If you are considering moving medical schemes or looking to take out a medical scheme plan for the first time, you need to consider the viability of the scheme as a whole and then select the plan that best suits your needs. The health of the scheme...
Changes to the taxation of estates could leave a surviving spouse with a hefty tax bill. Last month the Davis Tax Committee (DTC) issued an update on its tax recommendations especially around so-called “death taxes”. Some of the key recommendations...
By Geoff Blount, MD, BayHill Capital Looking at the JSE super sectors, it is extremely interesting how their contributions to the JSE Top 40 index have changed over time. In part, this reflects the changing fortunes of the sectors in the South...
I recently returned from an overseas trip that I started planning nine months ahead of time. I used the time to plan, budget and make sure that when I returned from my well-deserved break that there would be no scary credit card bills to deal with....
Last month I spoke at a women’s day event held by Alexander Forbes about the importance of women, especially married women, having their own financial affairs in order. The most interesting part for me was speaking to the many women after the event...
10X Investments kicked off its campaign to #StopDaylightRobbery by causing quite a stir at Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton. Shoppers and lunch-time restaurant goers were greeted by the sight of a life-sized household scene, complete with furniture,...
There has been a lot of talk about the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) which aims to provide transparency around financial advice and products, but how do customers really feel about it? At a roundtable discussion on RDR hosted recently by...
The new maximum interest rates do not apply to existing credit cards In May 2016, amendments to the National Credit Act came into effect which set new maximum interest rates which can be charged on a loan based on the repo rate. In many cases this...
Research finds that the tax-free savings account is still misunderstood. If there’s one thing the financial industry is good at, it is complicating things that should be fairly simple. Tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs) were meant to be really...
You don’t have to have a lot of money to invest in order to work with a financial planner. With changes to the way financial advisers are remunerated, some industry commentators believed that it would negatively affect younger investors who do not...
Debt review is not as simple as handing over your bills to a debt counsellor – you have to keep track of your credit provider statements Three years ago Linda (not her real name) and her husband went under debt review. Like so many young couples, the allure of easy...
Money is a big issue for many couples, so much so that it is the main cause of divorce. Yet finding an equitable way to manage the household finances is a bit like finding the holy grail. The main issues for couples around money are: a discrepancy in the amount each...
The financial services industry prepares to empower consumers through its annual Financial Planning Week initiative. The Financial services industry, led by the Financial Planning Institute (FPI), will once again be embarking on its annual Financial Planning Week...
It’s about the income, not the lump sum. I recently received an email from a reader who had taken early retirement and was concerned that the value of his final pension benefit was significantly lower than the amount indicated in his benefit statement six months...
Times are tough and even though the inflation rate might be slowing down, prices are still going up. This means your cost of living is only going to increase as the months go by. According to the latest BankservAfrica Disposable Salary (BDSI) data, the average South...
Steven Nathan, CEO of low-cost investment company 10X Investments highlights the three biggest investment anomalies and how to avoid them. When asked why the majority of South Africans fail to reach their retirement goal, most industry players will cite factors such...
By Mark MacSymon, Certified Financial Planner and Wealth Manager at Private Client Holdings An increasingly common issue in South Africa these days is adult children still being financially dependent on their parents. This is due to low entry-level salaries,...
By Craig Gradidge, CEO of Gradidge Mahura Investments The conversation over the first five months of the year was dominated by the prospect of a ratings downgrade by S&P at the beginning of June. For many the downgrade was a forgone conclusion, and they wanted to...
The buy-and-hold investment philosophy, upon which Warren Buffet built his fortunes, maintains that the key to successful investing is to identify a good, quality company, buy it at a reasonable price and then hold it over time irrespective of short-term market...
I recently tested a beta version of a new retirement calculator created by Sanlam Employee Benefits for their corporate clients to assist new employees in selecting their retirement fund deductions. While the calculator needs some work, it presented an interesting...