Cooking the Books

Cooking the Books: Don't panic, but your KiwiSaver has gone down


Listen Later

Each week the New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB's Cooking The Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's why you shouldn't overreact to your KiwiSaver taking a dive. Hosted by Frances Cook.
It’s satisfying watching your KiwiSaver climb higher every day. You can even get it attached to your bank accounts, so that you can keep an eye on it as part of your daily banking.
You watch your nest egg increase in value, secure in the knowledge you’re planning for your retirement and looking after your future.
Except watching it so closely can be a terrible idea. Especially if the recent sharemarket jitters have made you nervous.
The sharemarket has hit a rocky patch. In the beginning of February the S&P500 had its worst day since the end of 2016, finishing the week down 3.9 percent.
When the U.S. sneezes the rest of us catch a cold, so not only is the U.S. sharemarket continuing to jump around, but so is New Zealand’s.
If you think you don’t invest in shares, think again. Most KiwiSaver funds have at least a little bit in shares. If you’re in a growth fund like I am, it might be quite a bit. 
So if you’re watching your KiwiSaver balance on a day-to-day basis, you’ve probably seen it start to go down.
That can be pretty scary I’ll admit, particularly if you’ve been thinking about your KiwiSaver as if it’s a savings account at a bank.
But it’s not, it’s an investment fund. If you want the good returns that will make your money grow, you have to grit your teeth during the times it temporarily goes down. 
I called Dr Ayesha Scott, finance lecturer at AUT, to talk about how to deal with a fall in your KiwiSaver. 
We talked about why it's normal for KiwiSaver to go down as well as up, how to deal with that, and whether there's ever a time to panic. 
For the interview, listen to the podcast. 
If you have a question about this podcast, or an idea for the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookJournalist/ Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/franklysnapping/ and Twitter here https://twitter.com/FrancesCook ​

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Cooking the BooksBy NZ Herald

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

4 ratings


More shows like Cooking the Books

View all
The Mike Hosking Breakfast by Newstalk ZB

The Mike Hosking Breakfast

55 Listeners

Viva Talks by NZME

Viva Talks

0 Listeners

Your Money With Mary Holm by RNZ

Your Money With Mary Holm

8 Listeners

The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand by Ruth - Personal Finance Blogger

The Happy Saver Podcast - Personal Finance in New Zealand

25 Listeners

Speaking Secrets by NZME

Speaking Secrets

0 Listeners

The Front Page by NZ Herald

The Front Page

14 Listeners

The Detail by RNZ

The Detail

53 Listeners

Fighting For Our Future by NZME

Fighting For Our Future

0 Listeners

The Property Academy Podcast by Opes Partners

The Property Academy Podcast

26 Listeners

Just Listen by NZME

Just Listen

0 Listeners

Between Two Beers Podcast by Steven Holloway & Seamus Marten

Between Two Beers Podcast

119 Listeners

The 50 Year Secret by NZME

The 50 Year Secret

21 Listeners

The Girls Uninterrupted by Stuff | Brodie Kane Media

The Girls Uninterrupted

17 Listeners

The Pivot Pod by NZME

The Pivot Pod

0 Listeners

Shared Lunch by Sharesies

Shared Lunch

9 Listeners

Friends That Invest by Friends That Invest

Friends That Invest

286 Listeners

Money Talks by NZME

Money Talks

2 Listeners

When the Facts Change by The Spinoff

When the Facts Change

9 Listeners

The Curve by The Curve Platform

The Curve

15 Listeners

Billy T' Billy by NZME

Billy T' Billy

0 Listeners

Keep The Change by nextAdvisory

Keep The Change

13 Listeners

Science Digest by NZME

Science Digest

0 Listeners

On the Tiles by NZME

On the Tiles

0 Listeners

The Dom Harvey Podcast by Dom Harvey

The Dom Harvey Podcast

74 Listeners

Tova by Stuff Audio

Tova

0 Listeners

One Day You'll Thank Me by NZ Herald

One Day You'll Thank Me

0 Listeners

The Little Things by NZ Herald

The Little Things

4 Listeners

Markets with Madison by NZ Herald Business

Markets with Madison

0 Listeners

No Such Thing as Normal by NZME

No Such Thing as Normal

0 Listeners

Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial by NZ Herald

Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial

2 Listeners

A Forgotten History by NZ Herald

A Forgotten History

3 Listeners

Detour: Antarctica by NZME

Detour: Antarctica

6 Listeners

The Māori in Me by NZ Herald

The Māori in Me

0 Listeners

It's a Date by NZME

It's a Date

0 Listeners