Mary Holm answers readers personal finance queries.

A 189ha Waiheke Island farm with a 1.5km long beach coastline is being advertised for sale.

Ryman Healthcare's new Devonport retirement village is too tall, too bulky and will be a visual wall of buildings, opponents say.

WATCH: Ever wondered what it's like to live like a millionaire at one of Auckland's country estates.

Opponents battle road change but developer and council defend process.

Tenders close later this month for the 33ha Auckland farm owned by multi-millionaire Eric Watson.

All Metlifecare retirement villages are being reviewed after four villages were found to have watertightness issues.

COMMENT: There's bound to be a few surprises, but reporting season should generally make for encouraging reading, Mark Lister writes.

The insurance council has blamed rising regulation and increased costs driven by the Canterbury earthquakes for a 60 per cent jump in insurance.

COMMENT: Laddering means you'll always have some cash available.

A growing number of Kiwis are earning six figure salaries and struggling to pay off debt and get ahead.

The tax department has shut down its online payment service, contact centre and front of house service, causing problems for people.

The amount of money invested in KiwiSaver has topped $36 billion despite a turbulent end to the year for markets.

Retirement giant Metlifecare has been hit by leaky building issues at four villages, and some elderly residents have had to leave their homes.

Auckland and Hamilton house values are not only rising more slowly, but they are now dropping in some parts of the city.

COMMENT: Who earns interest on bank holidays? And what's the best use of cash? Mary Holm answers your questions.

COMMENT: This is an ideal moment to get your money humming for the year.

Pressure on employers to boost workers' wages is not going to be enough to cover the rising cost of mortgage rates, warns an economist.

It's a radical transformation: from protected heritage ex-Auckland Council's headquarters into new apartments. The first visuals

Music streaming service Spotify has increased its prices by $2 a month due to a New Zealand tax introduced last year.

Fixing a mortgage will cost you more this year than it did last year.

Billionaire New Zealand citizen Peter Thiel has been reported to be President Trump's potential ambassador to Germany.

The IRD recently released information regarding income distributions of NZ individual taxpayers from 2007 to 2015 which makes interesting reading.

An Auckland businessman jailed for failing to pay his taxes knew his obligations, says IRD.

Controversial American billionaire, Trump donor and venture capitalist Peter Thiel has taken NZ citizenship and quietly acquired a Wanaka lakefront estate.

A US$90 billion ($123b) wave of mortgages, leftover debt from the 2007 lending boom, is laying bare the weak links in the U.S. real estate market.

Spontaneous purchases and splurging on avoidable items such as booze and cigarettes are hindering household budgets.

Wealthy Americans are preparing for a potential doomsday by buying property in New Zealand.

Unusual feature of new $15m heritage apartment project revealed

Breaking his campaign promise, Donald Trump will not be releasing his tax returns - so WikiLeaks said they will instead.