What levels of real growth are needed for a comfortable retirement outcome? Are retirement funds investing aggressively enough to achieve this? Barend Ritter, Portfolio Manager at Sanlam Investments, takes a stand and makes a case for equities. In...
When a car becomes a debt trap
Maya Fisher-FrenchJun 17, 2015
If you can no longer afford your car, it's time to take action. Here are your options. Lucky wrote to me to find out whether or not he should sell his BMW for a loss as the cost of the car is having serious consequences on his other financial...
How best to structure the sale of a business
Guest AuthorJun 15, 2015
Chris Norris, an Audit and Assurance Partner at BDO South Africa, provides some insight into the finer financial realities of selling a business or company. Quite often, the net proceeds receivable by the owner from the sale of a business are...
Is life insurance really for life?
Guest AuthorJun 13, 2015
The inefficient structure of existing life insurance products impact value and sustainability of cover for clients. BrightRock’s needs-matched life insurance addresses these shortcomings by pricing cover correctly for the term and trajectory...
Finding hidden gems in tough times
Guest AuthorJun 11, 2015
Samantha Pauwels, portfolio manager at Cannon Asset Managers, gives investors pointers to finding hidden market gems. It seems like just last month that the oil price slipped to fresh lows and the expected benefit was widely discussed in local...
Keeping your cellphone costs manageable
Neesa MoodleyJun 9, 2015
Cellphones have become an indispensable part of our lives. Unfortunately, those cellphone bills can become all too costly, all too quickly. Here is a basic summary of some good options to help keep those costs down. Looking at cellphone contracts...
Caution needed during this ‘risk-on’ party
Guest AuthorJun 7, 2015
By Shaun Ruiters, head of Retail Strategy and Solutions at Sanlam Investments. The first quarter of 2015 was once again dominated by strong returns in the equity markets, both locally and globally. Locally the FTSE/JSE All Share Index delivered...
Delayed parenting: how to avoid a financial ‘bottleneck’
Guest AuthorJun 4, 2015
There may be very good reasons to postpone starting a family, but it’s also important to consider the potential financial implications when you make this call, says Karin Muller, head of Growth Market Solutions at Sanlam. People are delaying having...
How to sell your car privately
Neesa MoodleyJun 2, 2015
As people’s budgets come under increasing pressure, the number of people who can afford to buy new cars is dwindling fast. With banks financing two used cars for every new car purchase, the second-hand car market is booming. If you want to sell...
Better to buy to rent or invest in property stocks?
Guest AuthorMay 31, 2015
You may spend your holidays thinking about owning coastal property, or maybe you're considering increasing your property portfolio with a number of buy-to-rent assets. Dale Peckover, wealth manager at AlphaWealth considers whether it's a better...

Previous Articles
How to score using your loyalty programme’s rewards
May 28, 2015
Too much month at the end of your money? It might be time to start really paying attention to your loyalty programmes so that you can get the best value for your money. Recently FNB announced that eBucks members had earned R5 billion in eBucks since the inception of...
Intergenerational wealth management
May 26, 2015
David Leslie, a director of Belmont Asset Management in Cape Town, takes a look at the concept of intergenerational wealth management. Intergenerational wealth management is an approach to wealth management that spans different generations within a family. We often...
Tweet your complaint to resolution
May 24, 2015
You have a complaint against a financial services company and you are frustrated beyond belief. So, you find their Facebook page and post your tale of woe along with all the relevant information. Stop. Have you thought about the full implications of doing so? Most...
Court mediation available to over-indebted consumers
May 22, 2015
Consumers in Gauteng and the North West who are not able to pay their debts and who are being taken to court by credit providers can now request the magistrate to refer the matter to court mediation. Magistrates will also encourage parties to go for mediation on any...
Big corporate salaries don’t make you rich
May 20, 2015
While many professional women earn impressive salaries and contribute towards corporate pension requirements, Citadel Advisory Partner Kirsten Smit says that it's important to build wealth outside your job. Many women believe they can only become as wealthy as their...
What to do when you fall behind on repayments
May 18, 2015
Lindi wrote to me looking for advice regarding her car repayments. She had fallen behind on her repayments to BMW Finance as her business was in financial difficulty. She wanted to find out if she could hand back the car to the financial institution and what the...
The best gift my mother ever gave me
May 15, 2015
I was fortunate growing up to have a really great mom. She was the kind of person one thinks of when you say “mother”. She was a really involved parent – she made the pom-poms for sports day, sewed pretty dresses for me, came to all the parent-teacher meetings, and...
Is ‘affluenza’ threatening the survival of your business?
May 11, 2015
By Andrew Ratcliffe, Director of Private Client Holdings, a family office that specializes in generational wealth management. Family businesses constitute the world’s oldest and most dominant form of business organisations. In fact, according to a white paper produced...
Am I obliged to leave my estate to my family?
May 7, 2015
By David Knott of Private Client Trust, the fiduciary services division of Private Client Holdings, and a member of the Fiduciary Institute of South Africa In many countries around the world there are forced heirship laws in place which have evolved over many years of...
The case for offshore still remains compelling
May 4, 2015
By Lourens Coetzee, an Investment Professional at Marriott Demanding equity valuations and a subdued outlook for growth in South Africa suggest investors may need to increase their offshore exposure to ensure an acceptable investment outcome. Marriott believes the...










