The ongoing revelations about how Cambridge Analytica exploited Facebook to harvest millions of profiles have laid bare the seeming lack of control we have over our own data.
Fine-wine investment too good to be true
Wine investment has barely been on the scene for two decades, and If you have a taste for investing in wine, it could be a hobby worth the money one can spare.
Protect your business against the unexpected
A business is only as good as its people.Although you may have implemented plans to protect your buildings and equipment, it's important you don't forget about protecting one of your most important assets - your people.
Why We Do What We Do: Stories that motivates us.
Life insurance is one of those things—you don't want to learn how important it is once it's too late. But that doesn't mean we know all the right things to do when it comes to getting a policy
Should I consider dollar cost averaging?
We are sometimes asked about dollar cost averaging when investing client funds and whether this is a good idea. It is certainly something which should be considered, particularly for first time investors, and those whom are introducing a substantial lump sum deposit into their investment portfolio.
Will I run out of money in retirement?
Bill Gates wisely pointed out that "most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in 10 years".
AI and real-time risk decisions in wealth management
This promises to be the year we see the culmination of some key technologies — from blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI), to design thinking and the cloud.
It's not all smashed avocado for millennials – Part II
In New Zealand, trend pieces often depict millennials in the context of young urban professionals spending too much money on avocado-based brunches and too little time saving for a deposit on a house.
Millennials, take charge of your financial future – Part I
We have all read about the financial plight of millennials, who are not only drowning in student loan debt but other loans and expenses as well. They include car payments, rents or mortgages, and credit card bills.
Reading the tea leaves
Investors at year-end are inclined to reflect on the 12 months gone and muse on what the coming year might bring.Aware of this appetite for speculation, the media tends to feed it with forecasts. These articles can be fun to read but are even more so a year later.
‘Tis season to set yourself good financial goals
This New Year it is also a great time to start making solid financial resolutions that can help get you closer to your money goals, whether it’s increasing your retirement savings or setting enough money aside for a down payment on a house.
Seven ways to tighten your Christmas spending
Last year, New Zealanders managed to spend a record $6 billion shopping in December, which was the highest monthly figure recorded by Statistics New Zealand.
Hawke's Bay enjoyed the highest holiday splurge, with a near 11 per cent increase on the previous year.
The bitcoin bubble – Part I
What if there is a technological advancement so powerful that it transforms the fundamental pillars of our society?
A technology that fundamentally influences the way our economy, governance systems and business functions, and could change our conceptual understandings of trade, ownership, and trust.
Trust Law reform Part III - Implications for trustees
Their disclosure obligations in the new trust act will increase the reputational and liability risk of not properly engaging with investment governance practices.
Trust Law Reform Part II- You'd best be prepared if trusts bill becomes law
The proposed law changes will mean the right to have the trust properly managed, in accordance with the trust deed, is paramount. Many trustees will need to balance these considerations, and it will be difficult.
Trust law reform Part I - benefits versus costs, responsibilities
With 300,000 to 500,000 trusts operating in New Zealand, a new trusts bill introduced to Parliament earlier this year has the potential to deliver wide-ranging impacts.
The ups and downs of downsizing
If your family has grown up and flown the nest and you're moving closer to retiring, it's likely that you've at least thought about downsizing your home.
When does the underarm stop for Kiwis?
Currently in Australia there is more than $17 billion in unclaimed superannuation, which is not an insignificant sum of money, and we anticipate that a large proportion of these funds belongs to Kiwis.
House prices out of step
House prices in New Zealand versus the average Kiwi income have more than doubled since 1980.If you thought house prices were hot, you were right, but this figure shows home ownership is becoming a more and more distant dream for the average New Zealander, unless we see market slow-down or correction
Like Romans, fall on our sword and raise retirement age
The issue of ageing populations and funding retirement schemes is not a modern one - the Romans faced the same political and fiscal problems 2000 years ago.
