While borrowing money is generally a bad idea, a student loan is an exception. For individuals who work hard, get their qualifications and manage their loan repayments, a student loan can lead to wealth creation. According to Advtech, within two...
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Asset classes: which were the top performers in 2014?
2014 was a risky year for the short-term investor. Some asset classes started out outperforming others in their category but ended up at the bottom of their class. Shaun Ruiters, head of strategy and client solutions at Sanlam Investments Retail...
Financial tools to keep you on track in 2015
In today's Internet age, keeping yourself on track financially has never been easier. There are a range of websites, smartphone apps and online financial tools to help you along the way. Track expenses and create a budget Find a way to track your...
Prioritising your retirement savings in 2015
Steven Nathan, CEO of 10X Investments, tells us why saving more and spending less is one New Year's resolution we should all be sticking to. Research suggests that most people have abandoned their New Year's resolutions by the beginning of...
The four myths of market volatility
By Carl Roothman, chief executive of retail business at Sanlam Investments Nassim Taleb, renowned author and fierce critic of all who take comfort in statistics, once chose the snappy title of We Don't Quite Know What We are Talking About When We...
Making sense of interest rates
Last week, consumers received good news from the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) that the repo interest rate would be kept at 5.75%, which means that the retail rate at which consumers are offered credit, would stay at 9.25%. Absa provided this...
The death of the independent adviser
Despite assurances to the contrary, the recommendations contained in the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) released by the Financial Services Board will make it more challenging for a financial adviser to operate as an independent. As the...
How are you going to fund your festive-season shopping?
Survey gives insights into festive-season shopping habits. South Africans are using rewards-programme points and discounts to stretch their budgets, with 45 percent of respondents to the Multiply Festive Season Survey saying that they work their...
Settle your mortgage or invest the capital?
By Ferdi Booysen, Head of Strategic Relationships at Old Mutual Wealth The higher interest-rate cycle begs the question: is it currently better to use your investable funds to pay off your mortgage or to add to your retirement savings? Recent...
Free online financial assessment from Momentum Multiply
Find out your Financial Wellness score and stand a chance to win a R2 500 Dis-Chem voucher with Momentum Multiply. Momentum Multiply’s Financial Wellness programme is one of the more impressive online financial planning tools I have come across in...
Previous Articles
Finding your financial feet after a divorce
Considering that almost three marriages end in divorce in South Africa, and research indicates that women are the hardest hit financially after divorce, finding your financial feet after this devastating event can be one of your lifelines. According to Financial...
You can’t claim from both your medical scheme and the Road Accident Fund
A reader wonders why her medical scheme deducted her medical expenses from her Road Accident Fund settlement. Paseka writes: I was in a car accident and was awarded around R2 million from the Road Accident Fund (RAF). I was admitted to a private hospital and the total...
African Bank and your money
African Bank provides clarity on what will happen to both depositors' and borrowers’ money. If a retail client had deposited funds with ABIL what happens to their money? Will they get it back and would they receive the same rate of interest? As indicated by the...
Free financial planning workshops in Cape Town
Financial Planning Week: 25-29 August CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professionals Craig Torr, Paul Rossouw, Ian Beere and Laverne Slater will be giving four free financial planning workshops in Cape Town on 26, 27 and 28 August, as part of Financial Planning Week in...
Understanding sources of investment return using heat maps
Andrew Newell, Head of Business Development at Cannon Asset Managers, explains the importance of understanding the source of investment returns and gives pointers on where to look in the future. Most investors want not only high equity returns, but returns that are...
Creating a financially savvy kid
Even if you have a natural saver on your hands, you still need to teach your child about budgeting and investing, as well as how to shop mindfully by comparing prices and understanding the value of what they are buying. Whenever I meet people whose finances are in...
Why retirement may be redundant
If you are 45 or younger, forget retirement. Immortality may be within reach in the next 40 years – or at the very least we will all be living a lot longer than we are now. Viresh Maharaj from Sanlam Employment Benefits says that scientists are working on ways to...
Personal loans: beware of scams
As the cost of living continues to rise, you may be tempted to take out a personal loan. Maybe you want to renovate your home or make some changes before the chill of winter sets in. Whatever your reason, make sure that you know what you are getting into. Mandla...
Facebook taking a shotgun approach to capital allocation
With technology companies much in the news recently, RECM’s Paul Whitburn says valuing companies such as Facebook involves more questions than the asset manager is comfortable with. While Facebook’s share price continues to run, RECM prefers to invest in companies...
How to save for a deposit
You can improve your chances of being granted a home loan or vehicle finance as well as the interest rate you are offered, if you have a deposit of 10 to 20%. With interest rates expected to increase over the next two years, banks are going to become more cautious...