Monday media round-up 15/02/10

• Martin Hawes: Two sides of risk and return

Mike Taylor runs a managed fund called PIE which produced returns last year of more than 100 per cent. Taylor was recently reported to be wondering why there was not a flood of money pouring into PIE for investment.

The answer is that Kiwis have cooled when it comes to managed funds. (NZ Herald)

• Card debt is hurting

Kiwis continue to face financial difficulties despite the economic recovery, with a third of credit card users preparing to use their cards to pay for otherwise unaffordable items in the coming months. (NZ Herald)

• 25pc hike in life policies tipped

The cost of buying life insurance could rise by as much as 25 per cent this year because of changes to the way it is taxed, the insurance industry body has warned. (NZ Herald)

• Mary Holm: Balancing act to get best return

Choosing active funds and hoping for a winner can turn out to be a bit of a gamble. (NZ Herald)

• The grave dividing range

AUSTRALIANS ARE not just beating us economically, they are caning us on life expectancy as well, according to a study of mortality among life insurance policyholders. (Sunday Star Times)

• Grim outlook as DNZ, Centro hit Struggle St

CLIENTS OF financial planning company Money Managers (now called MMG Advisory Partners) received a double dollop of bad news last week involving about $450 million invested in property funds. (Sunday Star Times)

• 90 seconds at 9am: Life premium hikes; Yuan revaluation?; Greek debt coverup

Bernard Hickey details the key news from over the weekend in 90 seconds at 9am, including the NZHerald’s report that life insurance premiums may be about to rise as much as 25% because of recent tax changes. For more detail, see the report from Interest.co.nz’s Insurance Editor John Grant in September 2009 on how these changes might lift premiums 25%. (interest.co.nz)

• Big jump in fraud during recession

A big jump in the value of frauds in New Zealand in the second half of 2009 is being put down to a number of large cases and that fraud has been prompted by, or uncovered during, the global economic crisis.(NZPA)