Secret Super Stash
Imagine this, there's money sitting in an account, in your
name and you don't even know about it. It all goes back to the last
time the Government tried to set up a personalised state run super
scheme. It was the mid-70s but when National won the next election
Rob Muldoon scrapped it. However thousands of workers who
were part of the compulsory scheme never claimed their money back.
They may not have realised it was still in the fund but still there
it is, gaining interest every year. For the majority this unclaimed
amount is only a few hundred dollars. But there are exceptions.
Damian Christie travelled to Oakura in Taranaki to meet one of
them. Now if you think you might have some unclaimed money in the
National Provident Fund, a special 0800 number has been set up.
It's 0800 22 83 67. Or go to their
website
and click on the
button marked "unclaimed monies".
Money Skills for Kids
Credit has never been more readily available to us than it
is now. We owe an average of $100,000 per person and yet only half
of us have mortgages. Collectively, we owe $4.5 billion on our
credit cards. For every dollar we earn we're spending $1.15. The
concept of saving has been lost on us. Kiwisaver will launch in
less than a month but that in itself will not turn us into a nation
of savers. A change in attitude is required and financial planner
Jenny
Mahoney
believes it needs to
start
young
Sofia Wenborn finds out how quickly kids learn
the value of a dollar.
Passion for Success
Have you ever thought about throwing in your day job and
pursuing your dreams? Working where your passion lies rather than
staying in your current employment just because it pays the bills?
Well, some people do take the career-change plunge like Maru
Nihoniho. At 30, with two kids, she left the hospitality industry
to begin making computer games. With no gaming experience apart
from a love for Tomb Raider, Maru Nihoniho has just made it big,
signing an international multi-million dollar contract with Sony
Playstation - for her very first game. Maru shared with Laurna
White how she overcame financial hardship, strain on her family
life and countless rejections to become a winner in the gaming
industry. Maru's Cube game will be released here in New Zealand
this month. And Maru says her United States publishers are so happy
with the Cube's sales over there they're looking at putting it out
on X-box too.
