Talks over Zimbabwe tour



WELLINGTON // New Zealand Cricket (NZC) are going into talks with the government on whether to send their team to Zimbabwe on a three-match ODI tour. The Black Caps' proposed tour of the troubled African nation in July - under the International Cricket Council's (ICC) programme - has already been condemned by the country's prime minister, who believes the visit would neither be safe nor healthy for the players.

Prime Minister John Key said that and moral objections were reasons not to tour. "There are security risks for our players, there is the risk of cholera and we don't support that [Robert Mugabe] regime and we've made that clear," Key said yesterday. NZC could face an ICC-imposed fine if they opted against touring - unless ordered by the government - and want to meet the government on the issue. "We'll look to understand the government's position, also the ICC task force are reporting back on Zimbabwe to the ICC conference [in June]," the NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan said.

* Reuters

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  • Scored 122 in youth Test on tour of England
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Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing

In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.

While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.

In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all). 

“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”

Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.

"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."