5% doesn’t sound like much and, in some cases, it isn’t. Drinking 5% more water each day, walking 5% further or working 5% harder at the gym might be completely achievable, but the Reserve Bank’s decision to allow the trading banks to increase their investment lending from 65% to 70% is kind of a big deal, for a few reasons.

For a start, as any First Home Buyer who has had to find more deposit will tell you, 5% is a big deal – especially when it is 5% of hundreds of thousands of dollars. More specifically for Investors who have been through a few loan-to-value (LVR) tightening cycles and may be dealing with more than one investment property, the ability to borrow some more will come as a relief to some and a real opportunity for others.

The other reason this change is important is because it signals that the Reserve Bank is satisfied that their fears of ongoing “runaway” property value increases have now calmed. Whilst existing property owners will ask why a perceived lack of large property value increase is a good thing, prospective property owners will be breathing a sigh of relief. More importantly for every borrower, it means the heat is off the Reserve Bank to introduce more draconian measures for controlling value increases (for the moment), which would have hit a lot harder, and were being seriously considered.

Right now, Investors can borrow more against equity, some properties are better priced than before, and borrowers continue to enjoy record low interest rates. On the less positive side, banks continue to look at servicing very closely and vary hugely in their appetite for different types of property and individual borrower situations. Having the ability to borrow 5% more against property only works if you can get the lending. Make sure you get the right advice.

The richest people in New Zealand continue to get richer, with the collective wealth of the country's two billionaires increasing by NZ$1.1 billion at the same time as the poorest 50 percent of the population decreased their wealth by NZ$1.3 billion. The growing gap between the rich and poor was illustrated in an Oxfam report entitled 'Public Good or Private Wealth', which the non-profit organisation release each year as a way to highlight growing wealth inequality during the World Economic Forum.

While everyone wants to be fitter and healthier, having enough discipline to reach your goals can be challenging. Rather than attempting 10,000 steps each and every day or trying to change your entire diet, perhaps there's a faster way to get healthy without disrupting your daily life. From high intensity interval training (HIIT) through to intermittent fasting (IF), the new paradigm is based on dynamic changes that stretch important cellular repair processes and imitate natural cycles.

New Zealand housing values have grown at their slowest rate since 2012, especially in the heated Auckland market where a negative growth rate has been recorded. The country is unlikely to suffer the same steep drops as Australia, however, with the average nationwide value still managing to hit a fresh high in December 2018 of $682,938. In fact, a busy start to 2019 has been predicted by some experts, thanks in part to more relaxed loan-to-value ratio (LVR) lending rules and competitive economic conditions.

The sound of silence may not be what it seems, with white noise allowing us to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of natural environments in any location. If you've ever turned on a fan to enjoy a sleep-in or spent time camping next to a wandering creek, then you'll understand just how Zen white noise can be. While these analogue noise sources are still available, white noise apps are making it easier than ever before to tune out the world and enjoy the real sound of silence.

With Christmas over, school holidays here, and people getting back to work, sometimes it seems like boredom is the enemy. According to a new study from the University of Waterloo in Canada, however, boredom can be a wondrous state that's full of potential for new and amazing things. While the negative feelings that often accompany boredom are there for a reason, you can learn to see it as a call to action rather than a reason to get anxious or depressed.