KiwiSaver

Some KiwiSaver providers are incorrectly indicating the risk category of their funds, new research shows.

The research by Randall Clement, with Henk Berkman and Annie Zhang, recently won an FMA research prize.

It is due to be published in the journal New Zealand Economic Papers.

Sorted, FMA and Morningstar all rank funds according to their risk in a way that is designed to be accessible to consumers.

But the researchers said there were substantial differences in their thresholds for exposure to growth assets.

A fund with 45% growth assets is considered conservative by the FMA. But Morningstar requires a conservative fund to have no more than 20% exposure to growth assets.

The research found that some funds’ self-reported risk categories were incorrect.

Some funds within the moderate-balanced and balanced peer groups exhibited volatility similar or greater than the average volatility of growth funds.

The researchers did not want to identify the providers in question but said a clearer risk classification system would help investors.

“Many investors are only willing to accept low-to-average risk and invest in conservative or balanced funds. It is important for them that these funds have the correct risk indicator.”

Zhang said: “KiwiSaver might be their first time investing in the sharemarket or in a managed fund. If all the other funds perform as an apple and perform within a band but one apple performs as a banana, it shouldn’t be able to advertise as an apple.”

The FMA said the research prize, open to students completing a master’s thesis or honours dissertation, had been awarded to two students so far. Winners receive $1000. Nick Barry, from Victoria University, was the other winner, for his thesis on information leakage and abnormal trading prior to earnings announcements.

Capacity constraints are a looming issue for the KiwiSaver market to contend with as it grows, research house Morningstar says.

It has released its latest quarterly KiwiSaver survey, which showed healthy returns for investors across all providers and risk profiles. There was a direct correlation between allocation to growth assets and performance during the quarter.

But the report noted the small size of the listed equity market in New Zealand could be a problem as managers sought to place their growing assets under management locally.

It said the small size of the market would present a problem for managers as the pool of assets they had to invest grew to a point where they were limited in their ability to invest successfully in the local market.

“As fund size grows, it becomes more difficult for managers to manoeuvre their portfolios without impacting the price of relevant stocks. This problem also extends to the fixed income market, especially given the lack of issuance in New Zealand and reliance on Australian banks and the local government funding agency, but the concern is more imminent with regard to domestic equities.”

Manager research director Tim Murphy said: “It’s going to reach a point where unless a significant number of new firms come to list, where it becomes problematic.”

He said many managers were nearing capacity.  The challenge for consumers was that they could end up with too much invested in stocks that were hard to get out of in a liquidity event.  “It’s not an issue yet but there will come a point when it is an issue.”

Managers could allocate more off shore, or more managers could come in to the market and invest in New Zealand equities, he said.  “We’re seeing several new successful boutique firms that have cropped up in recent years and there is room for more of that.”

But he said KiwiSaver had never been stronger and managers’ approach to it had improved.  Morningstar now gives higher ratings to managers, on average, than when the scheme first launched.

Providers were now focusing more on their KiwiSaver offering. The growth of KiwiSaver was having flow-on effects to providers, asset managers and unitholders, he said.

Financial advice offered to whole households or communities would have more of a lasting impact, new research suggests.

Annie Zhang, a corporate finance senior analyst at KPMG and Massey University PhD student, analysed a database of one bank and four KiwiSaver providers’ members to determine what drives investor behaviour.

Less than 20% of the investors surveyed had received financial advice.

Zhang’s report showed clearly that investors are heavily influenced by those they live and work with.

They were two-and-a-half times more likely to hold the same fund as others in their household as they are with any other person, and 1.4 times as likely to be invested in the same funds as their co-workers.

Investors were much more likely to change funds if someone in their household switched.

But while the “peer effect” of those they interacted with daily was the biggest driver of where they put their money, financial advice had an impact, the research showed.

The research found investors who had financial advice tended to hold 8.3% more equity, on average, in their accounts. 

Zhang said they were less likely to be affected by those around them than people who had received no advice.

“People are affected by who they live with and where they work but if they receive investment advice they are less likely to listen to [other people]. If you receive financial advice, and have a plan, if someone else makes a change [to their KiwiSaver] you might contemplate what they’re doing but there’s less of a kneejerk reaction to follow suit.”

But she said it would be helpful to advisers to consider the impact of their clients’ communities, because the peer effect was such a strong driver of behaviour. “Advice as it is given at the moment serves its purpose and is a benefit to the individual receiving it but advisers should know people are more affected by the people the live with.”

She suggested financial advice could be given on a community or household basis, rather than one-on-one.

“The existing model works but there are new ways and opportunities that can be explored. There’s the analogy of ‘don’t feed a man, teach a man to fish’. You should teach the family or the community to fish so they can go fishing together.”

ANZ is reporting a surge in the number of customers wanting to use KiwiSaver to help buy their first home following the April 1 introduction of new regulations for KiwiSaver first-home withdrawals.

ANZ Wealth managing director John Body said ANZ’s customer contact centre received more inquiries about KiwiSaver first-home withdrawals in the first week of April than it did in the whole month last year.

“Also, the number of inquiries to our contact centre in March was double the number we received in the same period last year,” he said.

“It is clear that more people are really keen to understand how KiwiSaver can help them into home ownership.”

Government changes to KiwiSaver that took effect from April 1 included:
• Allowing KiwiSaver members to withdraw all their KiwiSaver funds (except the Government’s $1000 Kickstart) to help fund their first home.
• A new KiwiSaver HomeStart grant of up to $10,000 ($20,000 for couples) to help fund new builds of first homes. This complements the existing KiwiSaver HomeStart grant of up to $5000 ($10,000 for couples) to help purchase a first home.

“The number of ANZ KiwiSaver members making a first-home withdrawal has already trebled over the past two years but it is clear the Government’s latest changes have sparked even more interest,” he said.

“KiwiSaver is now a significant part of the first-home buying equation but there are conditions and people need to know how it works so they can take full advantage of the scheme. For instance you need to be a member of KiwiSaver for at least three years before you can make a first home withdrawal. And, people wanting to apply for a KiwiSaver HomeStart grant would need to regularly contribute at least 3% of their income to KiwiSaver for a minimum three years. But you really make the most of this benefit when you have been contributing for five years because the Government will potentially give you $1000 for each year you have been contributing, up to a maximum of $5000 per person. You can double that if you are looking to build your first home.”

He said KiwiSaver offered good opportunities but many people were not aware they needed to be actively contributing to qualify for the HomeStart grant.

Body also encouraged people to resume contributions to KiwiSaver after making a first-home withdrawal: “The primary purpose of KiwiSaver is to save for your retirement, although there are also some great benefits to help people buy their first home. KiwiSaver is a long-term savings vehicle and the benefits accumulate as you contribute over time so it’s important to start contributing to KiwiSaver again once you’ve made a first-home withdrawal.”