AI Boom Or Bubble
A recent Stuff article (published October 10th) carried the headline: “AI Bubble Warning: How worried should you be about your investment and KiwiSaver?” You can read the full article here: AI Bubble warning: AI Bubble warning: How worried should you be about your investments and KiwiSaver? | Stuff While the piece raises valid points about high […]
How We Review and Monitor Managers to Protect Investor Outcomes
One of the most important responsibilities we carry at Isbister’s KiwiWrap KiwiSaver is making sure that every dollar of our members’ money is working as hard as possible. Achieving strong long-term investment outcomes isn’t just about choosing good managers at the outset—it’s about constantly reviewing, monitoring, and holding those managers accountable to ensure they are […]
Mortgage Strategy vs Interest Rate
With interest rates coming down, mortgage holders coming off higher rates will be breathing a sigh of relief. It will be tempting to go for the lowest interest rate when it comes time to refix. This was the case 5 years ago when interest rates were somewhere between early 2s and late 2s. With hindsight […]
The Four D’s Shaping the Future of Investment Markets
In the ever-evolving world of investing, few periods in recent history have been as uncertain or potentially transformative as the one we are entering now. Four powerful forces—Donald Trump, Demographics, Disruption, and Debt—are converging in a way that is reshaping investment landscapes. Investors must be alert, adaptive, and strategic as these “Four D’s” could fundamentally alter where value […]
Market Update: Interest Rates, Investor Sentiment, and Mortgage Strategy
The markets appear to be stabilising, with much of the decline seen following “Liberation Day” largely recovered, despite recent volatility sparked by tariff announcements. While it’s tempting to view this rebound as a return to “happy days,” it may be more accurately described as cautious optimism or relief. The FONZ isn’t quite giving it the […]
Have we been Trumped?
With Donald Trump introducing a swath of trade tariffs the markets have not responded kindly. This has flowed through to your investments such as Kiwisaver and other investments that are influenced by market reactions. At the time of writing the S&P 500 (the index of largest companies in America) was down -12.27%, the Nasdaq (the […]
The all rounder versus the specialist
The all rounder versus the specialist In the realm of investment management, the debate between employing a portfolio of specialist managers versus relying on a single “all-rounder” manager is akin to comparing the performances of decathletes to individual event specialists in athletics. The 2024 Summer Olympics provide a compelling analogy to illustrate why a team […]
Do women make better investors?
We read this article by Consilium, and thought it was so interesting we wanted to share (with their permission) When it comes to industries, the investment industry is one of the more male-dominated around. Because of this, many people just assume that men are better investors. But what if this widely held belief isn’t true? According […]
What might the markets look like this year?
Welcome to 2025 and another era of Donald Trump. After a number of pardon me and pardon yous from both Trump and Biden, it felt like half of the country left prison. What will it look like for financial markets with Trump being in power? Trump has promised to tighten border controls and penalise companies […]
The only thing you can’t save is time!
A previous colleague once said to me that the only thing you can’t save is time! How true! As another year closes, we realise that yesterday has gone and that we must look to the future. This concept around time is an ancient one. The Stoic Philosopher, Seneca once said over 2,000 years ago, “We’re […]