It may be tempting to take the keys of your hire car and drive off so that you can finally enjoy your holiday destination with your family. After all, you’ve waited a long time for this break and with all the political turmoil and work commitments...
If you want to draw down on the equity built up in your property, you may be in for a nasty surprise. Paragon Lending Solutions recently issued a press release warning investors and small business owners that if they try and access additional...
The following infographic, courtesy of Bayhill Capital, shows how the composition of the JSE has changed over the last four decades, as the industrial and technology sectors have grown.
According to a 2016 Fin24 interview with Nicola D’Elia, managing director for Airbnb Africa and Middle East, South African Airbnb hosts earn on average R28 000 a month by making their property available for short-term let via the popular sharing...
Is financial education more important than free education? According to figures published by the Consumer Credit Panel in the USA, a student who leaves college with a $100 000 student loan is twice as likely to repay that debt than a student who...
Most parents want their children to be financially secure and to live better lives than they were able to ‒ lives without financial stress. Parents also want to be able to leave their children a financial legacy that will provide for...
By George Herman, Citadel Director and Chief Investment Officer Bloomberg news agency recently published an article stating that South African bonds were now seemingly “junk” – a word which is loaded with negative sentiments. In turbulent times...
The uncertainty in South Africa is taking its toll on our bodies, and possibly our insurance premiums. Over the last year, long-term insurers have experienced higher-than-expected claims ratios, especially when it comes to stress-related illnesses...
By Marianna Georgakopoulou, Head of Asset Allocation at Ashburton Investments Global macro indicators are currently strong, with a clear cyclical recovery underway in most regions of the world. In particular, industrial and consumer survey data in...
In recent weeks, investors have been on a President Zuma-fuelled rollercoaster ride as market valuations and currencies reacted to the political and economic fallout of the Cabinet reshuffle. Everyone is trying to figure out what this means for the...
As access to banking services through digital channels continues to grow, so does the need to protect consumers against the prevalence of online banking fraud. Yolande Steyn, Head of Innovation at FNB says, “We view security as an integral part of a seamless online...
Digital currencies are a form of electronic money, that are as liquid as normal fiat currencies. There are currently over 600 digital currencies – also known as cryptocurrency – that are already in the market. They function the same way as regular currencies, except...
US President Donald Trump famously declared himself bankrupt four times – a fact that Hillary Clinton loved to rub his nose in. In South Africa, filing for bankruptcy is possible, but it’s not easy. “If someone files for bankruptcy or sequestration, it’s really when...
By Mokgatla Madisha, head of Fixed Interest at Sanlam Investment Management. The downgrade by Standard & Poor’s (S&P) of South Africa’s local-currency debt to one notch above junk (BBB-) and its minority foreign-currency debt to junk status (BB) has long been...
How women are navigating relationships as the breadwinner. After a talk I had given at a Women’s Day breakfast, a woman in her early 30s came to chat to me about an issue that faces many financially independent women. My talk had been about the “Cinderella Complex”...
By David Thomson, Sanlam legal adviser If you have a trust and have transferred some assets to it without being paid, you may soon have to start charging the trust interest, or be liable for donations tax. This change to the Income Tax Act came into effect on 1 March...
The experience of an 80-year-old widow turns into an important lesson on why every woman needs to have her own credit record. https://youtu.be/bDhwXXcJOiY Related: Women and money Should a wife have her own financial adviser? Why money is different for women Women and...
A new travel site allows you to pay for the holiday of your dreams without going into debt. Last year I took issue with a new travel company that offered customers the ‘opportunity’ to borrow money to fund the holiday of their dreams. I argued that the product that...
By Cathie Webb, Director, South African Payroll Association Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, released updated tax tables on 22 February during his 2017 budget speech. We understand that many of us will be paying more tax and therefore taking less money home in our...
Many of us would have prioritised our health and fitness in our New Year's resolutions, which may have included joining a gym. But before you signed on the dotted line of your gym contract, did you make sure you were familiar with the terms and conditions? It’s about...