It is potentially a confusing time right now for anyone with a KiwiSaver who is aware of how markets are currently performing. It may cause us to scramble and to think if there any quick decisions or actions we can make as a response. This is a message of assurance to not panic and that we are here for you.

What is important to remember is to stick with your plan and not to make sudden decisions like changing your fund as a knee-jerk reaction. Look at your own situation and determine whether you are in the right fund for your circumstances. If you need more information about our different fund types, click here.

Samantha Barrass, the Chief Executive of Financial Markets Authority New Zealand (FMA), recently spoke with NBR and reminded investors that markets do recover.

“If you’re investing for the medium to long term, it’s best you hold your nerve and not leap into more conservative funds because you will just crystallise your loss at the point… Hold the course, don’t panic”. (McNicol, 2022)

Recently, in June 2022, the FMA also published research around New Zealanders’ attitudes towards financial markets and investing. Here are some highlights which may help inform your thinking during this time:

• “Eight in ten New Zealanders hold at least one investment product (82%). KiwiSaver is still the most commonly held among New Zealanders (64%).”
• “Nearly three-quarters of investors (74%) feel slightly, fairly or very confident that New Zealand financial markets and financial service providers offer good long-term opportunities for investors.”

If you are interested in more information about this research from the FMA, click here. If you are seeking financial advice, we recommend you speak with a financial advisor.

Anglican Financial Care (AFC), the fund manager of Christian KiwiSaver Scheme, is an organisation with a long-standing experience. Established in 1972, AFC is celebrating 50 years of serving its members this year. We look forward to continuing to serve your KiwiSaver needs.

“Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.”

Psalm 89:8-9 (NIV)

Notes

McNicol, H. (2022, June 16). Biblical turbulence: Kiwis should hold nerve as confidence slips. NBR. Retrieved from https://www.nbr.co.nz

A KiwiSaver Scheme that invests ethically is important to many Kiwis. Christian KiwiSaver Scheme (CKS) has always had an ethical approach to its investments and is always seeking to participate in the good God is doing in the world.

In a recent survey, Consumer found that ethical investing is important to a large proportion of their respondents, “our survey found 45% said they wanted a fund that provides a good return and invests responsibly – both were equally important.” (Birdsey, 2022)

CKS has followed a robust ethical investing approach since its establishment in 2007 (shortly after the Government introduced KiwiSaver). Our ethical investing approach is at the heart of our investment activity, but did you know that our approach has existed since long before KiwiSaver was even created in Aotearoa?

Anglican Financial Care (AFC), the fund manager of CKS, has invested ethically since its inception in 1972 – that’s 50 years of investing with an ethical approach. In a sense, AFC boldly pioneered ethical investing in Aotearoa New Zealand long before other KiwiSaver Schemes. Other fund managers only started ethical investing in recent years.

As an overview, here are the sectors which our Ethical Investment Policy addresses:

• Alcohol
• Animal Welfare
• Armaments and defence
• Fossil fuels
• Gambling
• Pornography
• Tobacco

To read more about our thoughtful approach to ethical investing please read our Ethical Investment Policy here.

We believe God is active in restoring the world and it is important for us to express this by way of investing ethically, while being responsible with your finances.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

Notes

Birdsey, N. (2022, June 8). KiwiSaver satisfaction survey 2022. Consumer. Retrieved from https://www.consumer.org.nz

In a previous article we discussed what we mean by investment risk in a general sense. You can read that article again here. Understanding how much risk you are willing to take is usually a good way to figure out which KiwiSaver fund is right for you.

We continue this series of helping you get to know your KiwiSaver better. Let’s now look at our Income Fund.

This Fund invests in cash, term deposits, NZ bonds, overseas bonds and mortgages. Traditionally, this type of fund has been seen to be a lower risk investment with lower long-term returns.

The Income Fund is usually suited for members who need access to their money fairly soon or for those who prefer a somewhat consistent performance (rather than “bigger” increases/decreases in performance).

There are factors which affect the performance of this Fund which include:

• Interest rates: This is the chance that changes in interest rates will affect an investment’s value. In the case of bonds, an increase in interest rates mean that the capital value of the bond will decrease.
• Inflation: This is the chance that if returns are below the inflation rate, meaning the “purchasing power” of the money will decline.
• Foreign exchange rates: This is the chance that the movement of the NZ dollar against other currencies will affect an investment’s value.
• Costs: This is the chance that the cost of managing an investment could significantly affect the return from the investment.
• Solvency/default: This is the chance that the financial institution or borrower is unable to repay some or all of the investment.

While the Income Fund is our lowest risk option, it does not mean that it is immune to negative returns. There can be occasions when a negative return is produced, particularly around interest rate changes. Historically, negative returns for the Income Fund happen less frequently than with the higher risk funds.

For more information about our Income Fund you can read more here. If you have specific financial questions or need financial advice, we encourage you to seek out a financial advisor.

Keep an eye out on our future newsletters as we continue to unpack your questions about KiwiSaver and help you get to know more about your investment.

For many investors “risk” is a scary word when it refers to their investments. A couple of sayings in the investment world are “no investment is without risk” and “investors who take on more risk expect to receive a higher level of return over time”. But what is risk in terms of your investments?

Investment risk is perhaps better called investment uncertainty. Put another way, risk is the chance that an investment’s actual outcome will differ from an expected outcome. The more likely it is that we can predict the future value of the investment, the lower the investment uncertainty (or the lower the risk).

Investments in income assets, like term deposits and bonds, are typically lower risk. We have a pretty good idea what the value will be when the investment matures.

In comparison, investments in growth assets, like shares in companies and property, are higher risk due to the uncertainty of knowing what the future value will be. The several funds within a KiwiSaver Scheme will usually consist of a mixture of these income and/or growth assets.

Here at Christian KiwiSaver Scheme, we have 3 funds for you to choose from: Income Fund, Balanced Fund and Growth Fund. The difference between these funds is the different mix of these investment assets e.g. The Income Fund is made up of only income assets, whereas the Growth Fund is made up of mostly growth assets.

You can choose which Fund – or which mix of funds – is right for you depending on what level your tolerance for risk is. For instance, you may decide to choose a fund that has smaller highs and lows, or you may decide you want a fund with potentially big highs and lows which you can tolerate over a longer time period.

Over the next few newsletters we will be covering more content such as this. We have received many great questions from our members trying to get to know their KiwiSaver better. We hope we can support your financial wellbeing by helping you understand more about your investment.