No Stupid Questions with Susan Edmunds
RNZ money correspondent Susan Edmunds wants to demystify money and personal finance.
Episodes
It can happen. And does. Your dad dies. Your stepmother sells their home and then leaves all the money to her kids. You get nothing. This doesn't seem right. Is there anything you can do? We investigate your options on this as well asking whether it is worth having a savings account anymore, what the unemployment rate tells us and what it doesn't, and are KiwiSaver providers making their returns sound better than they are?
In this e...
Your kids are all grown up now, having families, buying homes of their own and working hard to make ends meet. Wouldn't this be the best time for them to inherit your money? Have we got the wrong approach to inheritances? Susan has answers for this, as well as what the tax situation is when buying a house overseas, whether financial advisers who are paid on commission can really be objective and what to look out for when insuring y...
Family stuff can be pretty tricky, especially after a bereavement. What can you do if you're partner has passed on and their kids want you to sell your house so they can get a payout? Speaking of kids, why isn't the cost of childcare tax deductible? Does the NZ Super Fund super proof my pension? And would you have been better off buying a house in 1981 - or Lego?
In this episode, Susan answers questions about:
- 00.44 What to do wh...
Plenty of us rent the homes we live in. How do we know if we're paying more for it than we should? Susan finds out and asks if anyone is making money from your rental bond, as well as how to avoid being scammed when you're investing, and whether your LEGO collection is a good investment or not.
In this episode, Susan answers questions about:
- 00.55 What to do if you think you're paying more than market rent
- 5.38 Is anyone maki...
More than 600,000 New Zealanders have a student loan. If you’re one of them, you might have questions - like what happens if you die? Does your partner have to take on half if you split? We're looking at this as well as pension questions, tax questions, investing for your kids, and ensuring your KiwiSaver is invested in a way you're comfortable with.
In this episode, Susan answers questions about:
- 00.55 Avoiding the student loan ...
Can I invest in gold through my KiwiSaver? Will I still get my pension if I live on my boat? And what is a disappointment gap?
Questions this week for Susan:
00.54 Can I invest in gold through my KiwiSaver?
02.39 I qualify for superannuation but still have a mortgage. Will that affect my tax rate?
04.31 Can my employer deduct KiwiSaver my from my hourly rate of pay?
07.20 If I live on my yacht, can I still claim superannuation?
08.55 D...
No Stupid Questions with Susan Edmunds will be back online, on-air and in your feed from late-January 2026. If you have a money question you'd like Susan to answer, put it in an email or send us a voice recording to questions@rnz.co.nz.
My tradie asked to be paid in cash...will that get me in trouble with the IRD? Where's the best place to keep an emergency fund? And are rewards points really worth it?
Episode details
Questions this week for Susan:
Where should I put my emergency money, in a manged fund, term deposit or just a bank account?
When the Reserve Bank changes the official cash rate, where does the extra money I pay on my mortgage go?
Which kinds of KiwiSaver...
If you die without family, what happens to your KiwiSaver? Is it fair that a household with one high earner pays more tax than one with two average earners? And what is productivity and why does it matter to the average New Zealander who’s just focused on getting their own job done?
Questions this week for Susan:
- 00.44 What are tenants not allowed to do?
- 2.52 When it comes to tax, what's the difference between boarders and fl...
A lot of people put money away for their children's future. But is a savings account the best way to do that? And if I invest in the sharemarket, is a growth fund too risky? Do I play it safe or go for gold?
Episode details
Questions this week for Susan:
- 00.52 What is a capital change notice?
- 3.44 Why do petrol pumps warn you that a hold is being placed on your credit card?
- 5.25 What has happened to my late daughter's Australia...
We're aways reading headlines about how Australia can pay higher wages than us but are also able to sell a cheaper cup of coffee. How do they keep the cost of living low while we struggle? What's Australia's secret sauce? Economist Mary-Jo Vergara says the answer is actually pretty simple.
Questions this week for Susan:
00.44 - How does Australia pay high wages but still keep the cost of living low?
3.03 - What are my options if my...
Borrowing money these days seems to involve so much paperwork. Why?
Questions this week for Susan:
- Is private school worth the money?
- Is it worth getting a second job?
- Do I have to pay gift tax?
- And why are banks so stuck on paperwork?
Expert input this week came from Dr Michael Johnson, Robyn Walker, Greg Bunkall, and Anne Marie Lockyer
If you have a money question you'd like Susan to try and answer, put it in an email or v...
Is the AI boom a bubble? Is it about to burst? What should I do?
Questions this week for Susan:
- Is the bubble about to burst on AI?
- Is it cheaper to rent or buy?
- Will the Fonterra brads sale drive up inflation?
- And how do I choose financial advisor?
Expert input this week came from Shamubeel Eaqub, Sharon Zollner and Tim Fairbrother.
If you have a money question you'd like Susan to try and answer, put it in an email or voice...
Is it better to be alive in 1985 or in 2025?
Questions this week for Susan:
- Why can’t we take GST off fresh food?
- What is gift tax?
- How do I split the bills when a relative moves in?
- And were we all better off in the 80s?
Expert input this week came from Brad Olsen, Craig Renney, Shamubeel Eaqub, David Verry and RNZ Morning Report host Corin Dann.
If you have a money question you'd like Susan to try and answer, put it in an ...
Is it fair that my partner's residential care will drain my KiwiSaver account too?
Questions this week for Susan:
- If I have to use my KiwiSaver account to pay for my partner's residential care, is that fair on me?
- What is a Capital Gains Tax?
- How likely am I to win Lotto?
If you have a money question you'd like Susan to try and answer, put it in an email or voice memo, then send it to questions@rnz.co.nz.
When money people and politicians talk about the "bank of Mum and Dad", what does that really mean?
If you have a question you'd like Susan to answer, you can email her at questions@rnz.co.nz. We'd love to hear from you!
Do banks always pass on cuts to the official cash rate to their customers?
If you have a question you'd like Susan to answer, you can email her at questions@rnz.co.nz. We'd love to hear from you!
There's an OCR announcement soon. What impact will that have on home loan rates?
If you have a question you'd like Susan to answer, you can email her at questions@rnz.co.nz. We'd love to hear from you!
If tax was removed from all benefits, what effect would that have on the economy?
If you have a question you'd like Susan to answer, you can email her at questions@rnz.co.nz. We'd love to hear from you!
I want to spread my KiwiSaver contributions across more than one kind of fund. Can I do that?
If you have a question you'd like Susan to answer, you can email her at questions@rnz.co.nz. We'd love to hear from you!
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