The two-pot retirement system explained
On 29 July, National Treasury released its draft legislation on the so-called two-pot retirement...
Video: Compounding turns time into money
Have you ever wondered why the rich keep getting richer? It has a lot to do with compounding. This...
Reward programmes: get paid to spend
Reward programmes are becoming an integral part of our day-to-day financial management. It is no...
Listen: The proposed two-pot system for retirement funds
On 29 July, National Treasury released draft legislation around early access to pension funds and...
Manage Your Money
This site is a collection of articles written by finance journalist Maya Fisher-French as well as other contributors. The aim of Maya on Money is to help you with those day-to-day money decisions related to South African finance matters. Articles cover all those areas that you need in order to manage your money effectively such as budgeting, saving, investing, banking and insurance. Feel free to engage with us on social media.
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My Money
The two-pot retirement system explained
On 29 July, National Treasury released its draft legislation on the so-called two-pot retirement system. It highlighted that “the proposal does not include allowing immediate access to retirement funds, but rather moves to a system that can more adequately cater for...
Reward programmes: get paid to spend
Reward programmes are becoming an integral part of our day-to-day financial management. It is no longer simply about getting a discount on your next purchase; these programmes have evolved so that you can now earn really meaningful rewards, which many South Africans...
Getting your home off grid – what it would cost
After 14 years of loadshedding, most households have found some way to make do in the face of intermittent electricity outages, but the latest wave of outages has prompted many people to wonder if they can afford to get completely off grid. Stage 6 loadshedding had a...
Does the CPI reflect the “real” inflation rate?
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is supposed to reflect the spending patterns of the average urban South African across various categories of goods and services. Each of these categories (food, fuel, education, rent, insurance etc.) has a fixed weight in the index. The...
My Debt
Listen: How I paid off a mountain of debt
In this podcast, Maya (@mayaonmoney) speaks to Ntombi Dube, a remarkable woman who paid off a mountain of debt ‒ R700 000 of it, to be precise. In a recent survey, a debt counselling firm asked financially stressed South Africans: “Why have you not done something to...
Improve your credit score
Whether you want to buy a property or a car, most South Africans need credit to do so. And, strange as it may seem, knowing how much credit you qualify for and how you can improve your credit score may just be critical to your ability to continue improving your life...
Avoid the debt collection agency
Missing one or two payments on your debt obligation is not a train smash, but once you miss three payments in a row, you are now in default. This means you will receive a negative listing on your credit record and in many cases your debt will be handed over to a debt...
Beware hidden costs on your credit card
A pensioner was shocked to discover that a TymeBank credit card comes with a mandatory fee for compulsory credit insurance. It is good financial management to check all the costs involved when taking on credit, and this is exactly what pensioner Iain MacKinnon did...
My Investments
Video: Compounding turns time into money
Have you ever wondered why the rich keep getting richer? It has a lot to do with compounding. This is where your money makes more money when you are doing nothing. For example, you have R100 000 in a unit trust fund which is invested in the stock market. That year the...
What the rate increase means for your investments
On Thursday, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to increase the repo rate by another 75 basis points (bps). The increase will see the repo rate increase to 5.50% per year. The decision was made on the back of the South African inflation rate surging above the...
What to do in a bear market?
Victoria Reuvers, Managing Director at Morningstar Investment Management SA, explains that you need to sit tight and stay invested through a bear market (when the market is falling) in order to achieve successful long-term returns. What is the secret to successful...
Staying the course in crazy markets
Roné Swanepoel, Business Development Manager at Morningstar Investment Management South Africa, knows that many investors are currently unsure as to what to do in these difficult markets. She recommends biting the bullet and staying the course. Two years after the...
My Property
Getting your home off grid – what it would cost
After 14 years of loadshedding, most households have found some way to make do in the face of intermittent electricity outages, but the latest wave of outages has prompted many people to wonder if they can afford to get completely off grid. Stage 6 loadshedding had a...
You could have building cover without realising it
Deshni Subbiah, chair of the Short-term Insurance Committee of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA) explains that homeowners may have building cover without even realising it. If you are repaying a home loan but didn’t take out comprehensive building cover...
Improve your credit score
Whether you want to buy a property or a car, most South Africans need credit to do so. And, strange as it may seem, knowing how much credit you qualify for and how you can improve your credit score may just be critical to your ability to continue improving your life...
Flood damage: are you covered?
The flooding across KZN has caused major damage to property. The good news is that most short-term insurance contracts will provide cover for weather-related incidents, which includes flood damage. According to Fanus Coetzee, Head of Claims at Santam, comprehensive...
My Car
Video: Should I buy a second-hand car?
If you want to be a millionaire, you should buy a second-hand car! In the book The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy, the authors studied the behaviour and habits of America’s millionaires. One thing that they found is that...
When to switch to a fuel-efficient car
With the fuel price at record highs, many motorists may be rushing to sell their fuel-guzzling vehicle and to replace it with a more fuel-efficient car. But you should be careful not to make a costly knee-jerk decision. If you were planning on buying a car for the...
Fuel price hikes: how you can save
With recent fuel price hikes delivering a shock to all of our budgets, every little bit of savings counts. It now costs motorists over R1 000 to fill up a 50-litre tank of fuel. At a pump price of R21.60 per litre, for a reasonably fuel-efficient car that consumes 6...
How much does it really cost you to buy a car?
Ernest North, co-founder of Naked Insurance, recommends that before you decide to buy a car, you take into account all of the costs that come along with owning a vehicle. Buying a car is exciting, whether it’s a brand new model or a preowned beauty you fell in love...
My Insurance
You could have building cover without realising it
Deshni Subbiah, chair of the Short-term Insurance Committee of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA) explains that homeowners may have building cover without even realising it. If you are repaying a home loan but didn’t take out comprehensive building cover...
Is medical insurance the solution to high medical premiums?
With many South Africans unable to afford medical schemes, medical insurance is filling in the gap. But you need to be aware of its limitations. Medical schemes are becoming increasingly unaffordable for the average South African household. Statistics show that only...
Flood damage: are you covered?
The flooding across KZN has caused major damage to property. The good news is that most short-term insurance contracts will provide cover for weather-related incidents, which includes flood damage. According to Fanus Coetzee, Head of Claims at Santam, comprehensive...
Surge in death claims during Covid third wave
The Association of Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA) recently released death claims figures which left no doubt as to the true impact of Covid-19 when it comes to mortality rates. Industry-wide figures from South African life insurers show that there was a...
My Retirement
The two-pot retirement system explained
On 29 July, National Treasury released its draft legislation on the so-called two-pot retirement system. It highlighted that “the proposal does not include allowing immediate access to retirement funds, but rather moves to a system that can more adequately cater for...
Video: Compounding turns time into money
Have you ever wondered why the rich keep getting richer? It has a lot to do with compounding. This is where your money makes more money when you are doing nothing. For example, you have R100 000 in a unit trust fund which is invested in the stock market. That year the...
Listen: The proposed two-pot system for retirement funds
On 29 July, National Treasury released draft legislation around early access to pension funds and the so-called “two-pot” system. This draft legislation aims at addressing two key challenges facing retirement savings: improving retirement outcomes by introducing...
Listen: Living to 100
More and more people seem to be living to 100 and beyond. Scientists are predicting that the average life expectancy in the UK will hit 100 in 2064. Even today, the chance of a 50-year-old woman living to 100 is almost 1 in 10. For some people that may be a very...
My Estate
Death benefit: what you need to know
After the death of a loved one, you may be entitled to a death benefit. Rita Cool, certified financial planner at Alexforbes takes a look. During what is a very emotionally-charged time, the paperwork which nominees are required to complete in order to claim a death...
Listen: Managing the end-of-life transition
In this third part of a series of conversations around life transitions, Maya (@mayaonmoney) speaks to Louis van der Merwe of WealthUp about the biggest transition of all: death – or what could be called the "end-of-life transition". Death is a part of life. Whether...
How to provide for your financial dependants
Providing for your family if something happens to you is a priority for every parent. There are several things a member of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) needs to do to make sure their financial dependants are taken care of. Update your nomination forms...
Is a living will legally valid and enforceable?
Juan Buys, Fiduciary Specialist at PPS Fiduciary Services, explains that a living will may not always be enforceable. Sometimes family members face a difficult situation when a decision has to be made about a loved one in circumstances in which they are not able to...
MY MONEY
Read up to date articles on Finance, Budgeting and more...Managing your day-to-day money flows – it all begins here. This section provides tips and actions you need in order to tell your money where to go.
The two-pot retirement system explained
On 29 July, National Treasury released its draft legislation on the so-called two-pot retirement system. It highlighted that “the proposal does not include allowing immediate access to retirement funds, but rather moves to a system that can more...
Reward programmes: get paid to spend
Reward programmes are becoming an integral part of our day-to-day financial management. It is no longer simply about getting a discount on your next purchase; these programmes have evolved so that you can now earn really meaningful rewards, which...
Getting your home off grid – what it would cost
After 14 years of loadshedding, most households have found some way to make do in the face of intermittent electricity outages, but the latest wave of outages has prompted many people to wonder if they can afford to get completely off grid. Stage 6...
The two-pot retirement system explained
On 29 July, National Treasury released its draft legislation on the so-called two-pot retirement system. It highlighted that “the proposal does not include allowing immediate access to retirement funds, but rather moves to a system that can more...
Reward programmes: get paid to spend
Reward programmes are becoming an integral part of our day-to-day financial management. It is no longer simply about getting a discount on your next purchase; these programmes have evolved so that you can now earn really meaningful rewards, which...
MY DEBT
Credit agreements, Debt Review & more...
Listen: How I paid off a mountain of debt
In this podcast, Maya (@mayaonmoney) speaks to Ntombi Dube, a remarkable woman who paid off a mountain of debt ‒ R700 000 of it, to be precise. In a recent survey, a debt counselling firm asked financially stressed South Africans: “Why have you not...
Improve your credit score
Whether you want to buy a property or a car, most South Africans need credit to do so. And, strange as it may seem, knowing how much credit you qualify for and how you can improve your credit score may just be critical to your ability to continue...
Avoid the debt collection agency
Missing one or two payments on your debt obligation is not a train smash, but once you miss three payments in a row, you are now in default. This means you will receive a negative listing on your credit record and in many cases your debt will be...
Listen: How I paid off a mountain of debt
In this podcast, Maya (@mayaonmoney) speaks to Ntombi Dube, a remarkable woman who paid off a mountain of debt ‒ R700 000 of it, to be precise. In a recent survey, a debt counselling firm asked financially stressed South Africans: “Why have you not...
Improve your credit score
Whether you want to buy a property or a car, most South Africans need credit to do so. And, strange as it may seem, knowing how much credit you qualify for and how you can improve your credit score may just be critical to your ability to continue...
MY INVESTMENTS
Saving, Investing, Investment Products & more...
Video: Compounding turns time into money
Have you ever wondered why the rich keep getting richer? It has a lot to do with compounding. This is where your money makes more money when you are doing nothing. For example, you have R100 000 in a unit trust fund which is invested in the stock...
What the rate increase means for your investments
On Thursday, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to increase the repo rate by another 75 basis points (bps). The increase will see the repo rate increase to 5.50% per year. The decision was made on the back of the South African inflation...
Video: Compounding turns time into money
Have you ever wondered why the rich keep getting richer? It has a lot to do with compounding. This is where your money makes more money when you are doing nothing. For example, you have R100 000 in a unit trust fund which is invested in the stock...
What the rate increase means for your investments
On Thursday, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to increase the repo rate by another 75 basis points (bps). The increase will see the repo rate increase to 5.50% per year. The decision was made on the back of the South African inflation...
MY PROPERTY
Household, Bonds, Mortgages & more...Getting your home off grid – what it would cost
After 14 years of loadshedding, most households have found some way to make do in the face of intermittent electricity outages, but the latest wave of outages has prompted many people to wonder if they can afford to get completely off grid. Stage 6...
You could have building cover without realising it
Deshni Subbiah, chair of the Short-term Insurance Committee of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA) explains that homeowners may have building cover without even realising it. If you are repaying a home loan but didn’t take out...
Improve your credit score
Whether you want to buy a property or a car, most South Africans need credit to do so. And, strange as it may seem, knowing how much credit you qualify for and how you can improve your credit score may just be critical to your ability to continue...
Getting your home off grid – what it would cost
After 14 years of loadshedding, most households have found some way to make do in the face of intermittent electricity outages, but the latest wave of outages has prompted many people to wonder if they can afford to get completely off grid. Stage 6...
You could have building cover without realising it
Deshni Subbiah, chair of the Short-term Insurance Committee of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA) explains that homeowners may have building cover without even realising it. If you are repaying a home loan but didn’t take out...
MY CAR
Finance, Insurance, Purchasing & more...
Video: Should I buy a second-hand car?
If you want to be a millionaire, you should buy a second-hand car! In the book The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy, the authors studied the behaviour and habits of America’s millionaires. One thing that they found...
When to switch to a fuel-efficient car
With the fuel price at record highs, many motorists may be rushing to sell their fuel-guzzling vehicle and to replace it with a more fuel-efficient car. But you should be careful not to make a costly knee-jerk decision. If you were planning on...
You could have building cover without realising it
Deshni Subbiah, chair of the Short-term Insurance Committee of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA) explains that homeowners may have building cover without even realising it. If you are repaying a home loan but didn’t take out...
Is medical insurance the solution to high medical premiums?
With many South Africans unable to afford medical schemes, medical insurance is filling in the gap. But you need to be aware of its limitations. Medical schemes are becoming increasingly unaffordable for the average South African household....
MY INSURANCE
Life, Short-Term & more...You could have building cover without realising it
Deshni Subbiah, chair of the Short-term Insurance Committee of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA) explains that homeowners may have building cover without even realising it. If you are repaying a home loan but didn’t take out...
Is medical insurance the solution to high medical premiums?
With many South Africans unable to afford medical schemes, medical insurance is filling in the gap. But you need to be aware of its limitations. Medical schemes are becoming increasingly unaffordable for the average South African household....
Flood damage: are you covered?
The flooding across KZN has caused major damage to property. The good news is that most short-term insurance contracts will provide cover for weather-related incidents, which includes flood damage. According to Fanus Coetzee, Head of Claims at...
You could have building cover without realising it
Deshni Subbiah, chair of the Short-term Insurance Committee of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA) explains that homeowners may have building cover without even realising it. If you are repaying a home loan but didn’t take out...
Is medical insurance the solution to high medical premiums?
With many South Africans unable to afford medical schemes, medical insurance is filling in the gap. But you need to be aware of its limitations. Medical schemes are becoming increasingly unaffordable for the average South African household....
MY RETIREMENT
Pre and Post Retirement & more...The two-pot retirement system explained
On 29 July, National Treasury released its draft legislation on the so-called two-pot retirement system. It highlighted that “the proposal does not include allowing immediate access to retirement funds, but rather moves to a system that can more...
Video: Compounding turns time into money
Have you ever wondered why the rich keep getting richer? It has a lot to do with compounding. This is where your money makes more money when you are doing nothing. For example, you have R100 000 in a unit trust fund which is invested in the stock...
Listen: The proposed two-pot system for retirement funds
On 29 July, National Treasury released draft legislation around early access to pension funds and the so-called “two-pot” system. This draft legislation aims at addressing two key challenges facing retirement savings: improving retirement outcomes...
The two-pot retirement system explained
On 29 July, National Treasury released its draft legislation on the so-called two-pot retirement system. It highlighted that “the proposal does not include allowing immediate access to retirement funds, but rather moves to a system that can more...
Video: Compounding turns time into money
Have you ever wondered why the rich keep getting richer? It has a lot to do with compounding. This is where your money makes more money when you are doing nothing. For example, you have R100 000 in a unit trust fund which is invested in the stock...
MY ESTATE
Wills, Marriage Contracts, Life Cover & More...
Death benefit: what you need to know
After the death of a loved one, you may be entitled to a death benefit. Rita Cool, certified financial planner at Alexforbes takes a look. During what is a very emotionally-charged time, the paperwork which nominees are required to complete in...
Listen: Managing the end-of-life transition
In this third part of a series of conversations around life transitions, Maya (@mayaonmoney) speaks to Louis van der Merwe of WealthUp about the biggest transition of all: death – or what could be called the "end-of-life transition". Death is a...
How to provide for your financial dependants
Providing for your family if something happens to you is a priority for every parent. There are several things a member of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) needs to do to make sure their financial dependants are taken care of. Update...
Death benefit: what you need to know
After the death of a loved one, you may be entitled to a death benefit. Rita Cool, certified financial planner at Alexforbes takes a look. During what is a very emotionally-charged time, the paperwork which nominees are required to complete in...
Listen: Managing the end-of-life transition
In this third part of a series of conversations around life transitions, Maya (@mayaonmoney) speaks to Louis van der Merwe of WealthUp about the biggest transition of all: death – or what could be called the "end-of-life transition". Death is a...
Video: Compounding turns time into money
Have you ever wondered why the rich keep getting richer? It has a lot to do with compounding. This is where your money makes more money when you are doing nothing. For example, you have R100 000 in a unit trust fund which is invested in the stock market. That year the...
Video: Should I buy a second-hand car?
If you want to be a millionaire, you should buy a second-hand car! In the book The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy, the authors studied the behaviour and habits of America’s millionaires. One thing that they found is that...
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