Rnz: Your Money With Mary Holm

Having some money that you can easily access when things go wrong is one of the most important aspects of managing your finances.

Couples often differ over money - and unless you can deal with them, such differences will at least create tensions, and sometimes cause breakups.

Mary explains a bit about an online tool called Smart Investor, which has been created to give financial information to everyday New Zealanders

Mary discusses three ways to play with numbers. The first is dollar cost averaging. The second is the rule of 72. The third is what happens if you have 40 years in KiwiSaver.

Have KiwiSaver concerns? RNZ listeners share theirs with personal finance advisor Mary Holm, asking if it's better to switch funds when their KiwiSaver balance falls, whether to move KiwiSaver money to term deposits in retirement, how self-employed people can make the most of KiwiSaver and how to tell if their fund is low or high-risk.

In Mary's last segment with Jesse, she asked listeners to send in questions. The best five questions are answered in this segment.

In Mary's new book, Rich Enough? A laid-back guide for every Kiwi, she writes about eight steps to get your finances sorted. She talks with Jesse about why it's best to do it in steps.

Mary Holm discusses reverse mortgages, which can be a good way for retired people to make use of the money they have tied up in their homes.

Shall I go for a fixed or floating mortgage, and how long a term? Is it better to put extra money into my mortgage or my KiwiSaver fund? Can I use my KiwiSaver fund to buy a container house? Mary Holm answers listeners' questions about mortgages.

Is that new item of clothing really going to make you happier in the long run? Do you really need to hold on to your Saturday brunch habit? Mary Holm looks into why we spend unnecessarily and suggests how we can take more control. She also discusses how to tell lenders you don't want to be offered loans, ideas for making Christmas less expensive, and places you can get free support to help cut your spending.

Mary answers listeners' worries about KiwiSaver. They include: how to learn the basics of the scheme; whether the government can be trusted not to take the money; whether fees are ripping off children in KiwiSaver and more.

A new survey shows New Zealanders are keen on ethical - sometimes called responsible - investing. But not so many are taking steps to ensure their KiwiSaver and other investments follow these principles.

A recent gathering of a group called Women in Super looked at findings from a Financial Markets Authority survey that showed men tend to know more about investing than women and are more confident at it.

Everybody, can be victims of money making or investment scams, fraud, or bad deals. This week on Your Money with Mary Holm, she offers advice and information on warning signs and some known scams.

Mary and remuneration expert Geoff Summers discuss a controversial issue from the last segment about employer contributions to KiwiSaver - a practice called total remuneration. Then Mary turns to a survey on KiwiSaver.

Mary discusses suggestions made by a panel of experts at a recent conference on how to improve KiwiSaver. She's not keen on making the scheme compulsory, and wants to see an end to "total remuneration".

The Commission for Financial Capability is suggesting that some KiwiSaver contributions be diverted into a rainy day fund, which people can draw on in a financial crisis.

Mary discusses a listener's letter questioning the spending habits of elderly and single women, before taking a look at gender differences in money management, investment and risk.

It's important to meet several financial advisors before committing to one, says Mary Holm. She talks about why you might want to use a financial advisor, how to make a shortlist and some good questions to ask when you meet them.

It's unwise to keep moving investments around in response to market surges or slumps, not least because by the time you act they're likely to have moved again, says Mary Holm.