Cooking The Books

Each week the NZ Herald and Newstalk ZB's Cooking The Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's what puts people off the sharemarket, and why it's worth a rethink. Hosted by Frances Cook.New Zealanders have a love affair with housing.It's true, owning your own home gives you security, and if you pay it off before retirement your golden years should be a lot easier.In comparison, many Kiwis are nervous of the share market. We were particularly badly burned by the 1987 crash, and that memory still haunts many people.Investment platforms Sharesies and the NZX's Smartshares have commissioned research from Colmar Brunton, that shows yes, we're a cautious bunch with the sharemarket.Only 20 percent of New Zealanders own shares, compared to 31 percent of Aussies, and over 50 percent of Americans.The biggest barriers were a belief that shares are for people with lots of money, the idea shares are particularly risky, a lack of spare cash, and not knowing where to start. But the times do change, and s