It's encouraging to see the govt is entertaining the idea for "Special Economic Zones" in an attempt to deal with our so-called zombie towns, writes Bernard Hickey.

Getting your first home got a bit easier with some changes to KiwiSaver. It's now possible to buy an unbuilt home, opening up the possibility of buying off the plans.

The Finance Minister punctures dairy denials but needs an eye on recent boom and bust, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

Bad credit ratings happen to people in all walks of life. Sometimes a catastrophe such as business failure, divorce or illness leaves an erstwhile financially healthy member of the public in dire straits.

Investors must be sure they won't be forced to sell at some point, because that's when hefty losses can hit.

Having its main office in Auckland is a big part of the dairy giant's problem, writes Brian Gaynor.

"I am hoping that when we launch our new 7pm current affairs show, Story, it will give us a boost," Mark Jennings says.

Jock Anderson on the clear leader in the scramble to succeed Dame Sian Elias as the next Chief Justice, and more.

A key industry is suffering, but other economic signs paint a happier picture, writes Brian Fallow.

Personal finance columnist David Chaplin on exchange-traded funds and the NZX taking a big punt.

Wheeler struck the right note in this morning's official cash rate announcement: appropriately dovish but not alarmist.

Interruptions in the office can be minimised simply by shifting the position of your desk, writes Robyn Pearce.

Fibre link is proving its worth for devotees of high definition streaming services, writes tech blogger Juha Saarinen.

Gold prices have been weak lately, recently falling below US$1100 ($1516) an ounce for the first time since 2010, writes Mark Lister.

David Chaplin says Crown Financial Institutions have generally been a boon to government books over the last few years.

The NZ-China free trade agreement doesn't stop new restrictions on house sales to overseas buyers, but National's subsequent deals try to, writes David Parker.

There is a important debate to be had about foreign investment in NZ because we are a small, open economy and a big shift in global trends can have a disproportionate impact, writes Liam Dann.

It's known as confession season - that time of year when companies do their end of year accounts and come clean on any nasty surprises they've uncovered.

Labour lit the fuse on a jury-rigged device and threw it into a shopping mall of opinions, with sadly predictable results, writes Bernard Hickey. But it needn't have been this way.

For two years now, Kiwis moving to Australia and Australians settling in NZ have been able to also relocate their superannuation savings.

The election of directors will be one of the most important issues during the upcoming annual meeting season.

'Have you got a pet investment?" My mother leaned across a cafe table to ask me this question a few weeks back and the idea for an article was born.

It's human nature to think of life as linear. There's a starting point, a journey and then an end point. We're born, we live, we die.

I've edited your long letter, which went into more detail about how hard it was to get a clear picture of fees, commissions and so on. I agree that's poor.

Auckland QC Paul Edmund Dacre - who led the fatally flawed prosecution of John Banks - is not out of the fire, writes Jock Anderson.

Exactly where does the housing ladder lead, asks Brian Fallow - to financial security, or to years and years of debt servitude?

NZ On Air will decide on Wednesday whether to fund a new 5:30pm soap opera which TV3 hopes will help boost ratings for 3News, writes John Drinnan.

The Chinese market crash and new rules combine to make investors look further afield.

Liam Dann says axing 523 jobs may make financial sense to Fonterra's chiefs but the dairy slump is bigger than that.