When Sello entered the Money Makeover Challenge, he was establishing a start-up business to manufacture eco-friendly straws for restaurants and retailers. He had taken out personal loans to purchase manufacturing equipment to produce the prototype....
There is a significant gender confidence gap when it comes to South Africans’ attitudes towards investing. In 2021 Fidelity, a large asset manager in the US, ran a nationwide survey to understand women’s attitudes towards investing and their...
Money conversations are hard. They are harder than conversations about sex or the in-laws. But there is seldom financial equality in a relationship, and this inequality often causes conflict. The person who makes more money tends to have more power...
Most South African medical schemes now offer some sort of remote health consultation service. Making use of these virtual consultations is a great way to save on medical costs. My scheme (Momentum Health) offers a service called Hello Doctor free...
Teresa Kok, Marketing Director of the One Energy Group, provides some solid, practical advice for anyone considering installation of a solar PV system. For many households and businesses, investing in a solar photovoltaic (PV) system has been...
When a Money Makeover candidate has a small enterprise, we always start with separating business finances from personal finances. This is the only way to understand whether the business is making money and where the weaknesses are. Raymond’s...
Medical schemes have announced their price increases and new plans for 2024, which means it’s time to review your medical plan. While the new premiums and the plan changes still require approval from the Council for Medical Schemes, everyone should...
Hundreds of thousands of South Africans have paid-up home loans which may still be costing them money. Homeowners may not be aware that in some cases, their paid-up mortgage will continue to attract fees unless they have canceled the bond over the...
In this series of conversations, Maya speaks to Andrea Carr about her experience of getting divorced which has led Andrea to question many of the decisions she made as a woman, as a mother and as a wife, when it came to her finances. It made her...
Is it better to use life cover or an education protection plan to ensure that your child’s education is provided for in the event of your death? Every September, which is “Wills Month”, there is a focus on estate planning and drawing up your will....
A will allows you to provide for your family and removes complications after you pass away, but if you die without a will, it could cause delays in winding up your estate and your wishes may not be carried out. “Through years of winding up deceased estates, we see on...
We may all have several financial goals and aspirations, but how do we decide how to order our financial priorities? Should we pay off debt or build an emergency fund? Should we be saving for our children’s education or for our retirement? A starting point is to...
For most landlords, evicting a tenant is a last resort. It is a complex, expensive process that takes a long time and is emotionally taxing. However, with the Q2 2023 PayProp Rental Index revealing that the number of tenants in arrears has risen to an alarming 18.4% –...
New actuarial research identifies how different investment strategies may prevent capital erosion in living annuities. Adopting an aggressive investment strategy in retirement seems counterintuitive. But new actuarial modelling shows that most living annuity investors...
It is that time of year when your medical aid informs you how much more you will be paying in 2024 for your medical cover. In this podcast, Maya chats to Jillian Larkan, head of healthcare consulting at financial advisory firm GTC to unpack the mysteries of medical...
Fred Razak, Chief Trading Strategist at CMTrading, warns potential investors to exercise utmost caution when encountering unsolicited cryptocurrency offers, regardless of celebrity endorsements. Amid the 2021 crypto boom, prominent figures such as Kim Kardashian,...
If your retirement fund and group life cover make up the largest portion of your assets, a beneficiary fund may be a simple and cost-effective way to ensure that your minor child receives a regular income if something should happen to you. Your retirement funds do not...
One of the most important tasks that the Absa/City Press Money Makeover candidates need to fulfil, is to write up a will. We spend so much time and energy on our families and making many sacrifices for them, yet most parents have not taken the time to ensure that...
My husband was recently a victim of ID theft, and the experience highlights how easy it is for fraudsters to use your identity to open accounts. The number of ID theft victims continues to increase. The trend is exacerbated by data breaches – including at credit...
Despite several government investigations and submissions from interested parties over the past seven years, there has been no concrete action taken to address unethical payroll deductions. Concerns regarding payroll deductions have been raised for many years. In...