GoodReturns.co.nz - Blog

End this ridiculous war on selling

Financial advisers are about to become collateral damage in the latest round of successive governments' war against our right to think for ourselves.

KiwiSaver rot runs deeper than defaults

The flawed KiwiSaver default provider system is symptomatic of wider problems with the scheme that need to be addressed if it is to achieve its objectives.

Did the ISI/FSC miss an opportunity?

There's a game of musical chairs, with a diminshing number of chairs going on amongst the various lobby groups at the moment,

What to make of the Kiwibank deal

Rumours had been circulating for a while that Gareth Morgan’s KiwiSaver business was on the market. Today we learnt that Kiwibank was the successful buyer of this business plus the other funds management and advice offerings from GMI.

Selling through employers

I always thought selling insurance to people through their employers was the flimsiest of propositions - why would anyone talk to you about insurance in the work café, with their mates hanging around for the ‘convenience' of paying for the same thing they can buy in the plush, private, offices of the bank for the same price?

FATCAT. Opps I mean FATCA

I’m sure someone with a sense of humour thought up this acronym. Now some of you may be asking what an earth is FATCA? It is the: “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” to be imposed by the United States of America in 2013. What does this mean for little ol’ New Zealanders in the financial industry?

Greens KiwiSaver policy nice idea but...

The Green Party released its KiwiSaver policy yesterday which has all the hallmarks of a nice idea but probably not that realistic.

Forget about personality; Labour's policy has balls

I’ve said it before and yesterday’s savings policy announcement from Labour demonstrates it again. Labour understands savings issues far more than National. Its package is potentially a circuit breaker for this year’s election and will get people talking.

Where oh where are the KiwiSaver accounts?

Earlier this week we reported that a number of KiwiSaver funds had missed their deadline to prepare and send their annual reports to members. It has transpired that there is a common thread amongst the schemes that missed filing. That theme is the company which provides registry and accounting services to the providers. Yes another three letter name starting with A – AON.

It's not ethical for managers to keep getting fees on frozen funds

Is it ethical for fund managers to continue to get management fees on funds that have been frozen?

Where are the regulators when you need them?

There are some things I don't get about the newly regulated world at the moment. One is the story we ran yesterday where to advisers with dishonesty convictions recently in Australia are allowed to be registered advisers.

8 reasons why state asset sales will struggle

Risk is the likelihood of losing your hard earned wealth; Volatility is the wobbles

Darren Pratley talks about tie up with PAA

The truth about managing retirement income

Mel's Farewell Blog

Shoe Shop Compliance

Perimeter enforcement underway

Financial summit needs to cover life risks too

First monitoring feedback complete

Your advice (on FMA ads) please

Hot air bubbles

Why so much time on Hubbard?

More regulatory madness

Providers’ responsibility for their KiwiSaver distribution

AFA applicants moving – but slowly

Time for health insurance industry to speak up

It’s time to engage investors about the new regime

Hard work ahead to sell the Budget

Irregular times

Why are some RFAs still advertising AFA services?

National just doesn't get saving

AFA Monitoring & Registration Spot Checks Kick Off

Borrowing could boost fund's impressive returns

A new era of opportunity for professional bodies

Disclosure disclosed

The property investment ‘loophole’

Outrageous to ban property investment

4 April: New deadlines for Christchurch advisers

Advisers needed to sell KiwiSaver