It’s a tough economy out there but savvy tenants can negotiate a good rental deal. Prices appear to be going up wherever you look, whether it be food, petrol, electricity or water. It seems the consumer just can’t escape a price hike. But the good...
Is free retirement counselling really free?
Maya Fisher-FrenchJul 19, 2018
What Retirement Benefits Counselling would mean to retirement fund members and the financial advice industry. For years I have been calling on the retirement fund industry to provide financial education to their members. This is a...
Crypto prices driven purely by mood of investors
Guest AuthorJul 16, 2018
New research has found that cryptocurrency prices are not influenced by any economic factors and instead are driven purely by the mood swings of investors. The stunning rise in the price of Bitcoin, hitting $17,500 last December as it increased by...
Can you get to eBucks Level 5 without debt?
Maya Fisher-FrenchJul 13, 2018
FNB has updated their eBucks reward programme and depending on your type of account, it is worth finding out how these changes affect you or how to change your spending patterns in order to earn more eBucks. To get more “share of wallet”, Gold...
Are you ready for a money boot camp?
Maya Fisher-FrenchJul 10, 2018
Call for entries for the 2018 Absa/City Press Money Makeover Challenge Would you like to be one of six lucky Absa customers to participate in the Absa/City Press Money Makeover competition? If debt keeps you awake at night and your money is running...
Turn your car into advertising revenue
Maya Fisher-FrenchJul 9, 2018
If you want to make some extra cash or get some freebies, sign up as an “influencer”. Zamokule, who may be familiar to readers as a Money Makeover contestant, recently turned his car into a moving billboard for Dialdirect in order to earn some...
Are banks treating our children fairly?
Angelique RuzickaJul 5, 2018
Major South African banks (Absa, Nedbank, Standard Bank and FNB) appear to have made improvements in recent years in their accounts targeted at children. They’ve scrapped the monthly admin fees and lowered or gotten rid of some transaction charges....
NHI: a storm in a teacup?
Maya Fisher-FrenchJul 2, 2018
Why the NHI announcements will not affect your pocket yet. The massive media coverage around the recent announcements by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has everyone in a bit of a tailspin. People without access to decent medical cover believe...
Taking cash out of your home in retirement
Maya Fisher-FrenchJun 28, 2018
A lack of retirement savings has seen a significant demand from pensioners to use their homes to access capital, especially for medical costs. A reverse equity mortgage is a special type of home loan that lets you convert a portion of the equity in...
How to pay off your home in ten years
Guest AuthorJun 25, 2018
By Rudi Botha, CEO of BetterBond If you have a R1m home loan, payable over 20 years at the current prime interest rate of 10%, you are set to pay more than R1,3m in interest by the time you’ve paid off that bond and the home is finally yours. But...

Previous Articles
Godparent vs Guardian: debunking the myths
Jun 21, 2018
By David Thomson, Senior Legal Adviser at Sanlam Trust Whether you are a godparent or you’ve asked someone else to be your child’s godparent, do you have clarity on what the term actually means? There is a critical difference between a godparent and a legal guardian...
Helping your children to manage their money
Jun 18, 2018
As a mom, my goal is to see my two children grow up to be independent and to stand on their own two feet. A big part of this journey is financial education. You can give your children the best academic education you can afford, but if they don’t manage their finances,...
Financial mistakes people make in divorce
Jun 14, 2018
Discussing “what will happen if we get divorced”, particularly financially, is a conversation that is often avoided before entering into a marriage agreement because it is deemed unromantic or tainting a marriage before it’s even started. But this is a crucial...
Financial Emigration or Double Taxation Agreement?
Jun 11, 2018
By Jonty Leon, Attorney and Financial Emigration Legal Manager and Claudia Aires, Head of Financial Emigration at Financial Emigration. There is a lot of misinformation circulating in the South African expatriate community, perpetuated by service providers using scare...
Millennials: it’s time to wake up
Jun 7, 2018
Forget retirement and start thinking out of the box! The latest Sanlam Benchmark Survey on retirement reveals that the average retirement savings balance for a person of the age of 37 is only R90 000, and the average for millennials (people between the ages of 22 and...
Can you save money by homeschooling your children?
Jun 4, 2018
With the cost of education rising, parents are increasingly considering homeschooling as an alternative. But how much can it really save you? Private schooling has become increasingly expensive in South Africa. Fees vary depending on the school but according to...
Survey reveals confusing complexity in medical gap cover products
May 31, 2018
GTC launches inaugural Gap Cover Survey to rank and categorise all providers in South Africa Sanlam and Absa have emerged as the top-ranked medical top-up ‒ often referred to as ‘gap cover’‒ providers in South Africa, according to the first ever ranking of these...
What are your rights if a business goes bust?
May 28, 2018
When the economy takes a knock it’s not only consumers who struggle ‒ businesses struggle too. During the tough times it’s not uncommon for businesses to go bust as they battle to make ends meet. But it’s not always the economy that puts a strain on companies....
Understand the risks when dealing with a pawnbroker
May 24, 2018
When his son was selected to attend a music competition in Europe, like any parent Malcolm (name changed at reader’s request) was prepared to do anything to make it happen. Unable to get a loan to cover the cost of the air tickets, he and his wife approached a...
Your UIF questions answered
May 21, 2018
Please note that this website cannot answer your questions about your UIF application. You must apply and submit your continuation forms via the UIF website. If you are struggling with the online application process, you can email Ms Ditoro Makgato, Mr Deon van...










