At a glance:
- We start with what you want your KiwiSaver to do, and put a number on it.
- Then we work out the right level of risk for you, compare your fund with the alternatives, and show you where your balance is heading.
- It costs you nothing. If you join Generate or Kōura on our advice, the provider pays us.
Most people have never chosen their KiwiSaver fund
If you joined KiwiSaver when you started a job and didn’t pick a provider, one was picked for you. A lot of people then leave it alone for ten or fifteen years. That’s a long time to sit with a decision you never made.
A review puts you back in charge of it. Here’s how ours works.
Step 1: What’s the money for?
Before we look at a single fund, we ask what you want your KiwiSaver to do and when you’ll need it. Then we put a number on it. That might be $600 a week in retirement on top of NZ Super, $400,000 by 65, or a $40,000 house deposit in three years.
That number drives everything else. A fund only makes sense if it gets you there.
Step 2: How much risk suits you?
Two things decide this: how you react when markets fall, and how long your money has to recover.
For the first, we don’t rely on a quiz. We ask what you did in 2020 and 2022, when markets dropped hard. What you did then tells us far more than what you think you’d do next time. For the second, we look at your timeframe and how much of your future depends on this balance.
If the two point in different directions, we start with the more cautious one and make the final call with you. Our article on risk profiles explains why.
Step 3: How does your fund compare?
We compare your fund with the alternatives using independent data from the Morningstar KiwiSaver survey. That means fees, returns after fees, and how much of the fund sits in shares and property, all measured the same way for every provider. Before we give advice, we check each figure against the fund’s latest fund update.
Step 4: Where are you heading?
This is usually when it clicks. We project your balance forward using your real salary, contribution rate and fund, with the government contribution and the step up to 4% in 2028 built in. You see the result in today’s dollars, so the number means something.
If you have a mortgage, we can also show you whether your next spare dollar does more on the loan or in KiwiSaver.
What you walk away with
A written recommendation: which scheme, which fund and what contribution rate, with the reasons behind each. If you’re already in the right place, we’ll tell you.
If you do switch, we handle the paperwork. The transfer takes about ten working days and your money stays invested the whole time. Then we check in every year, alongside your mortgage review, because what suits you at 35 often doesn’t suit you at 45.
How we’re paid
You don’t pay us. If you join Generate or Kōura on our advice, the provider pays Twine a fee.
We can recommend three schemes: Generate, JUNO and Kōura. We don’t cover the whole market, and we’d rather you knew that before you book. Full details are on our disclosure page at twineadvisers.co.nz/disclosures/.
Common questions
Do I have to switch?
No. If your current fund is the right fit, we’ll say so.
Is my money safe if I move it?
Yes. Every KiwiSaver scheme holds your money through an independent custodian, on trust and separate from the provider. An independent supervisor checks the provider follows the rules. When you switch, your savings stay invested while they move.
What should I have ready?
Your provider and fund, your balance, your salary, your contribution rate and your prescribed investor rate (PIR). Our booking form asks for these, so the meeting is spent on decisions.
Can my partner come too?
Yes. You each get your own advice and your own projection. One meeting or two, whichever suits you.
Book a KiwiSaver review with a Twine Adviser. You’ll leave with a clear recommendation in writing, and the reasons behind it.
