Speaker Biography - Mary Holm

Qantas Media Award-winning columnist Mary Holm writes two personal finance columns, one in the NZ Herald, the other in the Christchurch Press, Dominion Post, Gisborne Herald, Northern Advocate, Waikato Times and Wanganui Chronicle.

She is a part-time senior lecturer in financial literacy at the University of Auckland; a member of the Capital Markets Development Taskforce; presents seminars, and frequently discusses personal finance on radio and television.

Mary is the author of "The Complete KiwiSaver" as well as two other bestselling books about KiwiSaver (all published by Random House); "Get Rich Slow" and "Investing Made Simple" (both published by Penguin), and "The REAL Story - Saving and investing now that inflation is under control" and "Snakes and Ladders - A guide to risk for savers and investors" (both published by the Reserve Bank of NZ).

She holds a BA in economic history (Victoria University of Wellington), MA in journalism (University of Michigan) and MBA in finance (University of Chicago, where she was taught by Nobel Laureate Merton Miller and graduated in the top 15%.).

Mary worked for the 1997 Todd report on retirement income, was business editor of the Auckland Sun and Auckland Star, and has covered personal finance for the NZ Listener, Australian Financial Review and Chicago Tribune.