No Stupid Questions with Susan Edmunds

RNZ money correspondent Susan Edmunds wants to demystify money and personal finance.

Hosted by Susan Edmunds

On air:

Mondays at 7.30pm on RNZ National

The background is a light green with a subtle pattern of dollar signs and question marks, and New Zealand banknote motifs. The title, "No Stupid Questions," is in a large gold speech bubble, and below it, "with Susan Edmunds" is in a large green speech bubble. Various New Zealand coins are scattered across the image.

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My stepparent sold the family home. I got nothing! What can I do?

It can happen. And does. Your dad dies. Your stepmother sells their home and then leaves all the money to her kids. You get nothing. This doesn't seem right. Is there anything you can do? We investigate your options on this as well asking whether it is worth having a savings account anymore, what the unemployment rate tells us and what it doesn't, and are KiwiSaver providers making their returns sound better than they are?
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My kids inherit my money when I die. Isn't that too late?

Your kids are all grown up now, having families, buying homes of their own and working hard to make ends meet. Wouldn't this be the best time for them to inherit your money? Have we got the wrong approach to inheritances? Susan has answers for this, as well as what the tax situation is when buying a house overseas, whether financial advisers who are paid on commission can really be objective and what to look out for when insuring your car.
The image is a close up shot of New Zealand coins on a $10 and $5 New Zealand bank notes. The image has a light green wash over it.

Can my step kids force me to sell my home?

Family stuff can be pretty tricky, especially after a bereavement. What can you do if you're partner has passed on and their kids want you to sell your house so they can get a payout? Speaking of kids, why isn't the cost of childcare tax deductible? Does the NZ Super Fund super proof my pension? And would you have been better off buying a house in 1981 - or Lego?
Against a green wash of colour, someone's hand is lowering a house key into the palm of another person.

I think I'm being charged more than market rent... What do I do?

Plenty of us rent the homes we live in. How do we know if we're paying more for it than we should? Susan finds out and asks if anyone is making money from your rental bond, as well as how to avoid being scammed when you're investing, and whether your LEGO collection is a good investment or not.
Against a green wash of colour, someone's hand is lowering a house key into the palm of another person.

What happens if I die before paying off my student loan?

More than 600,000 New Zealanders have a student loan. If you’re one of them, you might have questions - like what happens if you die? Does your partner have to take on half if you split? We're looking at this as well as pension questions, tax questions, investing for your kids, and ensuring your KiwiSaver is invested in a way you're comfortable with.
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Can I go for gold with KiwiSaver?

Can I invest in gold through my KiwiSaver? Will I still get my pension if I live on my boat? And what is a disappointment gap?
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Got money questions for Susan? Send them through!

No Stupid Questions with Susan Edmunds will be back online, on-air and in your feed from late-January 2026. If you have a money question you'd like Susan to answer, put it in an email or send us a voice recording to questions@rnz.co.nz.
The background is a light green with a subtle pattern of dollar signs and question marks, and New Zealand banknote motifs. The title, "No Stupid Questions," is in a large gold speech bubble, and below it, "with Susan Edmunds" is in a large green speech bubble. Various New Zealand coins are scattered across the image.

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