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...
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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...
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...
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...
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...
New search engine for unclaimed benefits
Over R42 billion of retirement money remains unclaimed, which – according to the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) – accounts for 1.8% of all retirement money. Over the last few years, efforts have been made by administrators of retirement...
Does a new car make us happy?
I recently spent some time interviewing potential candidates for the City Press/Absa Money Makeover competition. It is so interesting that almost all applicants state that their biggest financial mistake was buying a new car. As one applicant said...
The myths and truth about forex trading
Forex trading has taken on mythical dimensions, with many believing it’s a way to trade themselves out of poverty and into riches. What is the truth? “I run an online share trading platform and I don’t consider myself a forex trader; in fact, I...
Common mistakes when drafting a Will and how they impact your wishes
By Kezia Talbot, Legal Advisor and Remay de Kock, Legal Adviser at BDO SA. It is officially National Wills Week. Wills can get quite tricky – there are several common mistakes that are made when drafting a Will that can have a serious impact on...
Cheaper credit insurance
On 9 August, the new limits on how much a lender can charge for credit insurance came into effect. Credit insurance is usually required when taking out a loan; the policy assists in the repayment of the loan if you die, are retrenched or become...
Previous Articles
Bitcoin: cutting through the hype
By Mike van der Westhuizen, Portfolio Manager, Citadel, and Nishlen Govender, Investment Analyst, Citadel Recent Bitcoin mania has raised a heated debate as to what the world’s largest cryptocurrency (by market capitalisation) is actually worth. Until recently Bitcoin...
Running your business as a personal piggybank could scuttle future growth
By Gary Palmer, CEO at Paragon Lending Solutions Death and taxes – the two certainties in life. While we spend a good portion of our time working out, eating right and minimising personal risk to avoid the former, getting too clever in avoiding the latter could cost...
Should you be investing in clothing retail stocks?
You may be aware of the clothing retail sector’s golden decade that South Africa has just experienced. However, with consumer confidence in the economy at lows not seen since the 1980s, clothing retail stock prices have tumbled to levels that look temptingly cheap...
Investing in retirement
Finding a balance between market returns and a guaranteed income in retirement When you retire from a pension fund or a retirement annuity fund, you are only allowed to take one-third of the value of your fund in cash; the remaining two-thirds must be invested into an...
US tech sector: continued run-up or correction coming?
Since the infamous “dotcom” meltdown nearly two decades ago, people have tended to question any sort of extended run-up in technology-sector stocks. Stephen Dover, executive vice president and head of equities at Franklin Templeton Investments and chief investment...
Electric cars and oil prices: should investors be concerned?
By Kevin Murphy, Schroders What is more likely to cause a long-term collapse in oil prices – the electric car or the humble combustion engine? If you were to judge solely by media coverage or perhaps even by gut instinct, you might well answer ‘the electric car’. But...
The big opportunity in European stocks
By Chad Fichardt, an independent finance and technology communications specialist. Over the last few years South African investors have seen the importance of diversifying their portfolios. Money invested on the JSE has hardly grown since the middle of 2014, but many...
A long-term view of the rand
South Africans are all asking where the rand is going ‒ a valid question given that investors wish to preserve and grow their investments in rand and dollar terms. According to William Fraser of Foord Asset Management, this is an attainable long-term objective, but he...
Time to put on our big-girl panties
Women remain financially vulnerable, and it’s time we did something about it. I was reading recently that women are tired of being spoken to differently about finances – treated as if they are different from men. This is an important point. There is nothing that...
How to avoid forex trading scams
Daichi Hoang is the webmaster of Best Forex Brokers based in Sydney, Australia. He provides the following advice to help traders avoid risky forex scams and understand the true merits of forex trading. If you are one of the many people in South Africa attracted by the...