Have you ever found yourself trying to save money by not buying a takeaway coffee? Or possibly saving the R8 parking fee by finding street parking instead? But then you just end up blowing R1Â 500 on a designer shirt or R3Â 000 on a new pair of...
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What the Prosus listing means for benchmarks and investors
By Kyle Hulett, member of the Actuarial Society of South Africa. The listing of Prosus, the new company that holds the international online assets of South African media group Naspers, marks another key step in the unbundling of Naspers, which...
Listen: The FIRE budget: planning to retire early
Maya (@mayaonmoney) and Mapalo (@womanandfinance) speak to personal finance blogger Brendan Dale about how he manages his budget to achieve Financial Independence to Retire Early (FIRE). Is it a fad or something we could all apply to our finances?...
Is your adviser working for their fee?
Whose responsibility is it to ensure your adviser updates you regularly? Almost every single person who has a life or investment product is probably paying an ongoing advice fee. Yet every week I'm inundated with requests from people for help or...
Video: Retirement annuity rules
A retirement annuity is a great, tax-efficient way to save for your retirement, but they do come with certain rules. Many people investing in retirement annuities are not fully aware of these restrictions. Firstly, you cannot access your...
Q&A: Retirement
We answer some reader questions about retirement funding: some want to invest, and others want to cash out. We look at the pros and cons. Listen to Maya and Mapalo Makhu discussing this topic in the My Money, My Lifestyle podcast. How much tax do I...
Listen: The 20-year home loan fallacy
In this week’s edition, Maya (@mayaonmoney) and Mapalo (@womanandfinance) explain how you can pay your house off as quickly as your car. Also, In the light of the recent raid by the authorities on CoinIt and Commex Minerals, they discuss the...
Do your homework when buying shares in a company
Headline results are not the only factor to consider when investing. As a first-time investor in the stock market, the best starting point is to invest in a unit trust or exchange-traded fund. This allows you to start with a relatively small amount...
Video: Watch out for property purchasing costs
I was recently speaking to a young woman who had just bought her first house. She admitted that she had been caught completely off guard by all the expenses she had to incur. She discovered that buying a house is a lot more expensive than just...
How investments fit into your portfolio
When it comes to investing for the longer term you need to make sure you build up a sustainable and well-diversified investment portfolio. For example, having no retirement fund but investing all your spare cash in bitcoin or forex trading would be...
Previous Articles
Listen: Credit facility vs personal loan: knowing the difference will save you a fortune
Maya (@mayaonmoney) and Mapalo (@womanandfinance) discuss the dangers of signing up for a credit facility as well as how your partner’s debt can impact your credit score.
What the debt relief bill really means
Recently President Ramaphosa signed the National Credit Amendment Act (NCA) into law which included the so-called Debt Relief Bill.  This has generated an avalanche of headlines claiming that consumers’ debt is to be expunged. These are dangerous headlines and any...
Video: Should you cash in your pension?
When changing jobs there is always the temptation to cash in your retirement fund and use it to settle your debt. The feeling of not having those debt repayments each month is hugely liberating. But does it make financial sense? Someone posed this question to us. He...
Does joint life cover make sense?
The recent Old Mutual Savings and Investment Monitor found that middle-class households are cutting back on insurance and medical cover. However, if you have a family, life cover is essential to provide for them if something happens to you. If you can only afford to...
Listen: Is your adviser earning their commission?
If you have an investment policy, chances are someone is earning commission on it. When did you last speak to your adviser and do you even know who they are? Maya (@mayaonmoney) and Mapalo (@womanandfinance) discuss commissions, fees, advice as well as why you need to...
Video: How much does your debt cost?
Have you ever wondered how much your debt is actually costing you? It is probably a lot more than you realise by the time you have included all the interest and fees payable. If you borrow for less than six months, the microlender can charge up to 5% interest a month,...
The balloon payment shock
One of the more common questions we receive from readers about car finance is regarding a balloon payment. In many cases it seems that consumers eager to buy a car sign on for a financing agreement that they do not fully understand. When we talk about balloon payments...
Listen: Will your debt really be expunged?
If you think the signing in of the debt relief bill means your debt woes will soon be over, think again. Maya (@mayaonmoney) and Mapalo (@womanandfinance) look at the implications of the so-called debt relief bill both for consumers and credit providers.
Video: Plan for money moments and avoid debt
Most short-term debt is simply a lack of planning. So, this year, instead of taking on more credit, plan for those money moments by starting a contingency fund in a high interest savings account. If you are planning a holiday this year, create a proper budget to work...
How to interpret financial results
You should be able to assess the health of a company by looking at certain key indicators from their financial results. All companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange are required to issue financial results twice a year ‒ interim results and annual results....