The winds of change – from the growth in anti-establishment movements to ageing populations – are causing red flags to flutter and require investors to diversify their approach, according to former head of the Anglo American Chairman’s Fund and...
You are Here >
Home > Financial Sense >
Investment decisions shouldn’t be about external factors
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,...
The overpromise of gold medallions
Lizo bought two Robben Island commemorative gold coins in 2011, after being advised that they would be a good investment. He bought the two 1/10oz gold coins for R5 000 each from The South African Scoin Shop at Clearwater Mall in Roodeport. “I was...
Understand your medical scheme’s co-payment rules
In order to provide lower-cost medical cover, most medical schemes offer plan options where co-payments apply for certain procedures. These procedures tend to be elective surgeries such as a colonoscopy or joint replacement and are clearly defined...
Do flexible funds offer a real solution to risk management?
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...
Your phone makes you vulnerable
By Jacky Fick, head of Cell C’s Forensic Services Every few months, concerns are raised around online scams and theft as a new wave of victims come forward. It can leave one feeling very vulnerable and uncertain. But a little knowledge goes a long...
Higher interest rates are good for savers
The focus around higher interest rates has mostly been the effect it will have on our debt repayments, but what we forget is that higher rates are really good for savers who, for a long period of time, have received less and less interest on their...
How to get a home loan: tips for freelancers and the self-employed
Applying for a home loan is stressful for most people, but this simple financial process can become disproportionately complex for entrepreneurs or freelancers ‒ people who have uncertain or unpredictable income flows. The rigorous affordability...
Pay off your mortgage or invest?
Should you throw all your spare cash into paying off your mortgage before even thinking about investing? As most mortgage repayments are set over a 20-year period, we looked at three possible scenarios in terms of accelerating mortgage repayments...
How emotional debt leads to financial debt
By Mavis Ureke, human behaviour specialist We make all our money decisions based on how we feel, so if your dominant emotions are negative, you are unlikely to make healthy financial decisions. When we talk about managing money ‒ financial...
Previous Articles
Is eating out destroying your finances?
When analysing clients’ budgets, debt counseling firm Octogen found that entertainment is consistently a category people tend to overspend, so it is perhaps not surprising that when interviewing 22seven users as part of the Show Your Money Who’s Boss campaign, the one...
The survival strategy
There is no doubt that 2016 is going to be tough on households financially as price increases across the board push up our day-to-day living expenses. At the same time it is unlikely that we will see salary increases keeping up with our rising bills, as companies also...
Is online insurance cheaper?
Last month I cancelled my online short-term insurance policy when an insurance broker was able to beat the quote by R100. As I was selling my old car and buying a new one, I took the time to do some quote comparisons of direct insurers via the comparative website...
The right questions to ask your financial adviser
Craig Gradidge explains why “Where should I invest?” is the wrong question to ask your financial adviser. There is always an eagerness on the part of clients and prospective clients to learn more about investments, how markets work, and the differences between various...
New unit trusts on the block
Four new unit trust funds have been launched for longer-term investors with investment horizons of five or more years. 10X Prime High Equity Fund Simple, low-cost investment solution Towards the end of last year, 10X Investments brought its first unit trust product to...
Are gold coins a good investment?
Towards the end of 2011, when the gold price had reached heady peaks of nearly US$2 000 per ounce, I received regular queries from readers asking how they could invest in gold. Many people bought gold coins at the time, hoping to cash in on the strong performance of...
An easy debt payment strategy
Budgeting and knowing where your money is going is all well and good, but how do you use this knowledge to reach the goal of being debt free? The whole point of budgeting and money management is to help you get in control of your finances, but it’s usually something...
Is now the time to buy your dream home?
With interest rates rising and the economy slowing, is now the time to make the biggest investment of your life? There is one thing most economists agree on: our economy will continue to slow and we will see further interest rate hikes. Against this backdrop, property...
Raising your kids with values
Yesterday marked the day that I had been a mother for exactly 16 years, as this year my son’s birthday fell on Mother’s Day. The very essence of being a mother is to put our children first, so yesterday was all about his big day ‒ so no breakfast in bed for me,...
Rand cost averaging: how to minimise risk in a volatile market
By Duane Littler, Executive of Business Development at PPS Investments In times of current market volatility, investors should ‒ among other risk mitigation strategies ‒ reduce the risk of buying assets at the top and (as a result of emotions mostly) selling at the...