The Financial Services Council is looking to drum up popular support for a campaign to address what it says is the overtaxation of savings.

Sheather estimates what terminal sum will accrue to a KiwiSaver saving $100 pw and getting the $1K kick start and the annual $521 contribution from the Govt investing in a growth portfolio.

Q: I saw the CEO of the Financial Services Council on TV talking about an insurance option to protect the loss of KiwiSaver amounts due to a recession. Does this cover have any merit?

I am not in Kiwisaver as I can't afford to lose the minimum 3 per cent from my wages.

Q: I have been following the new car discussion with interest. I would like to suggest the following thoughts to purchasers of a new car.

Generally speaking home buyers can dip into their funds after three years of joining KiwiSaver to buy their first home. But what if that home's in Australia?

Account provider can’t use KiwiSaver funds to settle debts without permission, but there could be exceptions.

They say a new car loses 20 per cent of its value the second you drive it off the showroom floor, writes Mary Holm. Still, buying a car isn't always rational.

Leader says superannuation plan needs to be extended to those who are 'missing out'.

So Labour wants everyone but the lowest earners to put aside 9 per cent of their income for retirement savings?

Mary Holm takes on some KiwiSaver myths.

Budget advisers who deal with real people's spending say using a credit card results in us spending about 30pc more than we would if it was cash, writes Tamsyn Parker.

Q: I'm in the process of withdrawing my KiwiSaver funds under the financial hardship criteria. Hopefully, this will be successful.

We got one of those calls the other night - the one where a foreign-sounding man asks if your computer is running and says it needs to be checked for a virus.

If I were to transfer my entire superannuation from Australia and at a later date I fell into financial hardship for health reasons, would I be able to withdraw my funds with KiwiSaver.

I have been emailing ASB KiwiSaver scheme and also other providers in Sydney, but only faced "no responses".

Armed with info on the fund's past returns, you can roughly compare them with term deposit returns, writes Mary Holm.

When it comes to KiwiSaver it's only possible to go with one provider, writes Tamsyn Parker. Fortunately this issue is balanced by a number of protective factors.

One of NZ’s largest stand-alone employer superannuation scheme, the $230 million plus ANZ National Bank Staff fund is winding up.

I have a KiwiSaver account, and am very happy with the gradual accumulation of savings.

As per its pre-budget propaganda, the Australian government has put its aging population on notice: retirement has been postponed.