Womenomics

The 4 Life Stages of Women Investors In Relationships, where the emphasis is on enabling advisors to effectively engage with both partners in a marriage or domestic union. In Transition, in which the focus is on providing support to women investors during a time of significant life change, such as a career transition, divorce or death of a spouse. In Business, which identifies strategies for advising professional women, including women who are...

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Finance & Investments

Thanks to my favourite economist Mr Brent Wheeler for sharing this: If this looks complex just examine NZ. Twenty years ago we were ranked at number 19 of the top 20 safest bond investment haven and now we have clawed up to number 13. Japan, number one 20 years ago didn’t make the top 20 this time round. At number one, currently, is Norway, which, you will be interested to know, has a 40 percent requirement for women on board...

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Why?

Bias Persists for Women of Science, a Study Finds Science professors at American universities widely regard female undergraduates as less competent than male students with the same accomplishments and skills, a new study by researchers at Yale concluded. As a result, the report found, the professors were less likely to offer the women mentoring or a job. And even if they were willing to offer a job, the salary was lower. Female professors...

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Musings & Amusings

For decades, women have battled for equality, but what if equality was not the end point? What if we are heading for a future of female dominance? So runs the thesis of what promises to be one of the year’s most sparred-over books. In The End of Men, the American journalist Hanna Rosin says that males have ruled the roost “since, well, the dawn of mankind.” Now, she argues, the balance of power is shifting “with shocking speed.” From one perspective,...

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Everyday Money

Top 5 Worrying Results ·         73 percent of people are concerned how their kids will ever afford a house. ·         22 percent said “Nothing I do will make a difference to my financial situation” rising to 33 percent for those aged 50-64 years. ·         19 percent aged 18-39 believe that “KiwiSaver means I do not have to...

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Who's Counting?

Companions ain’t cheap; but still cheaper than children! Goldfish  $100 start-up cost, $20 annual expenses, $300 lifetime cost over 10 years. Buy a goldfish. Plonk it in a bowl. Feed it. Goldfish are low cost and low maintenance – the perfect entry-level pet. Budgie $150 start-up cost, $150 annual expenses, $1650 lifetime cost over 10 years. Cat $250 start-up cost, $466 annual expenses, $7,250 lifetime cost over 15 years. The...

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Everyday Money

Struggling to organise joint finances? Try the following: Source: Girls Just Want to Have Fund$ by Sheryl Sutherla...

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Musings and Amusings

Evolution has given humans a huge advantage over most other animals: middle age – who would have thought? We are used to dismissing our fifth and sixth decades as a negative chapter in our lives, perhaps even a cause for crisis. But recent scientific findings have shown just how important middle age is for every one of us, and how crucial it has been to the success of our species. Middle age is not just about wrinkles and worry. It is not about...

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Who's counting?

Most New Zealander's would not survive longer than three months in the face of a personal financial disaster, according to new research.  Visa's 2012 International Financial Literacy Barometer surveyed more than 25,000 people across 28 countries.  New Zealand was ranked the sixth most financially literate country, behind world leaders Brazil, Mexico and Australia.  Our savings rate was well behind the Chinese, about half...

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Womenomics

 Following the lead of countries like Spain, France, Italy, and Belgium, the European Union is considering legislating quotas for women directors on boards. Quotas are a drastic step, especially in Europe, where men overwhelmingly run companies, and boards of directors are also almost entirely male. Just 13.7% of large-company directors and 3.2% of presidents and chairmen within the EU were women as of January, the New York Times reported...

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Finance & Investments

Over the years, the phrase "emerging market" has become all but meaningless. No group that includes China, Argentina, Kenya, the Philippines, and Romania can possibly qualify as a single coherent class.  To pick the likeliest winners in this vast category, Jim O'Neill of Goldman Sachs has given us the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and now South Africa), the "Next 11" (Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan,...

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Why?

Why have I bothered dieting? Latest study in the NY Times tells me that the low fat carbohydrate-rich diet will not keep me thin (wondered what was wrong!). In fact the study debunks the old calorie in calorie out myth telling us that the fewer carbohydrates we eat the more easily we remain lean. The more carbohydrates, the more difficult. In other words carbohydrates are fattening. What matters, then, is the quantity and quality of carbohydrates...

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Why?

Why does the average New-Zealander see their home as a nest egg for retirement. This is fantasy. As a financial planner what I see is when the family home is sold, and a retirement home purchased, the pull of new furniture, whiteware, car and overseas travel is irresistible. In many cases not only has the "nest egg" vanished but funds earmarked for retirement income are utilised. What to do? No matter what your age and stage get yourself to a financial...

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Who's Counting?

Joan Rivers said "People say that money is not the key to happiness, but I always figured if you have enough money you can have a key made." If you don't have enough money to have the key made try this: Go through your expenditure for the last month or so and figure out those items which engender feelings of happiness - for example does the coffee and muffin you buy everyday make you happy or is it a habit? If it is a habit you can save $10 a...

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Finance & Investments

A recent Forbes article by Mindy Crary identified the four stages of awareness we need to master before learning a new skill. Unconsciously Incompetent. This is the stage where you don’t know what you don’t know. This skill or thing isn’t even on your radar. Many people are unconsciously incompetent with wealth creation because while growing up, it wasn’t an issue for them. Things got bought and paid for and no one ever talked about money....

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Musings and Amusings

A fascinating new study out of Australia knocked the stereotype of selfish, single, Sex & The City-style women on its head this week with findings that it’s not career ambition that’s keeping young women from settling down, but rather a long list of reasons outside of her control. First and foremost, a lack of a willing, able—and kid-friendly—partner. Housing ranked highly, too, with women wanting to reduce a mortgage, to renovate or to...

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Womenomics

Worldwide women are crucial to economic growth. It's not a topic which is widely discussed but a recent McKinsey report on the US economy makes for interesting reading. Click here for graph Since women’s participation in the workforce took off, in the 1970s, their productivity has accounted for about a quarter of current GDP. But women still aren’t reaching their full economic potential. One important reason is that far too many highly skilled women simply don’t progress up the ladder in corporate America. A new report, delves into the details...

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Everyday Money

I really dislike the term budgeting - it implies a restrictive regime - somewhat like dieting and ends up being something else we fail at and can feel guilty about. Current psychobabble talks about living consciously; I am advocating spending consciously. I have written before about the "black hole," the area where we can't identify our spending. Get a torch and peer into your black hole - are you buying takeaways too frequently - say $50 a week?...

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Who's counting?

Interesting that the two energy sources New Zealand is not using are the cheapest. Political correctness perha...

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Why?

Why are we being forced to use electricity? Is it too hard to attack sectors such as manufacturing, transportation, agriculture and deforestation? This is of particular interest to Christchurch residents who are being forced to use electricity as the main source of heati...

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Finance and Investments

Women in developed economies have made substantial gains in the workplace during recent decades. Nevertheless, it’s still true that the higher up in a company you look, the lower the percentage of women.Research in Europe and the United States suggests, for example, that companies with several senior-level women tend to perform better financially. Hiring and retaining women at all levels also enlarges a company’s pool of talent at a time when shortages...

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Why are we still stuck in this rut? Changing companies minds about women.

Despite significant corporate commitment to the advancement of women’s careers, progress appears to have stalled. The percentage of women on boards and senior-executive teams remains stuck at around 15 percent in many countries, and just 3 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.The last generation of workplace innovations—policies to support women with young children, networks to help women navigate their careers, formal sponsorship programs to ensure...

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Do women lack ambition? Not on your life.

Women want to succeed, yet even when they do “all the right things” Catalyst has found that they earn less and progress more slowly than men. The fact that some women adjust their career advancement strategies after crashing into institutional barriers is a rational response to inhospitable workplaces. It is not an example of a lack of ambition.Women aspired to be CEO in equal proportions as men. But the women—to a much greater extent than men—ran...

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How to get to the other side of the debt chasm

Paying off debt doesn’t require a secret formula: 48% of people who’ve done it said they simply stopped spending on their cards, 28% stuck to a budget, and 15% took a side job.Living debt-free – what is it likeYou’ll live a fuller life. A full 60% of people surveyed felt that being in debt prevented them from really enjoying life. Picture what you’d put your energy into when your debts were paid.You’ll save money. Using 30% or less of your total...

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