When investing, sometimes the best course of action is to do nothing. Having the ability to block out the noise, and look through the cycle, are some of the cornerstones to investment success over the long term. Nomi Bodlani, head of strategic...
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Pros and cons of a pension-backed home loan
If you're looking at taking out a home loan, it may be worth enquiring whether you can use your pension fund as a guarantee for the loan. A pension fund is permitted by the Pension Funds Act to lend a member an amount of money for the purposes of...
Listen: Why institutions are taking bitcoin seriously
If you want to understand bitcoin, blockchain and the related crypto-asset world, listen as Chris Becker, blockchain technologies specialist at Investec Private Bank, unpacks the world of blockchain technologies and explains why we are just at the...
Move away from exchange control
South Africa is moving from a framework of exchange control to capital-flow management, but what does that mean for the ordinary South African investor? Over the last few years, exchange control for individuals has been incrementally lifted, making...
What is a money market fund?
Absa has announced the closure of its 25-year-old Absa Money Market Fund. Saleh Jamodien, Research & Investment Analyst at Glacier by Sanlam, gives a comprehensive overview of what a money market fund is, and suggests some options for investors...
Can students truly bank for free?
Angelique Ruzicka takes a look at the bank account offerings for students, as banks try to entice a younger crowd with reduced or zero fees in the hope of bagging a client for life. In March, Absa ditched fees for all of its student cheque...
Listen: Tax tips for freelancers and side hustlers
Tax is one of the most important money matters, especially when you work for yourself or have a side hustle that earns you some extra cash. Navigating the tax maze when you don’t just have an IRP5 from an employer can be quite challenging. In this...
Video: The true cost of a fancy car
The decision on how much to spend when purchasing your car is possibly one of your most important financial decisions. In fact, banks say that the main reason they turn down home loan applications is due to affordability, and the main culprit is...
Inside a cryptocurrency scam
Social media networks are being used to lure people into a cryptocurrency scam. A sophisticated social media network is being used to con South Africans by claiming to generate huge returns through trading. The network is made up of 300 fake...
Working from home? You can claim from SARS
Elani van der Westhuizen, senior tax technical at TaxTim, explains what you can claim from SARS if you've been working from home. There's some good news for you if you’ve been working from home for the past year. You can claim a tax deduction if...
Previous Articles
Video: Set goals for money success
The key to achieving our money goals is to use psychology to set us up for success. When it comes to our money goals, behavioural economist Erik Vermeulen says we need to set specific long-term goals, but also have built-in intermediate success measures to make our...
Anger over high-cost investment products
A blame-game is starting with complaints about overpaid financial advisers and expensive product options. Readers have provided numerous examples of high-cost investment products sold by advisers working for large insurance firms. Clients are angry about high fees and...
Finding a more equitable credit model
The Save2Buy model is a hybrid between a lay-by and more traditional credit. In a world where credit has become a way of life, is it possible to find a system that allows someone to purchase an item and have use of it whilst paying it off, but without being fleeced by...
Can you bag a cheap deal on an overseas holiday?
Taking an overseas holiday is still possible but this can come at great risk to travellers’ pockets, finds Angelique Ruzicka. Differing social distancing rules and travel bans imposed by countries and airlines have done much to disrupt the global travel industry,...
Video: Investing in bitcoin
Whenever we see a surge in the price of bitcoin, I get a lot of queries from people asking how they can invest. The problem is that people are lured by the prospect of high returns rather than actually understanding what they are investing in. A sure way of telling...
Listen: Investigating crypto scams
In this My Money, My Lifestyle podcast we delve into the world of crypto scams which seem to be mushrooming everywhere, despite repeated warnings from our authorities. How do these crypto scams work? How do people get lured into parting with their hard-earned cash?...
Video: Understand your electricity bill
The cost of electricity will increase by 15% in April. That is triple the rate of inflation which means a bigger portion of our budget will go to paying for electricity. It is worth taking the time to understand how your electricity is charged for and to find ways to...
When does it make sense to have a travel allowance?
If you are required to travel for work there are several ways to claim for this expense. You can receive a travel allowance or be provided with a company car. In the case of a travel allowance, the employer would normally pay a set amount, for example R5Â 000 a month....
FSCA issues crypto health warning
The FSCA wants to warn the public that if something goes wrong with your crypto investment, you are not likely to get your money back and will have no recourse against anyone. The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has noted with concern the increasing volume...
Video: Tax-free savings
Do you know how much tax you save by investing in a tax-free savings account? Sanlam Investments did the maths and found that you can save hundreds of thousands of rands. So why pay tax when you can make money? To recap: you can invest up to R36Â 000 a year into a...