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...
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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...
Video: When to consider debt counselling
Even before lockdown, many people were finding it difficult to meet their debt repayments and facing the prospect of defaulting. Once you are in default, the collection and legal fees start mounting up. Debt that you were already struggling to...
Accessing offshore shares via an ETN
Ordinary South African investors now have more options to access to global companies. Technology is making it easier and cheaper for South Africans to get exposure to shares in large global US-listed companies like Apple, Facebook and Netflix. This...
Listen: Offshore investing made easy
Offshore investing is not just for millionaires, it should form part of everyone’s investment portfolio. In this podcast Maya (@mayaonmoney) and Mapalo (@womanandfinance) unpack the many low-cost options that make offshore investing accessible for...
How does my access bond work?
If you are confused about the effects of depositing extra funds into your home loan, you are not alone. During lockdown, many people looked into their finance agreements, which resulted in a lot of queries about what happens when you pay an...
Video: Review your will
Last week was National Wills Week, which is always a great reminder to review your will. If you don’t have one, make sure you prioritise this immediately. To find out more about what should be in your will and what makes a will valid, I am speaking...
Get a home inspection before you buy
So you've finally found your dream home and are ready to put in an offer. Before you dive in, be sure that you conduct a home inspection. This is according to Marius Steyn, Personal Lines Underwriting Manager at Santam. Steyn suggests including a...
Safety tips when trading crypto-assets
By Wiehann Olivier, CA (SA) and Partner at Mazars South Africa While we wait for the experts to draw up a regulatory framework for crypto-assets, it’s crucial that you educate yourself on good practices for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs)....
Video: Spring clean your insurance
Whether you’ve recently made property upgrades or added a few new items to your home, it is time to spring clean your insurance policies to check that you are adequately covered. Your short-term insurance policy is automatically renewed almost...
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South Africa’s rocky road to recovery
By Izak Odendaal and Dave Mohr, Investment Strategists at Old Mutual Wealth South Africa’s economic recovery is rightly in the spotlight, and important questions need to be asked. We need to know not only how we bounce back from the lockdown-induced contraction but...
Lower medical premium increases thanks to lockdown
An unexpected side-effect of lockdown has been smaller-than-usual annual medical aid premium increases. Despite fears that the outbreak of COVID-19 would result in high claims from medical scheme members, and a resultant increase in the cost of healthcare, the...
Don’t let your life policy lapse
It is important to understand how your life policy works and what your options are if you find that you are no longer able to afford your premiums. While the outbreak of COVID-19 raised awareness around the need for life cover, especially for those with financial...
Offshore investing: Go direct or use a feeder fund?
By Colin Archibald, Regional Manager at Glacier International Offshore investing has been in the spotlight again recently, but diversifying your portfolio across regions, currencies and industries has always been a good strategy. Maintaining your spending power as the...
Listen: How to pay off your home and car
If you are confused about how advance payments work when it comes to your home loan and car finance, you are not alone. In this podcast, Maya (@mayaonmoney) and Mapalo (@womanandfinance) unpack exactly how access bonds work and when advance payments on your car can be...
What #alcoholban panic reveals about human behaviour in times of uncertainty
By Sharon Moller, Financial Planning Coach at Old Mutual Wealth In August, South Africans formed long queues outside liquor stores across the country, hoping to stock up on alcohol before a rumoured ban came into effect. But, as it turns out, the ban was fake news,...
Video: Financial resilience for self-employed people
The economic lockdown revealed how financially vulnerable self-employed people are. People in formal employment have certain protections stipulated by their employment contracts and UIF, but if you work for yourself, you must create your own financial protection. Many...
Understand your tax liability if you have multiple sources of income
By Peter Stephan, senior policy adviser at the Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA) South African taxpayers with different sources of income are often shocked when they discover at the end of the tax year that pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) deductions...
Monitor those payment holidays
We have received several complaints from readers who have been unhappy with the management of their payment holidays. Many bank customers believe they were not fully informed about the consequences of taking a payment holiday or in some cases were granted a payment...
Video: Make interest-rate cuts work for you
When we began 2020, who could have imagined that mortgage rates would fall by almost one-third, decreasing from 10% all the way down to 7% percent. Economists are even predicting further rate cuts this year. While this has been great news for borrowers, it has not...