Why death is killing us financially “Around 85% of people’s debt problems start with a death in the family,” says debt counsellor Deborah Solomon. Despite a relatively high penetration of funeral policies, Solomon says the cost of death in families...
The phased reform of South Africa's retirement sector may have a far-reaching impact on retirees – especially those who have not recently assessed their strategy. While many of the mooted retirement reforms will only be implemented next year, one...
South Africans are now able to invest up to R30 000 a year in tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs). The aim of these savings accounts is to encourage South Africans to save for medium-term goals and emergency funding, reducing our reliance on debt and...
Insight on dealing with a bear market from award-winning active asset manager Rob Spanjaard, of Rezco Asset Management. The bull market has been going for over six years and investment managers now need to moderate their risk in anticipation of a...
Money can fulfill us or just fill our homes. Recently, as the fires raged in the mountains above our home in Hout Bay, I had that moment of complete clarity about the meaning of money, relationships and what really matters in my life. When we...
Despite an investigation into the rates charged by credit providers for insurance, borrowers are still paying high rates for their credit insurance. If you were stuck for cash and needed to borrow R5 000 which you would pay back over just four...
By Simon Pearce, CEO Marriott Asset Management Saving is rather like trying to lose weight: it takes effort and willpower, and is entirely up to you. People often ask me how much of their annual income they should save. I tell them that 30% will...
ATM card swopping leaves bank customers with little recourse when funds are stolen from their bank account. Sidwell contacted me after money had been taken from his bank account. His bank refused to refund him after his card had been swallowed...
Middle and upper-class South Africans are earning more than enough to afford comfortable lifestyles, but they need to come to terms with the trade-offs required to ensure that their lifestyles are sustainable well into a long retirement. Andrew...
Companies have been racing to capitalise on the tax-free savings accounts. We sum up what products have come to market so far. Financial product providers have by and large brought out two types of tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs): a basic bank...
Credit Ombud Manie van Schalkwyk explains why it's vital that students pay back their study loans. Thousands of students rely on study loans to see them through their years of studying at tertiary institutions. Without these loans, many would not have a chance to...
By Derry Pickford, Macro Analyst at Ashburton Investments (@AshburtonInvest) Two esteemed US Economics Professors, Maurice Obstfeld and Kenneth Rogoff called it one of the six great puzzles in macroeconomics: "home bias". Why do investors keep so much of their...
The continued mass resignations and cashing-in of pension funds by employees belonging to the Government Employees Pension Fund is a concern that has been highlighted widely. The biggest risk in withdrawing your pension fund is the issue of financial stability at...
By Wikus Olivier, debt expert at DebtSafe Debt is an issue that most South Africans unfortunately find themselves facing for most of their adult lives. Every individual deals with different forms and scales of debt, but for some, their debt spirals out of control....
Tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs) get the go-ahead. From 1 March 2015 South Africans will be allowed to invest up to R30 000 a year in tax-free savings accounts (TFSA). (*Update: this amount was increased to R33 000 per year on 1 March 2017 and to R36 000 per year on...
Patience is likely to continue to be rewarded, and volatility could open opportunities for those who missed the bus the first time to get onboard, writes Craig Gradidge. 2014 was another interesting year for BBBEE share investors and the year ahead holds the promise...
South Africa’s declining household savings rate has been of national concern for some time now – in fact this burning issue has found its way into the annual budget speech year after year. But while initiatives have been implemented to try alleviate the problem – such...
Dave Mohr, Chief Investment Strategist at Old Mutual Wealth, explains that investors with portfolios that include performance benchmarks that target inflation-linked growth should not be overly concerned about the possibility that their returns will be reduced...
After nearly 11 years of engaging with readers across many publications, I realised that while there are many books that cover the theory behind creating a financial plan and offer encouragement to do so, what was really needed was a money book that offers practical...
We know if we want to lose weight we need to eat less and exercise more and we know that in order to grow wealth we must spend less and save more. So why then do we give in and buy the chocolate bar at the counter when we purchase our groceries, or whip out our credit...