The fall in the New Zealand dollar to US65c from US85c a year ago has been a blessing and a curse, writes Bernard Hickey.

Q: My wife and I are on a medical benefit and applied for a hardship withdrawal from my KiwiSaver. I have to wait another 13 weeks before applying again.

Tying up money in a property investment could be more hassle than it's worth for a recently retired couple still young enough to splash out on themselves.

Using drier lint instead of cotton swabs, home dentistry and free range guinea pigs. When does extreme budgeting go too far?

Japan, Canada and the US are united in pushing NZ to ditch its demands for better dairy export access to their protected markets, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

New Zealand's challenge is to boost exports to this rapidly urbanising nation, writes Brian Gaynor.

Air New Zealand says its experience with Warner Bros and The Hobbit helped it secure rights to the Sony Pictures movie Men In Black for the airline's latest safety video.

So-called independent teeth-gnashing, hair-shirt inquiries into dysfunctional court sentencing and offender monitoring are a waste of time and money, writes Jock Anderson.

In light of the stress the dairy industry is under right now, they really do need to take the longer-term view that they say they are taking, writes Brian Fallow.

A company's share price doesn't tell us anything about whether it's expensive or cheap and, if anything, it should be taken as a sign of a strong track record of performance, writes Mark Lister.

I'd like to suggest a new business paradigm recognising "special" employees like me, because generally we're so vibrant, innovative and fun to have around, Paul Charman.

It's a bold move, typical of Google, which may be connected to the internet and which earns vast amounts of money, but isn't really part of anyone's life, writes Juha Saarinen.

The Australian government launched a parliamentary inquiry into home ownership in May, hoping to get to the bottom of its alleged housing affordability problem, writes David Chaplin.

When it comes to choosing how much risk to take while investing, I can't help but think of relationships. Call me a romantic if you like.

Research shows that talking only about features has absolutely no impact on making a sale. Here are tips that do make an impact.

Nathan Tinkler was Australia's youngest billionaire - now he faces bankruptcy as his coal empire collapses.

The 'global savings glut theory' has been around since 2005 when US central banker Ben Bernanke started talking about it, writes Bernard Hickey.

Wellington businesses, particularly listed companies, continue to struggle, writes Brian Gaynor.

Giving cash may make the situation worse by feeding the underlying problem, says a Tough Love supporter.

Winners pay off their debt in full each month, so they never pay any interest. If you're not in a position to do that, please - stop using your card.

It is not only Southlanders who can breathe a sigh of relief that the Tiwai Pt smelter received a stay of execution this week, writes Brian Fallow.

Radio New Zealand has taken Mary Wilson off air to make room for a new show "with a visual element" featuring John Campbell, writes John Drinnan.

Weird things are said when lawyers gather. Jock Anderson looks behind the scenes of the legal profession.

Personal finance columnist David Chaplin takes you through a day in life on.... Pluto.

There are many downsides to open plan offices. Time and productivity columnist Robyn Pearce explains.

Fonterra chairman John Wilson's verbal sharp-shooting skills were put to good effect at the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) ministerial negotiations in Maui.

Tech blogger Juha Saarinen reviews Microsoft's new software, Windows 10, after attending a launch event in Sydney.

In the PC world I generally knew the answer. Here I knew nothing. I was a fish out of water and up a creek without a paddle, writes Chris Barton.

Benchmarks are relatively important to investors: without them the performance figures churned out by fund managers dissolve into random floating numbers, writes David Chaplin.