Below you'll find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about KiwiSaver Annual Statements.
My Balance
KiwiSaver Annual Statements contain your balance for the year ending 31 March 2020. For an up to date balance, log in to Fisher Funds Online.
Retirement Projections
This year all clients who have been with their KiwiSaver provider for more than one year, and who are between the ages of 18 and 64 years, will receive a retirement projection. The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) have set the criteria for how these are calculated. For more information on the assumptions used to calculate your retirement protection please visit the website of the FMA.
Q. My retirement projection is too low - what should I do?
A. Visit our retirement projector to enter your individual details and see the difference that changing your contributions or your fund could have.
Fees
Q. Why have I paid fees when my investment has negative investment earnings?
A. Management fees are calculated as a percentage of your balance, not the performance of your fund. These fees provide you with
- One of the largest teams of investment experts in New Zealand, who are constantly seeking to beat the market through our proprietary Smart Active Investment Management approach.
- Our New Zealand based team of KiwiSaver specialists and Advisers
- Industry leading communications and tools
The value for money associated with the fees charged in our schemes has been recognised by Super Ratings, with both the Fisher Funds KiwiSaver and Fisher Funds TWO KiwiSaver Schemes being awarded platinum ratings on "Value for Money".
Q. Why have I paid a performance fee when my investment has negative earnings?
In the majority of cases, this is related to a difference in time periods between the annual statement year, and the performance fee year. Annual statements are for 1 April - 31 March for any given year. Our performance fees are calculated on a 1 July - 30 June year, and are paid from the fund in early July. If you have been charged a performance fee, the majority of it relates to your investment performance from 1 April - 30 June when the fund outperformed its target. The fund had negative performance for the rest of the year, however the payment made as at 30 June 2019 is reflected in your statement.
PIE Tax
KiwiSaver is classified as a Portfolio Investment Entity (PIE). This means that we calculate and pay the tax on your investment for you.
Q. Why have I paid PIE tax on my KiwiSaver account, when my investment earnings were negative.
A. PIE Investments can generate taxable income regardless of whether overall fund performance is positive or negative. This is because different types of assets are subject to different tax rules under the PIE regime.
International shares are taxed on the Fair Dividend methodology. Regardless of the actual dividends paid or the capital gain or loss on the shares during the year, your taxable income is assumed to be 5% of your balance every year, so there is always tax to pay. Obviously this is not such good news when the shares have lost value, however it is good news if the shares have made more than 5% in the year, which has usually been the case over recent years.
Cash and fixed Interest, direct property
Cash and fixed interest, and the direct property the fund holds is taxed more like a bank deposit. Your taxable income on these assets is based on the change in value of the investments over the year.
Therefore in a diversified fund like the Growth Fund, as a very simplified example, the value of the shares that the fund holds could have dropped by 5%, however the dividends paid on those shares and the return on the other assets of the fund may have only gone up by 4%. Therefore the fund overall has made a loss of 1%, however there is still tax to pay on 4% gain from the dividends and other assets. It is worth noting that when there is a capital gain on the shares in your fund there is no tax to pay on that gain, so the PIE regime can work in your favour.
We like to use the analogy of a rental property to help explain this. While the value of the property may have gone down over the year, you still have to pay tax on the rental income it has generated.
