Auctions are typically associated with property or fine art, however, you can also pick up a good second-hand car at an auction. The first thing you need to know when buying a car on auction is that it is sold “voetstoots”, which means that you buy...
By Jan van Niekerk, CIO of RECM Investors and market participants have lately been asking us whether value investing is dead. While we firmly believe that value investing is alive and well and we are as committed to it as ever, we have seen some...
If you have an emolument attachment order (garnishee order), contact the Credit Ombud to find out whether or not it is legal. Recently, a landmark ruling raised questions about the legality of many emolument attachment orders (EAOs), commonly known...
The developing field of "financial therapy" can help us understand the complex dynamics that inform our financial decision-making. Americans love their psychological analysis approach to life. A cursory look at Amazon’s list of top-selling...
By Bruce Williamson, Chief Investment Officer at Imara Asset Management South Africa. Bad news around power outages, the rand, public sector shortcomings and the industrial relations climate is drowning out an important message for local investors:...
The recently published Morningstar Global Fund Investor Experience 2015 study, which analyses 25 countries that offer investment funds, highlights high fees, poor disclosure levels and advisers’ lack of fiduciary duty as some of the key issues...
Using your child’s tax-free savings account is not necessarily the best vehicle for their education fund. Since the launch of the tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs) there have been suggestions that this would be an ideal way to save for your child’s...
By Tracy Muller, Head: Fiduciary at Nedbank Private Wealth Individuals are often driven to invest internationally for the wrong reasons, as emotions override financial acumen. They often only consider investing internationally when the rand starts...
People often argue that the reason they don’t have any savings, or why they cannot pay off their debts, is because they simply don’t have enough money. Yet little do we realise how much our bad habits are really costing us. The real cost of smoking...
By Tanya Lochner, fiduciary specialist at Glacier by Sanlam In the foreseeable future retirement annuities will no longer fall outside of your estate for estate duty purposes, so bear that in mind when you do your estate planning. Since 2007, a...
By John Loos, Household and Property Sector Strategist at First National Bank The 5% FNB House Price Index inflation rate suggests no apparent need for “first-time buyer panic” at present. But there is a need for first-time buyer caution, and perhaps a little less...
You’ve finally graduated and landed yourself a job, and you’re loving the flexibility that comes with earning your own money. But before you know it, the money has run out and you’ve been hit with a whopping amount of bank fees. We took a look at some of the best bank...
By Sanisha Packirisamy, economist at Momentum Asset Management. It is clear that the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) remains aware of the potential negative local effect of a rise in US rates should the US decide to hike rates this year. In the event that global...
If you haven’t specifically taken out cover for power surges you will receive a nasty shock when your electronic goods are fried during load shedding, as one of my readers discovered. “I have faced a huge financial setback with my gate motor, alarm system and three...
Abrie Joubert, Client Services Specialist at Glacier by Sanlam, looks at the finer details of a real estate investment trust (REIT) and how it affects your finances. What is a REIT? You may have noticed an entry on your investment statements and IT3b tax certificate...
Debt is the main reason people withdraw their retirement benefits when changing jobs, according to key findings of the 2015 Sanlam Benchmark Survey, a comprehensive annual review of South Africa’s retirement industry. After interviewing thousands of retirement fund...
By Rob Spanjaard, Director: Rezco Asset Management. In the fog of confusion caused by the chaos at Eskom, we lose sight of what the government has done really well in the area of power generation. Perhaps this could provide a model to get out of the morass that we are...
Taxpayers have been pushed too far. South Africans are becoming more belligerent about tax amid growing concerns at the apparent waste of taxpayers’ contributions through highly controversial government spending. Some commentators have speculated that South African...
It was only when Patricia received a call from Wonga’s head of communications that she realised she had been the unwitting victim of a phising scam that has so far conned over 200 people into parting with their money. Two weeks ago Patricia received an SMS from – what...
For most people, cost is a primary consideration in almost every purchase decision. Except, it seems, when it comes to critical financial decisions, such as buying a savings or investment product. Many South African retirement investors therefore also overlook the...