It is always easy to know the “right” decision in hindsight, but rather than regretting the past, we should remember why we made the decisions we did. As part of the #TradeMyWay competition, Tim O’Hagan shared his story about how he cashed in his...
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Why Day Zero is a lot like our finances
In case you had missed the news, here in Cape Town where I live, there is a good chance water will stop coming out of taps on 12 April – “Day Zero”. Having watched this crisis unfold over the last year, I've noticed that there are such close...
“Irrational exuberance” saved the day
*This content is brought to you by Sanlam iTrade. By Gerhard Lampen, Head: Sanlam iTrade Global equity markets in 1996 were in a very bullish mood and that included the JSE. It was in the time leading up to the dotcom bubble at the end of that...
Your 12-month financial plan
If you’ve decided that 2018 is the time to get your finances under control, try this month-by-month plan so that your finances and admin are all up-to-date by the end of the year. January: Update your budget and plan for expenses Write up a budget....
The difference between speculating and investing
During my three years working for a stockbroking firm, I learned the difference between being an investor and being a speculator. During the time that I was responsible for setting up the retail trading desk, I saw firsthand the mistakes many...
Divorcing from the breadwinner
Sunel Veldtman, financial planner and founder of Foundation Family Wealth shares her advice to ex-spouses who have made career sacrifices for their family. Too many times I’ve sat across the table from a sobbing woman going through a divorce....
A debt review success story
Four months ago, City Press reader Oscar wrote to us asking for help in finding a debt counsellor as, in his words, he was “broke because of debt.” After doing some research we found RD Debt Counselling and Oscar met with debt counsellor Russell...
Free trial offers: how to avoid getting burnt
Companies sometimes offer free trials in an attempt to entice customers to sign up to a service or to buy a product they’re not familiar with. Trials are prevalent in the services and cosmetics industry where customers are offered free access to...
Is university still relevant to generation Z?
How do we prepare our children, and our finances, for the fourth industrial revolution? I was chatting to a couple of financial planners about how clients save for their children’s tertiary education. It was no surprise to discover that most people...
Married or single: how to thrive as a female entrepreneur
Recent research suggests that married women are more likely to be successful entrepreneurs than single women. The assumption is that, because married women – or women with partners – have more financial support and help with family and household...
Previous Articles
Do insurers pay out when it comes to car-jamming claims?
Car jamming is by no means a new trick – the tactic has been reported on for a number of years now and it’s still being used. Essentially, car jamming is a practice whereby thieves use a signal-jamming device to interfere with your car remote. “Criminals gain access...
Learning to say “no”
When I met Glenda at a women’s day function, I was struck by her confidence and how empowered she was around money. But to become the woman she is today, she had to undertake a journey of self-discovery about the power of money and how destructive it can be when it...
We are only human after all
The Chinese are not the savers we think they are. If you find that you overspent this festive season, you are not alone. Despite being touted as the biggest savings nation in the world, even the Chinese are proving to be as in love with spending as the rest of us. On...
Get fit and pay for your child’s university fees
Discovery Life has launched a Global Education Protector policy which could help fund your children’s education costs. Education is expensive. Currently, average tuition fees across public primary schools sits at around R20,000 per annum while the private schooling...
Driving your way to a lower premium
A sobering thought before we all climb behind the wheel of our cars this holiday: South Africa’s roads are among the most dangerous in the world! According to the World Health Organisation, the number of road deaths in South Africa per 100 000 people is 31.9. In...
We have no policy to delay refunds, says SARS
After publishing an article about increased tax audits and delays in refunds by SARS, and telling the story of a taxpayer who was hounded by SARS for 49c, City Press was inundated by responses from readers adding to the complaints against SARS. These complaints...
Remember its 40 days to the next paycheque!
Use an early salary to pay your bills ahead of time. If you were fortunate enough to get paid early this December, before you start spending that salary remember it needs to last until the next payday which can be up to 40 days away! Listen to Maya discussing this...
How to ensure your home loan pre-qualification stays valid
There is a growing trend in South Africa towards home loan pre-qualification, with both buyers and sellers in real estate transactions putting more value now on financial preparedness. So says Shaun Rademeyer, CEO of BetterBond, SA’s biggest bond originator, who notes...
Will fintech make life cover cheaper?
New financial services companies are starting to challenge the status quo through technology that enables them to engage with customers directly and use data collected through the use of smartphones, rewards programmes and social media to improve the application and...
Beware the potential tax pitfalls of earnings through Airbnb
A brief search on Airbnb reveals over 10 000 property listings in Cape Town alone. If you're not already doing it yourself, you probably know of someone who has hit on the golden solution of renting out their property through this internationally recognised online...