A labyrinth case, involving legal proceedings spanning a decade, has finally made its way through four courts. The ultimate judgement delivered by the Supreme Court is probably one of the most ground breaking decisions in respect of trusts and relationship property that this country has..
Read ArticleIt is a common misconception that you have to live with someone for three years or more, and they have to make a direct contribution to the assets acquired during the relationship, before they're entitled to bring a relationship property claim. Possibly this mistaken belief..
Read ArticleWhen it comes to giving, they say it's the thought that counts. Unfortunately, not many people apply this truism when it comes to gifting to the family trust. I expect lots of New Zealanders will, in the next little while, rush in where angels fear..
Read ArticleOne of our clients recently asked me if they should be renting or striving to buy a home. They weren't too sure if buying a house was such a smart way of increasing their wealth given the recent state of the property market and the way..
Read ArticleRecently I had a conversation with one of my friends who told me she was constantly fighting with her nearest and dearest over money. They just didn't seem to be able to agree on what they should do financially. She felt they should clean up some..
Read ArticleOne night last week, in a city away from my home, I found myself at a bit of a loose end. Not a personality to skulk around, I used the time to see a movie I wanted to enjoy. 'Money Never Sleeps' was my choice. Not..
Read ArticleI'M TELLING ALL! After plenty of anxious moments and sleepless nights, I've done it. Yes, I have written a book. "Family Trusts 101" has finally been born. Trusts are never easy creatures to understand but I think this book should help all New Zealanders comprehend the..
Read ArticleIn the last couple of weeks I've been honoured to be able to speak at a couple of events, attended exclusively by women. These events focused on issues relevant to women such as maintaining a "work-life balance". I of course spoke about the issue of..
Read ArticleRecessions bring about all sorts of changes. For example, in the legal world people stop purchasing houses, so lawyers often run out of conveyancing work. Conversely, money starts to get tight so people start to sue each other. This of course means extra litigation work..
Read ArticleHi Salesh, I just wanted to send you an email on behalf of GRA to say how fantastic we have found your company to date. As you know, Ben and I joined GRA a couple of months ago and have just found you so amazingly helpful in getting our new property set up correctly and sorted out. We have what I would consider a rather complicated structure as a result and it’s a fantastic feeling to know that we are getting everything done in the best way possible. We have just had approval to put a minor dwelling on the property which will make a massive difference in terms of cash flow and obviously value, something we would never have even thought of without GRA and which we are very excited about. During the buying process we attended a seminar with Matthew and from the outset thought he was fab. We therein signed up for property school and found this nothing short of fantastic. The content was relevant, up to date and comprehensive, but more importantly it was taught in a way that we could actually understand and really get value out of. I wanted to mention also, that everybody GRA have recommended to us has been just so efficient and absolute masters at what they do. A wonderful network of people that we feel very lucky to now be able to call on. From Kris Pederson and Bryan Rist who put our mortgage together to the insurance guys they then referred us to, I’m super impressed. Within GRA, Ellery has probably turned things around for us faster than I’ve ever known before, something which we appreciated so very much when it came to crunch time. She’s always a pleasure to deal with and again, we’re stoked. We’ve just settled on the property today and are about to go and get the keys. I’m pretty pumped and hence this email is probably rather excitable. So, a massive thank you to you Salesh, the partners for such a fabulous 6 weeks at property school and everyone at GRA for their help. May this be the start of our property empire. Thanks again, - A & B - July 2015
Investing in residential property?
If you're investing in residential property, seeking to maximise your ability to succeed and minimise risk, then this is a 'must read'.
Matthew Gilligan provides a fresh look at residential property investment from an experienced investor’s viewpoint. Written in easy to understand language and including many case studies, Matthew explains the ins and outs of successful property investment.