Tensions are high for everyone right now, and I know most people will either be nervously checking their KiwiSaver balance on the daily, or completely ignoring it until things calm down a bit. 

The most repeated advice advisors will be giving right now is to simply ignore your balance for the time being - that by the time the first bomb dropped, it was too late to change anything. But is that really true? 

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From April 1st, the KiwiSaver minimum default contribution rate will move up to 3.5%. 

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We've all found ourselves day dreaming about where we'd spend a big Lotto win at one point or another. 

Realistically, many of us will come into a major windfall - but it's likely to come in the form of a bonus at work, or an inheritance. 

Is it okay to buy a new car and go on holiday? Or should we invest it all? 

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Ethical investing seems to be a hot topic when it comes to choosing an investment fund or KiwiSaver provider. 

I've often heard providers boast that their fund is ethical - they avoid weapons manufacturers, focus on renewable and sustainable energy - you won't feel a possible sense of guilt around where your money is going. 

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We've started to see spots of what looks to be recovery in our economy over recent months. 

It's not consistent, but it's frequent enough to give us some hope for the year to come. 

Westpac is picking a whole lot of OCR hikes from the end of this year, and other forecasts seem to set a similar scene - a better economy is coming, and rates will have to reflect that when the time comes. 

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Growing older is expensive - much more expensive than most people realise. 

When you or a loved one either decides to move into aged care or is forced to do so, the Ministry of Social Development will quickly swoop in to flip through all their finances. 

Any assets, gifted funds, trusts, even living rent free - it's all looked at and impacts their chances of government-subsidised care. 

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Relationships cost money. 

It's not just about date nights at expensive restaurants, fancy shoes, or a new watch for Valentine's Day. 

It's moving in together, splitting the power bill, signing on to the rent. At what point in the relationship should you join your finances, and how should you go about it? 

Then there's the other side of the relationship - the part no one tends to plan for. The end of it. 

Are prenups just for the ultra-wealthy, or should we all have gotten one? 

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As you get older, your health becomes more and more of a worry, so life insurance seems like a no-brainer. But is it? Do you really need it after the mortgage is paid and the kids are on their own?

And what policies are must-haves, against ones that are just nice to have? 

Financial Author Martin Hawes joins Tim Beveridge to give his insurance advice and explain the pros and cons of different policies. 

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Confidence in New Zealand's rural sector has really started recovering over the past year or so. 

Stabilising interest rates, great dairy results, and promising meat exports have formed a foundation for what will hopefully be a successful 2026. 

Confidence dropped slightly in the last quarter of last year, but it's still much higher than it has been over previous years. 

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Often trust have been seen to be province of the uber wealthy. But are they? And often people don't think about this issue until it is too late

So when should we think about these issues - our family. inheritances and what's gonna happen to our money when we aren't around to look after it?

Managing Director for New Zealand Family Trust Services Limited Janet Xuccoa joins Tim Beveridge to give her advice on trust accounts, and how they should be used.

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