*This content is brought to you by Sanlam iTrade. An iTrade investor proves that you are never too old to start investing yourself, but why wait? I farmed in the bushveld and had a red brahman Stud. When I was 70 years old, I realised I will have...
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Six key take-aways from Warren Buffett’s 2017 annual letter to shareholders
There is always a frenzy to devour and dissect Warren Buffett’s shareholder letter and extract the freshest pearls of wisdom. This year was no exception, even though the pickings seemed a bit slim. On more leisurely reading, says Steven Nathan, 10X...
Make money creating and selling your own online course
The e-Learning industry is booming and it’s possible to make money putting together an online course and selling it. However, you have to get into the mind of the student and fulfill your promises, otherwise it won’t be sustainable. If you’re...
Debt is a trap, no matter who you borrow from
I recently wrote about readers who were complaining about loan shark tactics that got them trapped in a perpetual cycle of debt. Since writing the article, I received several comments from readers who argued that the actions of some micro-lenders...
Cost effective cover for your domestic worker
*This content is brought to you by Simply Financial Services. There are approximately 1 million people employed as domestic workers in South Africa. And yet, according to Namhla Duma, Director at Premium Domestic Services, insufficient salary was...
Borrowing without a credit record
CreditVision, a new product from TransUnion, should make it easier to get financing without a credit record. One of the reader queries we receive regularly is from people who have chosen not to take out short-term credit. They have sensibly avoided...
Ask the right questions before buying trading software
*This content is brought to you by Sanlam iTrade. Share investor Peter Imrie shares his story of being nearly ‘conned’ by a company selling trading software. In many cases the only ones who make money out of these computer-based trading programs...
10 things you need to know about the Budget
How government will raise R36 billion in revenue: Spending will cost more Government has taken the step to increase the VAT rate from 14% to 15%, raising an additional R22.9bn to meet the fee-free higher education costs and reduce debt. This does...
The murky world of loan sharks
Once you borrow money from a loan shark, you will be indebted to them for life. City Press has received an increase in the number of readers complaining about loan sharks as illegal moneylenders or mashonisa operate across the country, using...
Swipe and save
We often complain that we don’t have enough money to save, but it is often the hassle of opening up a savings account and committing to the minimum investment amounts that is the major hurdle. This is especially true for the younger generation who...
Previous Articles
#TradeMyWay: living with regret
It is always easy to know the “right” decision in hindsight, but rather than regretting the past, we should remember why we made the decisions we did. As part of the #TradeMyWay competition, Tim O’Hagan shared his story about how he cashed in his Naspers share options...
Why Day Zero is a lot like our finances
In case you had missed the news, here in Cape Town where I live, there is a good chance water will stop coming out of taps on 12 April – “Day Zero”. Having watched this crisis unfold over the last year, I've noticed that there are such close parallels between the...
“Irrational exuberance” saved the day
*This content is brought to you by Sanlam iTrade. By Gerhard Lampen, Head: Sanlam iTrade Global equity markets in 1996 were in a very bullish mood and that included the JSE. It was in the time leading up to the dotcom bubble at the end of that decade. I was trading...
Your 12-month financial plan
If you’ve decided that 2018 is the time to get your finances under control, try this month-by-month plan so that your finances and admin are all up-to-date by the end of the year. January: Update your budget and plan for expenses Write up a budget. Don’t just guess...
The difference between speculating and investing
During my three years working for a stockbroking firm, I learned the difference between being an investor and being a speculator. During the time that I was responsible for setting up the retail trading desk, I saw firsthand the mistakes many private clients made when...
Divorcing from the breadwinner
Sunel Veldtman, financial planner and founder of Foundation Family Wealth shares her advice to ex-spouses who have made career sacrifices for their family. Too many times I’ve sat across the table from a sobbing woman going through a divorce. Divorce is always...
A debt review success story
Four months ago, City Press reader Oscar wrote to us asking for help in finding a debt counsellor as, in his words, he was “broke because of debt.” After doing some research we found RD Debt Counselling and Oscar met with debt counsellor Russell Dickerson. After four...
Free trial offers: how to avoid getting burnt
Companies sometimes offer free trials in an attempt to entice customers to sign up to a service or to buy a product they’re not familiar with. Trials are prevalent in the services and cosmetics industry where customers are offered free access to test products or given...
Is university still relevant to generation Z?
How do we prepare our children, and our finances, for the fourth industrial revolution? I was chatting to a couple of financial planners about how clients save for their children’s tertiary education. It was no surprise to discover that most people are completely...
Married or single: how to thrive as a female entrepreneur
Recent research suggests that married women are more likely to be successful entrepreneurs than single women. The assumption is that, because married women – or women with partners – have more financial support and help with family and household responsibilities, the...