Most companies pay December salaries early, so there is a good chance many of you have already been paid by December 15 While it is a great feeling to receive money early, especially with the financial demands of the festive season, keep in mind...
You are Here >
Home >
Avoid starting January with more debt
If you do just one thing this festive season, plan for those 40 days to the next paycheque. Right now, the best thing you can do for your financial health is to plan for December and January. In most cases when people write to us with financial...
Video: Plan to celebrate
Most of us are going to feel cash strapped this festive season due to the financial strain of the COVID-19 lockdown. But we also need to have something to celebrate and to look forward to. We can do this if we put a plan in place. Set a budget...
Why it pays to be a member of the GEPF
As a financial journalist I am increasingly concerned about misinformation provided to members of the Government Employees’ Pension Fund (GEPF) by unscrupulous financial advisers. A recent example is a reader who was told by an adviser that on...
Listen: How to negotiate your retrenchment package
In this podcast, Maya (@mayaonmoney) speaks to labour lawyer Michael Bagraims about your rights when it comes to voluntary retrenchment – the benefits you receive, and what rights you give up. If you are being offered voluntary retrenchment, listen...
Absa admits to data leak
Absa recently announced that an employee had “unlawfully made selected customer data available to a small number of external parties.” According to Absa, the data leak relates to a small portion of Absa South Africa’s customer base, and while it...
Video: Investment scams
The current economic situation, with job losses, low interest rates and poor market performance, has created the perfect opportunity for scamsters to promote dodgy investment deals to try and lure unsuspecting victims. To tell us more about...
Court rules for insurer to pay up
The global shutdown in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic is testing the clauses of insurance policies – specifically business interruption insurance – with claimants and insurers across the world fighting it out in court. The Western Cape High...
Listen: What you need to know about car finance
How does a balloon payment work? What questions should I ask my dealer? Can I settle my car finance early and what happens if I want to give my car back? Maya (@mayaonmoney) chats to vehicle financing expert Henry Botha of Absa Vehicle and Asset...
Making the home loan process less painful
Buying a home can be a very emotional experience. You’ve found the home of your dreams and imagined yourself living there, and then you take the financial leap of committing yourself to a home loan and years of repayments. Yet the home loan...
Previous Articles
Video: Prepare for the weather
The summer rainy season is in full swing in Gauteng. The province has already seen heavy rain, flash floods and hail, and authorities have warned that more extreme weather is on the way. It is not surprising that this is the time of year that property damage due...
Online service to value property and vehicles
If you are looking to buy or sell a property, or even just want to find out what the properties in your area are worth, Lightstone Property has introduced an easy, low-cost valuation service for individuals. In the past, the company provided the service to estate...
Five myths about payroll tax deductions
There are many myths and misconceptions about payroll tax in South Africa that simply won't go away. Let's look at a few of them and what the tax and labour laws actually say. Myth 1: Salary is taxed differently from overtime or commission No matter whether your...
Video: Loan scams
There has been an increase in loan scams as people become financially desperate and see a cheap loan as a way out of a financial crisis. My own inbox is flooded each day with emails from companies claiming to offer really cheap loans. Many of these emails use the...
Reclassification of inward-listed ETFs – what it means for you
The market is alight with speculation over a statement which quietly crept into Finance Minister Tito Mboweni's recent medium-term budget policy statement around the reclassification of inward-listed financial products. National Treasury has made a decision to...
Listen: Smart tricks for Black Friday
Maya (@mayaonmoney) is joined by personal finance blogger Brendan (@Your_Money_Blog) to discuss Black Friday. They chat about their approaches to Black Friday, and offer some tips on online safety when shopping for deals.
Video: Investing for your child
One of the questions we receive quite frequently from our viewers is where to invest for their children’s future. The answer depends on what the investment is for. Saving for next year’s school fees would be a very different investment decision from saving for your...
Investment lessons from a horrible year
2020 has reset the bar when it comes to how we evaluate a horrible year, but an "annus horribilis" doesn’t have to be an "investment horribilis". In a speech marking the 40th anniversary of her accession, Queen Elizabeth said, “1992 is not a year on which I shall look...
Early access to pensions mooted
Legislation will be introduced to allow early access to one's pension, but it's not an end-of-year bonus. In the medium-term budget address, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni confirmed that National Treasury will be introducing legislative changes to allow early access to...
Vaccine news a shot in the arm for recovery stocks
The result of the US election was big news for the world, for the economy and for markets. But as an investor I’ve always considered the pandemic of far greater consequence. Joe Biden’s electoral success was duly eclipsed by the news on Monday that an effective...