Missing one or two payments on your debt obligation is not a train smash, but once you miss three payments in a row, you are now in default. This means you will receive a negative listing on your credit record and in many cases your debt will be...
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Flood damage: are you covered?
The flooding across KZN has caused major damage to property. The good news is that most short-term insurance contracts will provide cover for weather-related incidents, which includes flood damage. According to Fanus Coetzee, Head of Claims at...
Listen: Ageing with dignity
This is the first in a series of conversations that Maya (@mayaonmoney) will be having with financial planner Louis van der Merwe of WealthUp around life transitions. This first chat is around ageing. Whether you are the adult child of an elderly...
Is inflation bad for the economy?
Kyle Wales, portfolio manager at Flagship Asset Management, gets into the nitty gritty of how inflation works and explains why it is bad for economic growth. For the last year opinions around the future path for inflation have been divided into two...
Surge in death claims during Covid third wave
The Association of Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA) recently released death claims figures which left no doubt as to the true impact of Covid-19 when it comes to mortality rates. Industry-wide figures from South African life insurers...
Your personal information is never safe
With multiple breaches of personal information, consumers should assume they are compromised. Once again individuals’ personal data has been compromised, this time through a breach at credit bureau TransUnion South Africa. This follows a compromise...
Listen: What should financial advice cost?
Good financial advice is worth paying for. We can probably all agree on that. But when we buy a traditional financial product sold to us by a financial adviser, do we know how much it is really costing? And how do we know we are getting good...
RSA Retail Bonds: attractive interest rates for monthly investments
Last month National Treasury announced a welcome new addition to its range of RSA Retail Bonds. RSA Retail Bonds are interest-linked investment products issued by National Treasury that provide attractive, above-market interest rates for those who...
Capitec is no longer the “cheap” bank
Capitec has introduced a rewards programme and implemented fee increases as it focuses on becoming a fully-fledged bank. Capitec has always marketed itself as a simple, no-frills bank. In 2009 it repositioned its brand to expand its customer base...
Make the most of tax incentives beyond TFSAs
By now, we should all be aware of the tax incentives offered by government to encourage savings via tax-free savings accounts, but Jaco van Tonder, head of Advisor Services in South Africa at Ninety One, urges us not to forget the other tax...
Previous Articles
Why local is currently better than offshore
Rehana Khan, Portfolio Manager in the 4Factor team at Ninety One, makes a case for investing in domestic rather than offshore assets at the moment. The increase in offshore investment limits to 45% for Regulation 28 funds not only provides a larger opportunity set for...
Better tax compliance means fewer tax hikes
When it comes to increasing tax revenue, it's better to find ways of improving tax compliance, rather than raising taxes. There is a paragraph in the 2022 Budget Review that reads, “an increase in annual expenditure of about R50 billion would require either a two...
Listen: Build, buy or renovate? Pros and cons when you need new space
If you're thinking about moving or perhaps upgrading your current home, the question you need to answer is: should I build, buy or renovate? The Covid-19 pandemic changed a lot about our lives. With the flexibility around the working environment these days, many...
Fuel price hikes: how you can save
With recent fuel price hikes delivering a shock to all of our budgets, every little bit of savings counts. It now costs motorists over R1 000 to fill up a 50-litre tank of fuel. At a pump price of R21.60 per litre, for a reasonably fuel-efficient car that consumes 6...
Five mistakes people make with their TFSA
Since 2015, South Africans have been able to contribute to a tax-free savings account (TFSA). This account was introduced to encourage a savings culture in South Africa. Although the uptake of this savings vehicle has been relatively good, many people still don’t...
What does the Russian invasion of Ukraine mean for markets?
Mansoor Narker, Research & Investment Analyst at Glacier by Sanlam, analyses the possible effects that the Russian invasion of Ukraine could have on our investments. After weeks of amassing armed forces and supplies around the border of Ukraine, Russian President...
Beware hidden costs on your credit card
A pensioner was shocked to discover that a TymeBank credit card comes with a mandatory fee for compulsory credit insurance. It is good financial management to check all the costs involved when taking on credit, and this is exactly what pensioner Iain MacKinnon did...
Listen: How stokvels can create intergenerational wealth
Stokvels are a truly African solution, helping people manage their cashflow and achieve their goals. But are we doing enough to harness the power of group savings? Could stokvels be used to build wealth, fund children’s education, and even leave an asset to provide...
Is “Buy Now, Pay Later” good for your pocket?
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) has taken the world by storm, and has now hit online retailers in South Africa. What is it all about, and is it good for consumers? If you regularly shop online, you will notice that there has been an exponential growth in different payment...
10 key highlights from the 2022 Budget Review
Jean du Toit, Head of Tax Technical at Tax Consulting SA, picks out 10 key points from finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s 2022 Budget Review speech. Tax rates have not been increased Government refrained from increasing personal income tax rates. The Budget Review...