Original Article by Susan Edmunds Here
"Massey University's Claire Matthews is speaking at today’s New Zealand Capital Markets Symposium, at AUT, about her paper on KiwiSaver member behaviour, which looked at what drives people to choose certain funds over others. She said some of the research results were surprising.
Previous studies have shown that savers opted for bank funds because they could see their KiwiSaver balances online. But Matthews’ study said it also seemed to prompt people to move away from banks. “It’s odd. We’re speculating that it’s because they are able to check the balance, they can see when there is a downturn, they’re not happy and go somewhere else. It’s not a very good way of managing your KiwiSaver.”
Providers’ fees were having a significant effect on which funds KiwiSavers chose to put their money in, Matthews said. But she said it was unclear whether they completely understood them. “People are going to be looking at the fees, whether they’re making good comparisons or not is unclear…. Sometimes you pay higher fees for higher returns.”
Matthews said savers were definitely not getting enough advice. “KiwiSavers are disadvantaged because they are making decisions that are long-term and have the potential to have significant impact on their retirement lifestyles but they are unable to access the advice they need to ensure they are making the right decisions.”
As we can see, there are many aspects to consider with Kiwisaver, some becoming fairly complex. When faced with the challenges of going it alone with Kiwisaver, people can understandably make spur of the moment decisions that could affect their long term financial future. Kiwisaver is designed to be a long term savings programme, and previous research has demonstrated that not enough has been done to help Kiwis understand the aspects they need to know to get the most out of the programme. One previous study for instance, has shown that over 30% of Kiwis get their Kiwisaver advice from their own family or friends.
Kiwisaver can be a great long term boon to your future in retirement, and that's why we're here to help with professional Kiwisaver advice. Our Investment Specialist Ross Wallace offers market leading experience with Kiwisaver and can simply and effectively help you make the best decisions for your Kiwisaver needs, taking your unique financial circumstances into account. He can bring clarity to a lot of the confusing issues surrounding Kiwisaver and help you get the most out of it.
Don't hesitate to ask us your Kiwisaver questions below, or at enquiry@sprattfinancial.co.nz.
