There's no such thing as a silly question...especially when it comes to your money. Here are the ones we get asked the most.
If yours isn't here, email us at Hello@TheCurveInvestments.co.nz and a real human will get back to you.
This page is general information only - not personalised financial, tax, or legal advice. For guidance specific to your situation, speak with a licensed financial adviser, accountant, or lawyer. Find an adviser at fma.govt.nz.
Individual or joint accounts: apply online using the INVEST NOW button at the top right of this page.
Company, trust or children's accounts: download the application form (editable PDF) from the same INVEST NOW button, then email it with your supporting documents to hello@thecurveinvestments.co.nz.
We get your account opened right away.
Not sure which applies to you? Email us and we'll help.
You need to be 18 or over and have an NZ IRD number (your tax number from Inland Revenue). You don't need to live in New Zealand though.
A parent or guardian can open an account for a child, Kiwi Kids with an IRD number only sorry:
Individual and joint accounts start at $500 NZD. Company and trust accounts start at $10,000 NZD.
After that any additional deposits, all account types, require a minimum of $20 NZD, this includes regular contributions.
Yes, if you have a NZ IRD number. If you don't, sadly no.
A few things to know:
Yes. The points above apply, and we'll also need to know where you pay tax (see "Does it matter where I pay tax?").
It affects your tax rate, not your eligibility.
Every investor tells us their tax residency, and that sets their PIR (Prescribed Investor Rate) - basically the tax rate applied to your fund earnings. If you're not a NZ tax resident, you'll usually be taxed at the top rate (28%). But again - this is about how much tax you pay, not whether you can invest.
Yes. A parent or legal guardian opens and manages the account for the child. At least one guardian needs to sign, and if both want access, both sign. When the child turns 18, the account is theirs to manage.
We verify the parent or guardian in the usual way and ask for the child's birth certificate (or a document showing legal guardianship) to confirm the relationship.
By bank transfer, automatic payment or direct debit.
Our bank details are in the client portal (your online account with us), and the direct debit form is on our website and in the client portal.
A direct debit takes a set amount from your bank account on a schedule you choose. Fill in a Direct Debit Authority form, email it to hello@thecurveinvestments.co.nz, then let your bank know.
Yes. You can increase, reduce, pause or cancel a direct debit at any time by emailing us at least 10 working days before your next payment date. Automatic payments are managed by you through your bank.
Most things - contact details, address, PIR rate (your personal tax rate for the fund), and bank account - can be updated through the client portal. If you get stuck, email hello@thecurveinvestments.co.nz and we’ll help.
We publish a monthly fund snapshot with performance and portfolio commentary. Investors receive it automatically, and anyone can join our mailing list.
We believe in transparency and want you to know what your money is invested in. We provide the full list of holdings each month on the fund snapshot.
We also publish a quarterly fund update showing the fund's returns, fees actually charged and largest holdings. It's on our website and the Disclose Register (disclose-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz), the Companies Office's public register for NZ managed funds.
One right now, one - The Curve Fund.
But we have big plans, and KiwiSaver (NZ’s government-backed retirement savings scheme) is something we’re especially passionate about.
Join our mailing list, follow us on socials and you’ll be the first to know.
A unit is like a share in the fund. Each business day, the fund's net asset value (what its investments are worth, less what it owes, including fees and tax owing) is divided by the number of units on issue. That's the unit price.
It moves with the value of the fund's investments, so it can go up or down. New investors buy units at the current price, so new money coming in doesn't change it.
A Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) is the key document every NZ managed fund offered to the public must provide under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013. It explains the fund's strategy, fees, risks, and how to invest and withdraw.
Ours is on our website, in the client portal and on the Disclose Register. Please read it all before investing, paying close attention to fees, risks and withdrawals.
The Statement of Investment Policy and Objectives (SIPO) sets the rules for how the fund invests: what it can invest in, in what proportions, and what it's aiming for.
Fees are an annual percentage of your investment, deducted directly from the fund’s value - so the return you see is already after fees. No separate invoices. Full details are in the PDS.
Worth reading carefully, because fees reduce your return, they mount up over time, and you have to be satisfied you are getting value for the fees you pay.
We charge a performance fee, but only when fund performance exceeds [10%] and even then, only if the fund’s unit price has hit what is called a ‘high water mark’. The high water mark is a high point for the unit price.
It is important for investors because if the unit price hits a high point, performance exceeds 10% and a performance fee is paid; a performance fee cannot be paid again, even if performance exceeds 10%, unless the unit price has also exceeded its previous high point.
We charge a performance fee, and include a high water mark, because we believe a performance fee aligns us with our investors.That’s because for us to get the benefit of a performance fee, our investors must do well first. The high water mark also means we do not get paid for the same performance twice. Further detail is available in the PDS.
Every NZ managed fund has a risk indicator from 1 (lower risk, potentially lower returns) to 7 (higher risk, potentially higher returns). It's worked out the same way for every fund, based on how much the fund's returns have moved up and down over the past five years.
It shows past ups and downs, not every type of risk, and it can change over time. You can find our latest rating in our quarterly fund update.
To think about your own attitude to risk, you can try Sorted's Investor Kickstarter at sorted.org.nz.
A PIE (Portfolio Investment Entity) fund taxes your returns inside the fund at your PIR rate (prescribed investor rate), your personal tax rate for investments - capped at 28% - rather than your regular income tax rate.
For higher-income earners, that’s a meaningful saving. The Curve Fund is a PIE fund.
The Curve Fund is a PIE (portfolio investment entity), so your returns are taxed at your PIR (prescribed investor rate) instead of your personal income tax rate. If your income tax rate is 33% or 39%, a PIE fund means your investment returns are taxed at a lower rate - a meaningful saving.
If your income tax rate is already 10.5% or 17.5%, the PIE cap doesn't change much for you.
Either way, setting the right PIR matters: too low and you may owe tax at year end, too high and you're overpaying. You can check your rate with IRD's PIR tool and update it with us anytime. www.ird.gov.nz As long as your PIR is right, PIE tax is a final tax - it doesn't need to go in a personal tax return.
One heads-up: if you get Working for Families or have a student loan, PIE income from funds like ours does count towards those calculations, and you'll need to declare it to IRD as an income adjustment.
We're not tax professionals, and this is general information only - it doesn't take your personal circumstances into account. For advice specific to your situation, please talk to a tax professional.
From your investment, so you don't need to do anything. When you withdraw, we cancel units to cover any PIE tax owing. If you stay invested, it's settled after the end of the tax year.
Your Prescribed Investor Rate (PIR) is 10.5%, 17.5%, or 28% - the tax rate applied to your investment returns inside a PIE fund. It's based on your income in either of the last two tax years (you can use whichever gives you the lower rate).
Getting it right matters - too low and you may owe tax at year end, too high and you're overpaying. Work out yours with IRD's PIR tool.
We're not tax professionals, and this is general information only - it doesn't take your personal circumstances into account. For advice specific to your situation, please talk to a tax professional.
This is important. We recommend a minimum time frame of five years for being invested in the fund, because we believe the fund will achieve its risk and return objective over that period (and our confidence increases over longer periods). But you, as an investor, also have a timeframe.
This is how long you pIan to stay invested and it depends on your objective. Typically, longer is better as there is more opportunity for compounding, where your returns start to earn returns.
But if you have a shorter-term objective, then our timeframe may not match yours. Not sure? A licensed financial advisor can help.
For an equities fund, diversification involves spreading your money across many companies, sectors, and countries so no single bad outcome can sink your returns. It’s one of the most basic principles of investing and one of the best reasons to use a managed fund rather than putting everything into one place.
A managed fund means a professional invests on your behalf across a diversified range of assets (shares, bonds, property, and more). Investing directly means you pick your own stocks - more control, but more time and knowledge required. Neither is wrong; it depends on what you’re after.
Compounding is when your returns start earning their own returns.
Simply to illustrate how the maths works, say you invest $1,000 and earn 10% - you now have $1,100. Next year, you again get 10% on your $1,100, not just your original $1,000. The year after, it applies to $1,210.
And so on. It sounds small early on, but over years and decades it becomes genuinely powerful - your money is essentially working for you while you sleep. It’s why starting early matters more than starting with a lot.
An actively managed fund has a portfolio manager (or team) making deliberate decisions about what to buy, sell, and hold - with the goal of outperforming the market.
A passively managed fund (often called an index fund) simply tracks a market index (a set list of companies, like the top 500 US companies) automatically, with no attempt to beat it - just match it.
Active management typically means higher fees but the potential for stronger returns. Passive management means lower fees and predictable, market-matching performance. The Curve Fund is actively managed.
Both are ways to invest in a diversified basket of assets, but they work a little differently.
An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is bought and sold on a stock exchange, just like a share, at a live price throughout the trading day.
A managed fund (like The Curve Fund) is invested in and redeemed at a unit price confirmed at the end of each business day, not traded on an exchange.
ETFs are usually passively managed and have lower fees; managed funds are often actively managed and may offer more hands-on portfolio decisions. Both are legitimate, it comes down to what you’re looking for.
A redemption is when you withdraw part or all of your investment from the fund. Fees and PIE tax are reconciled (calculated and settled) at the time of redemption so what you receive is your net return after both.
Five business days from when your completed request is processed. Completed means all requirements have been met.
Unit prices are confirmed daily based on the actual value of the underlying assets, so you get the next confirmed price rather than an estimate.
The waiting period also protects investors by giving the portfolio manager time to adjust the portfolio if needed to fund the redemption.
Investing involves risk, so your fund will experience market movements and the value of your investment will go up or down depending on fund performance. But your money is held in trust by a licensed Custodian (an independent company whose only job is to hold your money safely), appointed by the Statutory Supervisor.
It’s legally separated from The Curve Investments’ own assets. So if anything happened to us as a business, your investment would be protected from TCI's creditors, it cannot be used to settle our debts.
Not constantly. We make the decisions and report performance monthly. For you, an annual check is smart: confirm your PIR is still correct, your goals haven’t shifted, and the fund still fits your timeframe. Your client portal is there whenever you want a look and we genuinely encourage you to stay curious and know what’s happening with your money.
A summary of your account for the tax year (1 April - 31 March): your contributions (deposits), investment returns, fees, and PIE tax paid. We issue it after the tax year ends.
There's nothing you need to do with it. We automatically report your PIE income and tax details to IRD on your behalf, so it's already in their system - you'll see it reflected in your myIR account. Keep the statement for your own records, and your accountant may want a copy. It's also a good moment to check if the PIR on it is still right for you.
A short document we’re required by law to publish every quarter (every three months).
It covers fund performance, size, fees, and the top 10 holdings. Available on our website and the Disclose Register.
Through the client portal: balance, transaction history, and performance, whenever you need it.
Having trouble logging in or haven’t set it up yet? Email hello@thecurveinvestments.co.nz and we’ll get you sorted.