No Stupid Questions with Susan Edmunds

Quite a few Aussie banks operate here in New Zealand as well as over the ditch. Are Kiwis being offered the same deals as their Australian cousins? If we can peg property rates to inflation, then why not electricity prices? Parents have a legal duty to look after their children, obviously, but at what age does that responsibility end? Susan answers all these questions as well as what's included in tax refunds on donations (and what isn't), how benefit sanctions are managed and which parts of the country pay the highest power bills.
Episode details
In this episode, Susan answers questions about:
00.33 Can we peg power prices to the rate of inflation?
4.17 Are the big Aussie banks treating Kiwis like mugs?
9.10 How long are parents and stepparents legally responsible for their kids?
11.54 Does my employer have to apply the new KiwiSaver increase?
12.36 Why aren't admin costs included in my donation tax refund?
14.38 And where in New Zealand do we pay the most for power?
If you have a money question you'd like Susan to answer, put it in an email or voice memo, then send it to [email protected].
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

It can happen. And does.
Your dad dies. Your stepmother sells their home and then leaves all the money to her kids. You get nothing. This doesn't seem right. Is there anything you can do?
We investigate your options on this as well asking whether it is worth having a savings account anymore, what the unemployment rate tells us and what it doesn't, and are KiwiSaver providers making their returns sound better than they are?
In this episode, Susan answers questions about:
What doers the unemployment rate actually tell us? And what is it leaving out?
Can a stepparent cut their partner's kids out of the will?
Are KiwiSaver providers making their returns sound better than they are?
With interest rates so low, is it worth having a savings account anymore?
How are the new rules around tenants and their pets working out?
And what is the most expensive pet procedure insurance will pay for?
If you have a money question you'd like Susan to answer, put it in an email or voice memo, then send it to [email protected].
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Your kids are all grown up now, having families, buying homes of their own and working hard to make ends meet. Wouldn't this be the best time for them to inherit your money? Have we got the wrong approach to inheritances? Susan has answers for this, as well as what the tax situation is when buying a house overseas, whether financial advisers who are paid on commission can really be objective and what to look out for when insuring your car.
Episode details
In this episode, Susan answers questions about:
00.51 What exactly is the OCR?
2.42 What are the tax implications when buying an offshore apartment?
5.17 Do we have inheritances all wrong?
8.12 What are banks saying about the future of house insurance?
10.22 Can financial advisers every truly be impartial?
12.44 What you need to know about insuring your car
13.41 And is a 1983 car better value than one from today?
If you have a money question you'd like Susan to answer, put it in an email or voice memo, then send it to [email protected].
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Family stuff can be pretty tricky, especially after a bereavement. What can you do if you're partner has passed on and their kids want you to sell your house so they can get a payout? Speaking of kids, why isn't the cost of childcare tax deductible? Does the NZ Super Fund super proof my pension? And would you have been better off buying a house in 1981 - or Lego?
In this episode, Susan answers questions about:
00.44 What to do when your partner dies and your kids want you to sell the family home
4.02 Why childcare isn't tax deductible
5.19 Will pensions one day be paid out entirely from the NZ Super Fund
7.55 Can a person on a low income afford to buy a tiny home
9.28 Whether to invest in Kiwi Bonds or put your money into a savings account
12.38 And what the average price of a house was in 1981
If you have a money question you'd like Susan to answer, put it in an email or voice memo, then send it to [email protected].
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Plenty of us rent the homes we live in. How do we know if we're paying more for it than we should? Susan finds out and asks if anyone is making money from your rental bond, as well as how to avoid being scammed when you're investing, and whether your LEGO collection is a good investment or not.
In this episode, Susan answers questions about:
00.55 What to do if you think you're paying more than market rent
5.38 Is anyone making money from your rental bond
6.49 What happens if a parent dies with no money to pay for their funeral
8.03 How to avoid the scammers when you've got lots of money to invest
10.35 Why your KiwiSaver account is not being scammed
12.39 How to protect yourself from being ripped off when buying online
13.34 Why your KiwiSaver balance doesn't count against your pension
14.07 And whether your LEGO collection is a good investment
If you have a money question you'd like Susan to answer, put it in an email or voice memo, then send it to [email protected].
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details