Even though wholesale interest rates are rising notably, and there has been some increase in home loan rates, the movements in retail term deposit rates have been tamer.<\/p>\n
But some have been moving and almost all these rates are up, even if only marginally.<\/p>\n
However, these changes have altered who has the ‘best’ (=highest) rates on offer now.<\/p>\n
Today’s (Tuesday) notable change has come from BNZ, raising rates for six specific terms.<\/p>\n
After this change, the highest rate from;<\/p>\n
any bank for 5\/6\/7 months is Bank of India’s 3.70%. For a main bank it is 3.45% from all of them.
\n\tany bank for 8 to 11 months is Heartland Bank’s 3.75%. For a main bank it is 3.60% from both BNZ and Westpac.
\n\tany bank for 1 year is Rabobank’s 3.95%. For a main bank it is 3.90% at BNZ.<\/p>\n
Higher rates are available from some non-bank deposit takers who have the Deposit Compensation Scheme protection.<\/p>\n
The rates for Kiwi Bonds are now notably low; they were last updated on March 5, and there have been significant wholesale movements since then. A rate change could come soon.<\/p>\n
When you invest, always check how interest is compounded. Depending on how much you are committing, compounding more often is materially better. But some banks advertise their “interest at maturity” rates different to their compounding rates, which for some can be set a little lower. Both Kiwibank and Rabobank do this, although most other main banks don’t.<\/p>\n
Use the calculator at the foot of this article to see the differences.<\/p>\n
We should also point out that after-tax returns can be enhanced for some savers with higher tax rates by the choice of PIE structures<\/a>. Not all institutions offer these, but most of the main banks do.<\/p>\n Always ask a bank for a better rate. Many bank staff have discretion to offer more than the advertised rate. (And check your bank’s app offers as they too are often enhanced to retain you.)<\/p>\n