If you have been paying extra into your home loan and have settled it before the required date, you need to decide whether you wish to keep the bond in place or go through the cancellation process. If you want to cancel the bond, then you will be...
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Money Makeover: Escaping the debt trap
The third Absa/City Press Money Makeover kicks off early next year and the call to enter is out. Each year, six readers are invited to sign up for a six-month financial wellness bootcamp to turn their finances around. This year's winner, Samke,...
Video: Your retirement income options
If you are a member of a pension fund or have a retirement annuity, two-thirds of your final retirement amount must be used to purchase a retirement income. You can select between a guaranteed life annuity or a living annuity. What is important to...
Beware unregistered investments offering huge returns
Having an advert in a national newspaper does not necessarily make an investment opportunity legit. There are many investments being touted now on Facebook and even through adverts in mainstream media – including adverts placed with major Sunday...
Listen: Can you make a living from direct selling?
Have you ever thought of signing up to sell make-up, health drinks or cleaning products to make a few extra rand? Maya (@mayaonmoney) and Mapalo (@womanandfinance) chat to journalist Angelique Ruzicka (@angelraws) about whether direct selling is a...
When can you exit debt review?
Many consumers commit themselves to debt review only to get cold feet several months later. For some, finding themselves cut off from credit lines is just too stressful, while others find their financial situation may have already improved. A...
Enter the Money Makeover Challenge
The third Absa/City Press Money Makeover Challenge kicks off early next year and entries are now open. The competition runs over a six-month period and the six selected participants will receive expert help to get their finances in order and...
Video: Make the most of your credit card
For some people a credit card can be a financial disaster. However, if you are disciplined and pay off your card in full at the end of the month, or pre-pay at the beginning of the month, then a credit card could save on transaction fees. No...
Do you know whether you have a personal loan or a credit facility?
Jane contacted us after being caught out by a credit agreement in which she thought she had taken out a personal loan. She discovered later that what she had signed up for was a revolving credit facility, which is very different from a personal...
Listen: Travel overseas without debt
With proper planning you can have that overseas trip without financial regrets. Maya (@mayaonmoney), Mapalo (@womanandfinance) and personal finance blogger Brendan Dale (@your_money_blog) share their travel budget secrets.
Previous Articles
Debt relief has more questions than answers
There is no question that the debt crisis faced by lower-income households needs to be urgently addressed, however the provisions for debt intervention in the National Credit Amendment Act raise many questions about how and when it will be implemented. The banks have...
Money Makeover: Until death do us part
The Absa/City Press Money Makeover Competition is once again open for entries. Read how 2018 contestant Amanda, a widow with three young children, managed to pick up the pieces both financially and emotionally after the sudden death of her husband. When Amanda’s...
Video: Why save if you just spend?
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 sneakers? Personal...
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 holds the biggest weight...
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 information about the...
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 retirement annuity until the...
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 save by investing...
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 increase in dubious...
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 of capital – from a...