Jean du Toit, Head of Tax Technical at Tax Consulting SA, explains why Government had no choice but to backtrack on the proposed exit tax on retirement interests. Expatriates and those with plans to emigrate will be relieved to learn that the...
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How to provide for your financial dependants
Providing for your family if something happens to you is a priority for every parent. There are several things a member of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) needs to do to make sure their financial dependants are taken care of. Update...
Video: Five things that derail your wealth
The difference between someone who is financially secure and someone who is not, often has more to do with avoiding wealth destruction traps than earning a bigger salary or having a windfall. If you want to be financially free, you need to avoid...
Is a living will legally valid and enforceable?
Juan Buys, Fiduciary Specialist at PPS Fiduciary Services, explains that a living will may not always be enforceable. Sometimes family members face a difficult situation when a decision has to be made about a loved one in circumstances in which...
Listen: How to bootstrap a business with R6 500
In this podcast Maya (@mayaonmoney) speaks to Mantsha Pheeha, a business strategist at Talent Unleashed, about how to bootstrap your startup by creating a pilot project. Mantsha worked with Nocawe, winner of this year’s Absa City Press Money...
Beware the pitfalls of bequeathing property
When bequeathing property, make sure you have done your estate planning properly. For most middle-class families, the primary residence is the most valuable asset in their estate, as retirement funds fall outside of one’s estate. It is not uncommon...
Retirement diversification in action
Rocco Carr, Business Development Manager at Glacier by Sanlam, explains how we should be thinking about different layers when it comes to retirement diversification. What does diversification mean? The dictionary meaning of diversification comes...
What happens to your GEPF pension after five years?
As a financial journalist I often come across misinformation spread by unscrupulous financial advisers when it comes to the Government Employees Pension Fund. Most of these untruths relate to members’ funds at retirement, as the financial advisers...
Video: Become a farmer without a farm
As a smart person once said, diversification is the only free lunch. And if the current coronavirus crisis has taught us anything, it is to make sure our investments are diversified. The idea behind diversification is that it spreads our risk. When...
Listen: Advance payments on your car finance
We did this podcast a year ago, about paying off your vehicle and home loan sooner – but I thought it was worth sharing again, as Absa has now released updates on its banking app for car finance. Absa car finance customers can use the app to pay in...
Previous Articles
Bitcoin: navigating tax and exchange control
Regulation of bitcoin and other crypto assets is inevitable, but it makes investing in this new asset class safer. A few years ago, I was sitting on a panel discussion when the topic of bitcoin was raised. The appeal of bitcoin for many people was that it was...
Tips for filing a successful insurance claim
Filing an insurance claim can feel like a complicated and confusing undertaking. Karabo Kopeka, Head of Claims at MiWay Insurance, provides tips on how to avoid some common pitfalls. Claiming from your insurance can often be a challenging task, especially following a...
Five mistakes that derail your wealth
The difference between someone who is financially secure and someone who is not, often has more to do with avoiding wealth destruction than earning a bigger salary or receiving a windfall. As the saying goes, “a fool and his money are easily parted.” Smart money...
Beware bad advice at retirement
Many members of the GEPF are being given bad advice by financial advisers, who are telling them that they should resign from the GEPF before retirement. Members of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) are being approached by financial advisers and being...
Video: Five ways to trick yourself into saving
Behavioural scientists have found that we feel loss far more greatly than gain, which is why the idea of cutting back on our lifestyle makes us very unhappy. We feel the sacrifice immediately but only reap the benefits in the future. While it may be a tough ask to...
When debt review works
Going into debt review is like going on a diet: it’s difficult to stick to and the results won’t be immediate, but it can be life changing. While there are serious issues around the way some debt counsellors conduct themselves, for Grace Bekwa, debt review gave her...
Listen: Creating generational wealth
Generational wealth is passed down from one generation to the next. But ultimately it has different context for different people. Generational wealth doesn’t have to be the Oppenheimer’s legacy. It could be leaving your children enough money to buy a home, or the...
Who will inherit your property?
When a person dies intestate (which means without a will), it can become a legal and financial nightmare. If you have property, it’s important to have a will in place which takes the law into account (such as the type of marriage contract you have), and clearly...
What should you expect from a financial adviser?
I have worked in the financial industry for over 25 years and there is very little I don’t know about investing and managing money, yet I use a financial adviser. About 15 years ago I realised that while I knew about investing and money, I needed to have the input of...
SARS issues audit requests upon ceasing tax residency
The experts at Tax Consulting SA warn of the dangers of simply assuming you no longer have tax residency status in South Africa. There is an alarming number of South African expatriates relying on the 'tick-box' approach to cease their tax residency, while some simply...