors Open if You're Off Sick
Income protection covers your wage, not your rent and leases. Here is how business overheads cover works in NZ, what it pays, the tax rules,…
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Business · 22 Oct 2025
Business Succession Planning NZ (2025): Planning Beyond the Buy-Sell Agreement
A buy-sell agreement is one page of a much bigger plan. How NZ owners line up valuation, funding, continuity cover and their own retirement,…
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Business · 14 May 2026
Buying a Business in NZ: The Financial Checks and Protection You Need (2026)
A 2026 guide to buying a business in New Zealand: the financial due diligence to do before you sign, how to sanity-check the numbers, and th…
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KiwiSaver · 22 Apr 2026
Buying a First Home With a Partner in NZ (2026): Combining KiwiSaver and Protecting Two Incomes
Two partners can each withdraw their KiwiSaver for the same first home if both meet the 3-year rule and each leaves $1,000 behind. Here is h…
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Health · 3 Jul 2025
Cancer Cover in NZ (2026): What Health Insurance, Trauma and the Public System Each Pay
What health insurance, trauma cover and the public system each pay for cancer in NZ in 2026 — surgery, drugs, the non-Pharmac gap and lost i…
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KiwiSaver · 3 Apr 2026
How to Change Your KiwiSaver Contribution Rate in NZ: 3%, 4%, 6%, 8% or 10% Explained
From April 2026 the selectable KiwiSaver rates are 3.5%, 4%, 6%, 8% or 10%. Here is how to change yours with a KS2 form, when it takes effec…
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KiwiSaver · 22 Mar 2026
Chasing KiwiSaver Returns NZ (2026): Why Last Year's Top Fund Is a Bad Reason to Switch
Last year's top KiwiSaver fund is a weak reason to switch. Why winners rarely repeat, how league tables mislead, and what to judge a fund on…
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KiwiSaver · 2 Mar 2026
How to Claim a KiwiSaver PIE Tax Refund From IRD in NZ (2026): Step-by-Step
Over-paid KiwiSaver PIE tax? For NZ-resident individuals the refund is mostly automatic at the year-end square-up. Here is how to check your…
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Personal Risk · 29 Jul 2025
Co-Owning a Home With Friends or Family in NZ 2026: Protecting the Mortgage When You Buy Together
Buy a house with friends or family and each co-borrower is liable for the whole mortgage, not just their share. Here is how joint tenancy an…
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Retirement · 3 Aug 2025
Combining KiwiSaver With Your Other Savings in Retirement (NZ, 2026): A Withdrawal Order That Works
How to coordinate KiwiSaver, term deposits, shares and rental income in retirement: which pot to draw from first, PIE tax efficiency, and ke…
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KiwiSaver · 12 May 2026
7 Common KiwiSaver Mistakes Kiwis Make in 2026 (and How to Fix Each One) | NZ
The seven KiwiSaver mistakes quietly costing Kiwis money in 2026, from missed contributions to panic-switching and the wrong PIR, plus a one…
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