mysticearthquaketidalwave

[mysticearthquaketidalwave]

Intercept is a Security Solutions and Surveillance in Auckland company that provides the highest level of services nationwide!

By incorporating licensed Security Officers and Intercept is proud to offer our clients a "one-stop protection shop" this allows us to cover all aspects of your business & personal life, so you can have peace of mind.

When we talk about the vision, mission, and values of our company, we mean every word we say.

These are very important core standards for us at Intercept - the principles upon which our company is founded.

Our vision from the start has been to become a one-stop-shop for clients so that we are able to remove the hassle and stress of having to deal with multiple companies for many different products and services.

It's not easy to maintain such a superior standard, but we believe it's important for us to strive to be the best.

[mysticearthquaketidalwave]

Best Leading Builders in Sydney aSP Building services are amongst the leading building contractors in Sydney that has been established over twenty-five years and has been involved in various kinds of constructions and buildings such as new buildings as well as renovations and additions and extensions with simple or complex plans and designs. Our building contractors’ jobs are always constantly monitored by qualified inspectors to ensure the highest quality jobs. Our number one priority is our customer’s satisfaction, we are never happy until our clients are. ASP Building Services have been around in Sydney for 29 years, and we always keep your satisfaction and trust as our main aim and priority.

[mysticearthquaketidalwave]

Intercept is constantly devising and testing new procedures and systems in order to provide the highest quality service and remain the best in our field. An example of this is found in the way that Intercepts staff members are also qualified first aiders, Site Safe trained as well as certified fire safety officers. This allows us to provide an all-round protection service.

[mysticearthquaketidalwave]

Intercept is your one stop shop. With the ability to provide clients with multiple products we simply have the ability take the headaches away from using multiple suppliers.

[mysticearthquaketidalwave]

rauma can be a confusing insurance cover. This is because of the way it is defined.

Most of us have had what we consider to be a traumatic event in our lives – either very serious or just really annoying. This can range from losing your phone or missing a connecting flight. But this is not how insurance companies define trauma.

Here is an example of their definition:

“If during the Cover Term, the life assured or Dependent Child first suffers a Covered Condition and we accept the claim, then we will pay the Trauma Cover Sum Insured or other Benefits as appropriate up to a maximum of the Life Cover Sum Insured provided under this policy for the life assured, reduced by any outstanding total premiums due but not paid at the date of claim.”

[mysticearthquaketidalwave]

“Now is the best time to buy!”

“House prices are rising!”

“Interest rates are down!”

“Maybe wait to buy!”

“Maybe wait to buy!”

“Maybe wait to buy!”

Depending on which TV channel you watch, which papers you read, or which social media you follow you can easily find all these warnings. On the same day!

Which makes it all very difficult to know what is the best thing to do (and the real secret is that even the ‘experts’ don’t really know either).

[mysticearthquaketidalwave]

One of the best-known insurance covers is Income Protection because in the event of a major illness one of your main concerns is how to continue making an income when you are not able to work. After all, the quality of your life and your family’s life probably depends on that income.

Income Protection Insurance provides you with a regular monthly income until you can get back to work. So, having protection for that income is a ‘no-brainer’.

[mysticearthquaketidalwave]

How Does a House Mortgage Interest Rate Calculated in NZ?

Interest rate Calculated in NZ which papers you read, or which social media you follow you can easily find all these warnings. On the same day!

Which makes it all very difficult to know what is the best thing to do (and the real secret is that even the ‘experts’ don’t really know either).

Q: When is the best time to plant a tree? A: About 10 years ago B: Today C: Tomorrow

Of course, the best answer is A. But unless you have a time travel machine the next best answer is ‘today’.

So, apply this question to buying your home. (Note that we did not say a house or an investment property because then different rules apply.) But if you are buying a home now is the best time to buy.

Why? Because the statistics tell us that over the long term property values will trend up. If you are looking for short-term gains in the property market that can be either profitable (if you know what you are doing) or can cause real pain. But as we said we are not talking about profit we are talking about getting you into a home.

Of course, if you buy now there is a chance that you may pay a little too much for it or if you had waited it would have been cheaper or maybe you could get a loan at 0.001% less than you did.

Or maybe prices could have risen or interest rates gone up or you may have missed out on what is to be your home forever.

Welcome to the real estate market.

But we are not real estate agents. We do not sell houses. But we can help you with your mortgage and any mortgage or house and contents insurance you may need.

But let’s start with your House Mortgage.

So, you’ve found your home. There has been all the joy, terror, and frustration of actually finding a property, negotiating with the vendor, or bidding at the auction, and then the buyer’s remorse when you finally sign on the dotted line.

But after all that - you own your home

Well, you own about twenty percent of it. For the next 25 to 30 years a bank or some lender owns the rest of it. And ultimately you will be paying quite dearly for the pleasure of homeownership.

We are sure you worked out the total cost that your home will ultimately cost you. You did go to sorted.org.nz , didn’t you? If you didn’t, we have a link to it on our website. It is worth a visit.

What will your house really cost you?

As we write this the average house price is $846,900. Now maybe you paid less for yours or more but for this example, we will use the average price. We will also assume you have contributed a 20% deposit of $169,380. So that means you will have a loan of $677,520. Currently, the big 3 banks are offering Variable Loans at around 4.5%.

Let’s see how that works out for you on a 30-year loan. Loan amount$677,520 Total you will pay: $1,235,842 Including interest of:$558,322

So, by the time you own your home (around 2051), you will have paid slightly more than 82% of the actual loan amount and the final cost of your home will be:

Total Paid$1,235,842

Deposit$169,380

Total Cost$1,405,222

(we got these figures from

sorted.org.nz

– check them out)

Of course, you can get different types of loans (fixed interest, revolving credit, interest-only) but these will mostly give you some short-term relief. Ultimately you will end up either increasing the length of your loan term (and pay even more in interest), have to make higher payments each month (great if you can afford it), or try to refinance it in some way.

What should I do?

Your real goal should be to reduce the length of the loan because, by doing this, you will save on the amount of interest you will pay. But how do you do that?

Banks suggest that you change the frequency of your loan from monthly to fortnightly (that might help – a little!) or make extra payments (good luck with that) but they never tell you how to really pay it off faster without increasing your monthly costs.

How can I save money on mortgage interest?

The truth is you can’t save money on the principal amount you have borrowed. That will need to be paid back.

But you can save money on the amount of interest you pay on that principle. That is why there is so much focus on interest rates going up or down.

So the amount of interest you will pay will depend on the interest rate you are paying and how long it takes to pay off the loan. So getting a better interest rate and reducing the term of the loan and not paying more each month is what you are trying to achieve.

Let’s assume you could reduce the term of your loan without increasing the amount you pay each month. Here is what your home would cost you if you could reduce your loan term to 15 years. Loan amount: $677,520 Total you will pay: $932,937 Including interest of:$255,417

Let’s put these 30 year and 15 year loans side by side

Loan PeriodLoan AmountPrincipalInterestTotal

30 years$677,520$677,520$558,322$1,235,842

15 years$677,520$677,520$255,417$932,937

  Interest Saved$302,905

And over a 30-year loan that is a saving of over $10,000 a year.

And remember, you have NOT increased your monthly costs to get here. This is costing you the same amount each month as the longer-term loan.

[mysticearthquaketidalwave]

What is Income Protection Insurance NZ?

 Insurance Protection Insurance NZ covers is Income Protection because in the event of a major illness one of your main concerns is how to continue making an income when you are not able to work. After all, the quality of your life and your family’s life probably depends on that income.

Income Protection Insurance provides you with a regular monthly income until you can get back to work. So, having protection for that income is a ‘no-brainer’.

So, what are the Benefits of Income Protection Insurance?

Monthly Payment of up to 75% of your previous salary

You will be covered for accident, injury, and illness (but there are some cautionary notes here which we will cover a bit later)

It can help to remove stress and financial worry while you're recovering.

Income Protection Insurance can be taken by anyone – even if you are not employed. (Because we all know that ‘home executives’ probably work harder than anyone!)

Cover for specified ‘critical illnesses’ may be included: and

Cover for ‘specific injuries’ (in both these cases you would be paid for a specified period regardless of if you go back to work or not)

In addition to these, there are several other benefits to which you may be entitled or can choose as options, such as:

Retraining and rehabilitation benefit

Return to work reward

Emergency Transport costs

Extra childcare help

Special Assistance at home

Reduction in waiting period (we’ll get to that!)

Dependent Caregiver

KiwiSaver contributions

Your answers to that will be a good starting point.

Is Income Protection all I need?

Possibly, But Income Protection works best when it is combined with a couple of other policies – particularly Mortgage (or Rent) Protection and Trauma cover. And here’s why:

Mortgage Protection: It is likely that a decent part of your income gets used for paying your rent or servicing your mortgage. If you only have Income Protection you will need to keep paying these with your reduced income (remember your payment is only up to 75% - before tax - of your previous income).

Trauma: It is possible that your inability to work has been caused by a serious illness. If this is covered by a Trauma policy (there are up to 49 events covered in a good trauma policy) you could get a lump sum payout. That will provide a nest egg enabling you to maintain your quality of life. There are other ways for Trauma policies to pay but that is a whole subject by itself.

So how much does it cost?

That depends on what level of cover you require, the size of your income, how long you want the cover to remain in place after you claim, your age, and what waiting period you require. Waiting periods are simply the amount of time you are prepared to wait for your claim to start paying out (eg 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 52 weeks). The longer the waiting period the cheaper the premium.

What does Income Protection cover?

Income Protection can be a complicated policy so we need to look at a couple of the areas that you should consider before deciding on this cover. Let’s try and keep this as simple as we can:

Types of cover: currently there are 2 forms of income protection – ‘agreed value’ and ‘indemnity’.

‘Indemnity’ will pay you 75% of your pre-claim income. But this will be taxed and you will need to be able to prove your income at the time you make a claim. (Depending on your tax position this is likely to be around 62% after-tax – which leads to…..)

‘Agreed Value’ is an amount you and the insurance company have agreed. This will be 62.5% of your income at the time the policy was taken out. Currently, this is tax-free. When you claim even if you are now earning less you will be paid the ‘agreed’ amount. You can also increase the amount covered if you are earning more as long as it is done before any claim is lodged. With Agreed Value when you claim you will not have to prove your income as it has already been ‘agreed’.

Term of Cover: you will be able to choose how long the policy will keep paying you when you make a claim. This can be anything from 3 months to 5 years or to age 65.

What should I look out for before getting Insurance Protection?

You should decide what level of cover you need and how long you think you will need it. If you are older setting a time period for payment (say 5 years) would probably be adequate. But if you are younger with a mortgage and growing children a period to 65 (or 70) may be more beneficial as it is possible you may not be able to work for a longer period.

But be very careful about what won’t be covered. The last thing you want is not to be able to claim because what has happened to you is not covered. Also, be cautious about ‘offsets’! Now offsets take some explaining but they can have a big effect on the level of payout you get. First up - Income Protection is the only insurance cover that has this condition.

In NZ we have ACC. Everybody is required by law to contribute to this Government scheme. ACC covers you for medical costs (and maybe some additional benefits) in the event that you have an accident but does NOT cover you for illness (the clue is in the name – ACCIDENT Compensation Corporation).

So, if you have an accident you will potentially receive up to 80% of your current income from ACC while you are not able to work. Now let’s assume you have an accident that is covered by your Income Protection and is also covered by ACC. You may think that you will get your payment of (say) 75% from the insurer PLUS the 80% from ACC. Unfortunately, you are about to be hit by the ‘offsets’ clause in your Income Protection.

If ACC is paying you your insurance company will ‘offset’ the money you are receiving from ACC against the amount they would pay you. In fact, if ACC is paying more than your Income Protection would pay it is quite likely that you will receive absolutely nothing from your insurer!

Of course, if the amount from ACC is less than, say, your ‘agreed’ amount the insurer will top that amount up. And should ACC decline your claim or stop paying for any reason (and that would not be unusual) the insurance company would again make up the difference. But if you can’t work because of illness ACC will then pay nothing! In that case, your insurer will pay your Income Protection amount in full.

If you are not employed and get sick and can’t perform your household duties you will be able to make a claim. But there are several conditions associated with this claim. If you fit into this category make sure you understand the requirements.

How do I cover the shortfall in Income Protection payouts?

Earlier we mentioned Mortgage Protection. Simply put, nowadays, the costs of servicing your mortgage or paying rent will probably account for at least 30% (or more!) of your income. By having Mortgage Protection you could potentially reduce the amount of Income Protection you need meaning you will be getting better coverage and it will probably only cost you the same in premiums.

So, taking cover for Mortgage Protection is one way of further protecting your income because with some Insurance companies (not all!) there are no ‘offsets’ in a Mortgage Protection policy. Whatever you are paying monthly for your mortgage (or rent) is what you will receive on your claim. This will be paid to you monthly. (With the right policy these Mortgage Protection payments will not affect your Income Protection benefits. This money is NOT considered for offsets.)

Let’s put this into an example:

Current income after tax : - $6,000 per month

Less Your Mortgage : - $2,400 per month

Income Balance : - $3,600 per month

But then you get sick and can’t work. You are not sure when you will ever get back to work. This is what you will receive:

Income Protection : - (62.5% of $6,000) $3,750 per month (no tax)

Mortgage Protection : - Paid to Lender $2,400 per month

Income Balance : - $3,750 per month

But (and there is always a ‘but, isn’t there?) some insurers tie mortgage and income protection together in one policy. This is where you need to be very careful with the policy wording from your Insurance company. Doing this means they can limit their exposure and the amount you will receive because they can offset Mortgage claims against Income Protection (we are not keen on these policies and suggest that you look for insurers that offer them as separate policies because you will have a better cover!)

What should I do now?

Income Protection is a very good insurance policy and certainly worth considering. But it is not a DIY policy. Our recommendation is that if Income Protection appeals to you then get some independent advice. That advice should be free and unbiased.

We can provide that advice. We will explain just how it can work for you, provide you with details relating to the various policies available and give you a free quote and written explanation of what you will get and can expect.

We will also look at how you can ‘mix and match’ various policies to provide the best coverage to fit your needs and budget. The important part of this advice is that you will NEVER be under any obligation to proceed and it will always be FREE.

We are not in the business of ‘hard sell’. We want you to be completely comfortable with your cover, to understand what you are getting, what it will cost you, and be able to make your own decisions based on having all the facts.

[mysticearthquaketidalwave]

Storage Facility In Blenheim

Our team have Storage Facility in Blenheim ancestry that stretches back generations – running businesses that serve the local community is in our DNA.

In 2008 we took a leap and opened our first purpose-built self-storage facility in Timandra Place with 35 units. Personal service that’s reliable, confidential, and secure became our trademark. Since then, we’ve expanded to 70 units at Timandra Place and added a second site on Lower Wairau Road to offer our clients a total of 200 storage units.

Offering a second site expands our range of unit sizes and provides another convenient storage location. Specializing in self-storage, we hand you the only key to your unit for the utmost security and peace of mind

[mysticearthquaketidalwave]

Why Life Cover Is Important?

Life Cover is one of the important insurance coverage, which is  pretty much what it says on the box. It provides a Lump Sum benefit in the event of death to protect your family when you can’t anymore

Life insurance is designed for those with families, business or other financial responsibilities that need to be taken care of in the event of their death. Most Life Policies can pay an immediate lump sum of up to $15,000 to help with funeral expenses, removing any financial worries in that difficult time.

So now you can be sure that, in the event of death, your dependents will be able to maintain the life you want for them.  

   .