Investor confidence has slipped across New Zealand, thanks in part to pessimism about returns on investment from term deposits. According to the latest ASB Investor Confidence Report, there has been a downward shift in this measure since the start of 2017, with investor confidence falling from 21 percent to 16 percent over the last quarter alone. While overall sentiment is still significantly higher than the recent low of 3 percent recorded at the start of 2016, expectations could drop further if housing fails to provide the same returns as previous years.

The New Zealand Government has passed a new law that bans foreigners from buying property. In an effort to tackle unsustainable house price growth in Auckland, the Labour-led Government has completed its election campaign pledge and banned many non-residents from buying existing homes. With median house prices already starting to slip, this move could deepen and lengthen the housing market correction and make it easier for new buyers to enter the market.

In a modern world that is increasingly full and materialistic, it's no wonder that we find ourselves surrounded by more and more clutter. While the first and most powerful step in de-cluttering involves buying less stuff, there are lots of practical things you can do to organise your existing possessions and make more sense of your personal space. Whether it's putting away the laundry before it piles up or taking time to clean up after the kids, it's important to value your space and have a regular de-cluttering schedule if you want to avoid a messy and dysfunctional home.  

It's a common belief that speeding up your metabolism helps you to stay healthy, burn more calories, and improve your weight loss efforts. Even though there's a lot of truth to this statement, there are also a number of myths associated with metabolism and how it functions. While exercise, diet, and lifestyle factors can have a significant effect on your metabolism, your age and genetic makeup also have an important role to play.  

The midlife crisis has been partially explained in recent research, with our happiness said to follow a distinct U-shaped curve that bottoms out in our 40s. While only about 10 percent of men, and even fewer women, actually experience a full-blown midlife crisis, our middle years are the time when our happiness is tested the most. There is some good news, however, with the general unhappiness experienced in our 40s and early 50s almost always improving in the decades that follow.