On Friday 24 November, retailers will be offering discounts in a major sale ahead of the festive season. This “Black Friday” concept has been taken from the United States where the discounts are so enormous people queue overnight to be the first...
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What to do if you think you have been hacked
Last week a major South African domain service provider, Hetzner, was hacked, allegedly compromising personal information. My own website is hosted by Hetzner and on the same day I received an urgent email asking me to immediately pay and renew my...
The value of bitcoin
By Jacques Plaut, portfolio manager at Allan Gray The total market value of all bitcoins is US$80bn, which is more than the value of Richemont and triple the value of Anglo American. It is the topic on which we currently receive the most questions...
Staying on track for a good score in a high-risk low-return environment
As the need for capital preservation and cautious portfolio positioning becomes more apparent, Head of Business Development at Foord Asset Management, Nick Curtin, unpacks the strategic stance Foord’s portfolio managers have adopted given the...
How social media affects your insurance claims
Anything you post on social media can be used by insurers, within reason. Can an insurer use information collected from your social media posts to assess your risk profile and verify claims? This was the question posed by Maria Philippides,...
What makes a city a worthy investment?
According to the latest released Schroders Global Cities Index, which ranks over 700 cities in order of their attractiveness from a long-term real estate investment perspective, South African cities leave much to be desired, with Johannesburg being...
Medical aid annual review: six questions to ask before accepting the default option
Annual medical aid premium increases for 2018 are once again measuring in excess of inflation, and this often comes with a decrease in benefit levels. This means consumers will have to make increasingly tough choices if they don't want to be caught...
Paying tax vs paying fees
Tax-efficient products are an easy sell, but are you paying your tax benefit away in fees? With personal and investment taxes on the increase, high-net-worth individuals look to product offerings that can – legally – help them offset their tax...
Tax season: your top tax investment questions answered
Confused about how to report on your investments to SARS? With the 2017 tax season in full swing, now is the time to get your documents ready, urges Carla Rossouw of Allan Gray Investment Managers. 1. What documents do I need? When filling out your...
MTBPS paints bleak picture that will disappoint both market and ratings agencies
By Nazmeera Moola, co-Head of Fixed Income, Investec Asset Management The medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS), presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba on Wednesday 25 October, paints a bleak picture: the expenditure...
Previous Articles
SNAPnSAVE: the shopping app that saves you money
SNAPnSAVE is a cashback shopping app that puts money back into your wallet when you buy certain products – irrespective of where you shop. You download the app, select the products you want to book and then have 48 hours to go shopping and scan your till slip to...
The simple truth about investing
In late August I attended the Allan Gray Investment Summit which brought together a range of investment professionals. Most of the day was dedicated to experts discussing investment strategies and their top share picks. But it was the final speaker of the day, Morgan...
What constitutes bad advice?
Due to the recent poor performance of living annuities, many investors believe that they received bad advice and now want to cash in the investment. This comes down to a question of good or bad advice which is a FAIS (Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act)...
Insuring your child’s car
Car insurance for a person under the age of 25 can be extremely high as they have a much higher risk rating than someone who has been driving for many years. They are also at that age where they are more likely to undertake risky driving behaviour. To reduce these...
Pros and cons of a joint home loan
With the average house price for a first-time buyer nearly reaching the R1 million mark, few people can afford to buy a home on their own. A R900 000 home loan will require a monthly repayment of R8 800 – this is before you have even started paying for rates,...
Market returns disappoint retirees
Poor investment decisions at the time of retirement can have serious consequences which are often only realised several years later. You need to fully understand the implications of your investment choices. Retirees who have been relying on market-related investment...
Money Makeover Challenge
Six South Africans, six months, major financial decisions: follow their journey as they move from debt to wealth creation. Join me as I take six ordinary South Africans through the Absa/City Press Money Makeover Challenge where they will undergo a money makeover boot...
Giving up #just1thing could save over R1000 in a month
Sue Torr, a Director at Crue Invest, has conceptualised the #just1thing campaign to show people how sacrificing something small, like a cup of coffee or manicure, can have a meaningful, positive effect on your bank balance. The saying “short-term pain, long-term gain”...
Good news for those claiming UIF
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...
Which are the top medical schemes?
Discovery and Momentum medical schemes top the tables in the 2017 GTC Medical Aid Survey across most plans. The extensive survey, conducted by financial advisory firm GTC, takes various criteria into account when ranking the scheme options. Jill Larkan, head of...