You don’t have to spend a fortune to become a trader, but you do need to spend time. When asked about his biggest financial mistake, Money Makeover candidate Dipolelo admitted that taking out a loan to buy software that claimed to teach him to...
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Buying a home: understand your transaction costs
In episode 8 of the Change in your Pocket series, we continue the discussion around financing your own home by unpacking the transaction costs involved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqixEBSgOxA – Video supplied by BrightRock Welcome to The...
Should quality company growth be highly valued in today’s abnormal cycle?
by Clyde Rossouw, Portfolio Manager, Investec Asset Management Good businesses are more expensive than they have been in the past, but ironically far more valuable in today’s world. The reason for this is simple. In a world bereft of growth...
Should you cash in your pension to pay off debt?
I was recently asked by a young woman if it would make sense for her to cash in her pension, settle her debts and start all over again. It sounds like a good idea: on the one hand you have debt with interest as high as 25% per annum and on the...
Government Employees Pension Fund adopts clean-break principle
Six years after the clean-break principle was introduced into legislation in 2009, the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) has introduced the principle allowing the non-member spouses of pension-fund members to access their share of pension...
Financing your home
In a volatile interest-rate environment, it's important to keep your mortgage repayments stable. Episode 7 of our Change in your Pocket series looks at the financing of your home. https://youtu.be/QVhtGI_Zhcw – Video supplied by BrightRock Welcome...
Is the credit bubble just changing shape?
While personal loans and credit cards have peaked, payday loans grow by 150% writes Absa Asset Management’s Cornette van Zyl. When recently presenting on the SA Banks, it dawned on me - the industry as a whole, and the consumer in general, came out...
Should you fix your mortgage?
As interest rates increase, many homeowners are starting to feel the squeeze on their monthly mortgage repayments and are understandably wondering whether or not to fix their mortgage repayments to provide more certainty around what their...
Emergency fund: your defence against financial slaughter
Debt is the only option if you don’t have an emergency fund. I have just had one of those months where I’m wondering which of my ancestors or gods I’ve offended. You know those months were anything and everything seems to go wrong and all of it...
The true cost of debt
In this episode of Change in your Pocket, we expose the hidden costs that you incur when taking on debt. https://youtu.be/xo63SxHBCwU – Video supplied by BrightRock Welcome to The Change Exchange, where we are helping you find ways to make the most...
Previous Articles
Will you be paying more tax next year?
Seven things worth knowing from the medium term budget policy statement. Despite student protests outside parliament, Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene released the medium term budget policy statement. Here are some points worth highlighting: Not unexpectedly, there is a...
What your credit report says about you
Make sure you know more about your credit report than your creditors do. Mosala wrote to me when she discovered that she had been ‘blacklisted’. She had lost her job and fallen behind on some payments, and wanted to find out out who had blacklisted her. Salem Dyafta,...
Saving for retirement
In Episode 5 of Change in your Pocket, we look at the various options available when it comes to saving money for your retirement. https://youtu.be/UIyKKLfYcyo – Video supplied by BrightRock Welcome to The Change Exchange, where we are helping you find ways to make...
Equities: hitting a Chinese wall
Before raising the white flag, it is worth pointing out that the global economy survived a worse scenario four years ago, writes Patrice Rassou, head of Equities at Sanlam Investments. A last-ditch volte-face agreement by Greece to EU austerity measures and...
Time to stress test your finances
Many households are already seeing the impact of rising interest rates on their budgets. With interest rates increasing 100 basis points over the last three years, the prime lending interest rate has risen from 8.5% to 9.5% since 2012. To put that into perspective,...
Doing good is good business
Pick n Pay aims to reduce landfill waste and create 20 jobs a week, and challenges banks to reduce fees It is refreshing to see a business leader actively working on environmental and social issues as well as challenging government and other industries to work towards...
Insurance: protect your future income
Episode 4 of the Change In your Pocket series deals with protecting your biggest asset: your future income. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQHqXXrhaoc – Video supplied by BrightRock Welcome to The Change Exchange, where we are helping you find ways to make the most...
Voluntary withdrawal from debt review
You can withdraw from debt review if your financial situation has changed significantly or you only have your mortgage left to pay. Earlier this year new guidelines were issued as part of the National Credit Amendment Act (NCAA) around when a person may exit debt...
Alarming increase in ‘payday’ loans
The DTI’s decision to delay the implementation of the NCA Amendments relating to affordability tests has caused a delayed crisis of larger proportions. Many South African consumers have experienced an inexplicable increase in the invasive marketing of personal loans...
Using your pension to secure a home loan
A pension fund is usually the largest asset owned by an individual and it makes sense that it could be used to provide collateral for a home loan, especially for a first-time home owner. This benefit also encourages individuals not to cash in their retirement funds...