When Donna Cooper considered taking the helm of Baycorp's New Zealand operation, she took a long hard look at herself.

Our increasingly relaxed attitude to using credit is worrying experts.

Middle-aged, middle-class women desperate to 'keep up with the Joneses' in their shopping habits are more likely to be in debt than any other group.

So, what should you aim for? Here are a few goals.

Once depressed, debt becomes a vicious circle, says Judi Clements, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation.

Winners pay off their debt in full each month, so they never pay any interest. If you're not in a position to do that, please - stop using your card.

The number of people going bankrupt has ticked up for the first time since 2009 when fallout from the global financial crisis reached its peak.

Creators of a controversial loyalty card that offers to pay part of a drinker's bar tab off their student loan are planning to go global.

Gosh, that was a baptism by fire. I remember the day, in the aftermath of the October 1987 crash, when the Brierley share price dropped below $2 - down from more than $5 just a few weeks before.

A 79-year-old accountant who owes Inland Revenue more than $400 million has successfully stalled it from trying to bankrupt him.

Having bad credit can stand in the way of everything from borrowing from the bank to signing up with a power company for your home electricity.

People do odd - inexplicable, even - things with their money. Sometimes it's because of mental health problems - diagnosed or otherwise, writes Diana Clement.

A staggering 142,000 students are working towards a degree, with another 448,000 toiling away for a lesser qualification. Most of them are wasting their time, writes Damien Grant.

What if the "power of positive thinking" is simply a numbing drumbeat that reinforces the positivity delusion, leading us to make blockheaded business and investment decisions?

The boss of Baycorp says its decision to buy a stake in credit reporting firm Centrix will not affect its relationship with a rival agency.

The Herald on Sunday ask financial gurus and well-known Kiwis for one piece of advice for getting your finances under control this year.

"I cannot agree with your comparison two weeks ago of the 10-year return on $100,000 for shares versus property."

You can take away her smooth, glowing skin, her naivety and her carefree chuckle, but you can never completely remove the little girl from the woman.

The banking ombudsman has had 10 complaints about the loan-to-value-ratio (LVR) changes introduced on October 1, with eight related to banks withdrawing prior approvals.

One of NZ's largest home builders says new loan restrictions have cost it 24 new-home builds in the first month alone - and it expects more as the policy bites.

Mary Holm answers questions on finding the best time to pay off your mortgage. Can you pay it off too early? What should you aim for?

"How does one generation get to sell their houses to the next generation at the toppest of top dollars when that new generation can't leverage up?" asks Bernard Hickey.

The Government's tough new student loan rules are an attempt to claw back more than $427 million of debt in default from overseas-based borrowers.

More New Zealanders are feeling comfortable about increasing the limit on their credit card limits now than this time last year, according to survey findings.