Get focussed on the year ahead

To help you get focused on the year ahead Good Returns has produced its annual Financial Forecasts feature.

Tuesday, January 29th 2002, 3:27AM

Financial Forecasts, which is sponsored by BNZ Investments and Insurance, is a series of nine features in the Special Reports section of the site, which is designed to help you identify key issues in the next 12 months.

The series includes expert market commentaries on the economy, New Zealand shares, international shares, and bonds. Plus there are features that examine what is happening (or likely to happen) within:

The superannuation area
The insurance industry
The broader savings industry
Financial Planning
On the tax front.

Several themes that come through strongly in Financial Forecasts are that regulation of the financial planners is a major issue, and superannuation will once again be one of the big issues in the run up to the general election later this year.

Investment and Savings Association chief executive Vance Arkinstall believes that adviser regulation will be "one of the most difficult issues for 2002/2003."

His personal view is that the existing regime of self-regulation coupled with light-handed disclosure regulation is unsustainable into the future.

He says that the industry has to move quickly towards stronger self-regulation, otherwise it will have a regime forced upon it.

"Either the wider financial services industry moves of its own accord to strengthen the self-regulation environment and closes the gaps between the current position and the requirements of a regulated environment such as exists in Australia, or we will quickly find ourselves defending a weak position against tough regulation."

(Good Returns will be running an update on the Securities Commission's views on this issue later in the week).

On the superannuation front it has become clear that the opposition parties have shunted the issue towards the top of the election agenda.

National and Act are opposed to the prefunding scheme the Government is putting in place, and Greens co-leader Rod Donald said in a speech last week that the Greens want to dismantle the fund.

"We have decided to go to the election proposing to dismantle the Cullen fund, repay what's been borrowed and invest the rest in future-proofing our economy," Donald said.

Our article on super, by AMP's Linda McCulloch, gives a good overview of what is happening in this important area, and it debates the merits of tax incentives for savings versus tax deferral.

To help you keep up to date throughout the year with all the news, information, speeches and press releases about superannuation visit www.supertalk.co.nz (Join the mailing list here and we will send you regular updates).

Use the following links to go directly to stories within Financial Forecasts - Your Blueprint to the Year Ahead

Economy: NZ economy likely to stuggle
Intl shares: Spectacular growth unlikely this year
NZ shares: Upside Down Under?
Bonds: Another Solid Return Expected
Financial Planning:Competition about to go hyper
Super: Political parties yet to show their superannuation hand
Savings Industry: Three main challenges face industry
Insurance: A wish list
Tax: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly