I have a KiwiSaver account, and am very happy with the gradual accumulation of savings.

Budget 2014 lifts government spending by $1.5 billion or 2 per cent in the coming year but that will represent a cut in real per capita terms, writes Brian Fallow.

As per its pre-budget propaganda, the Australian government has put its aging population on notice: retirement has been postponed.

With today's Budget expected to herald a return to surpluses - skinny next year but plumper in the following years - it is time to start thinking about what to do with them, writes Brian Fallow.

The FSC has reiterated its call for preferential KiwiSaver tax rates, describing the current regime as "most punitive tax regime for retirement saving that we have been able to find in the developed world".

This is a Budget that needs to be familiar and reassuring, writes Liam Dann. National will be banking on English reminding middle NZ that we've survived the GFC in good shape.

A hopelessly one-sided conflict will be renewed in Ruakaka, Northland, on Thursday.

The contrary view to Labour's plan for monetary policy and savings goes broadly like this: It is a cute idea but it won't work, writes Brian Fallow.

Fran O'Sullivan asks, "What pushed Key to the point where he applied the choke chain to the Cabinet's Rottweiler? Pity Key didn't yank the chain earlier."

Labour’s proposal to transform KiwiSaver into a direct instrument of monetary policy has generated acres of comment.

What we got from Labour's finance spokesman David Parker on Tuesday was a much broader economic policy than that would imply, writes Brian Fallow.

New Zealand is well positioned to capitalise on the largely favourable global trends.

If Labour finance spokesman David Parker is proposing a job swap with the Reserve Bank Governor he should say so, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

Australia’s A$1.7 trillion super system has come in for another mauling, this time at the hands of “independent think tank”, the Grattan Institute.

By age 67 I will, according to a digitally-imagined version of my future self look equal parts ex-coalminer and chimpanzee.

Australia is on track to notch what experts are calling an "Asia Inc" trade trifecta.

In Australia, where contributing to superannuation is compulsory, there is an option for DIY super funds, ie you manage it yourself.

Fonterra has come to a compelling realisation it will need to develop "Chinese feet".

Is big end of China town's NZ investment a political issue, asks Fran O'Sullivan.

The United States tech sector has taken a hammering and investor sentiment has turned against so-called "growth" stocks, writes Liam Dann.

Warring between MediaWorks' radio and TV arms has calmed since new owners took over in November, writes John Drinnan.

Technology stocks have been through a roller-coaster of a ride this week leaving investors wondering if it's the start of a crash or just a temporary blip.

The latest report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes glum reading.

To date, technology has failed miserably to reduce the costs of finance to end consumers.

A fundamental reason New Zealand interest rates and exchange rates are systematically higher than we might wish is that collectively we do not save enough.

Prices and who controls them is already an issue for this year's election, writes Fran O'Sullivan. The "market rules OK?" is not the kind of slogan that opposition parties are chanting.

Women should think again about directorships, for far from trailing men, it's greatly to their credit that so few are debasing themselves in this way, writes Bob Jones.

I originally joined KiwiSaver when it started as I was told the plan was that the money was for retirement but would also be available for your first house and/or first business.