No Stupid Questions with Susan Edmunds

Diesel is a big driver of our economy, no pun intended. If the squeeze comes on diesel, what will be the impact on your back pocket? Is it fair for someone to live most of their life in Australia, but come back here to claim the pension? Who remembers carles
In this episode, Susan answers questions about:
Have we forgotten about diesel drivers?
Can someone work most of their lives in Australia and then come back to New Zealand to claim the pension?
Do church-owned retirement homes enjoy tax exemptions?
Can a 70-year-old join KiwiSaver?
Why are there hurdles to get your funds out of KiwiSaver when you turn 65?
What do you do if you're asset rich but cash poor?
Will the rise in the benefit be enough for households to get by?
And when did New Zealand bring in carless days? Did it work?
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

You might own a lot, you might own a little, but you probably still need to write a will. But do you have to use a lawyer to do it? There are changes coming to KiwiSaver contribution rates. Who will miss out? And how do donation credits actually work?

In this episode, Susan answers questions about:
How will the changes to KiwiSaver contribution rates affect you?
How does the donation tax credit actually work?
Why aren't spouses paid to be caregivers?
Are there still benefits to KiwiSaver when the government contribution stops?
Do you have to write a will with a lawyer or can you write your own, have it witnessed and just keep it in a safe place?
What items have gotten cheaper over the last 10 years?
And which part of the country has the highest uptake on solar 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

Conflict has broken out in the Middle East – again – and New Zealanders are being warned to watch out for it hitting everything from petrol prices to the cost of food. This week, our special episode of No Stupid Questions is all about how it might affect your household and what you can do to ease the impact.
Episode details
In this episode, Susan answers questions about:
How high could petrol prices go?
Will inflation rise again?
Will my KiwiSaver balance be affected?
I want to fly overseas soon. What do I need to consider?
What will be the biggest pain points for households?
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

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