It's that time of year again, when storms and hail hit the northern parts of the country, so insurers have started to issue reminders of the precautions you can take to minimise storm damage. Johan van Greuning, head of Standard Insurance at...
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Can my employer force me to have a medical aid?
Themba writes: Our employer is an NGO that doesn't subsidise the medical cover of employees yet it is compulsory to have medical cover according to the employment contract, unless the employee is dependent of someone else's cover like the spouse....
Teach your child to save
What's your child's money personality? Natural saver or spender? In episode 13 of the Change in your Pocket series, we give you tips on how to teach your child to save. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpp9L7_Q_JU&feature=youtu.be – Video supplied by...
Retirement reform going ahead
By Vickie Lange, Institutional Best Practice Specialist at Alexander Forbes Last year the tax changes to all retirement funds and the retirement benefit changes to provident funds (together known as T-day changes) which were originally scheduled...
Pocket money
Episode 12 of the Change in your Pocket series looks at pocket money, and how you can use it to teach your children about the value of money and how to manage it. https://youtu.be/dFstCrhEcN0 – Video supplied by BrightRock Welcome to The Change...
Absa allows customers to reverse illegal debit orders
Absa is the first bank to allow customers to reverse unauthorised debit orders online. Debit order fraud is on the increase in South Africa. Syndicates are obtaining a database of accounts illegally, and hitting these accounts with small amounts....
Edgars Club fee under scrutiny
A referral by the NCR may see the removal of the Edgars Club fee. In early November, the National Credit Regulator (NCR) referred Edcon Limited to the National Consumer Tribunal for charging consumers a club fee on credit agreements. This follows...
Saving for your child’s education
When you consider what it will cost to educate your child, it's easy to fall into a flat panic. Episode 11 of the Change in your Pocket series looks at ways to save for your child's education. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI2-NFTx4gQ – Video...
The tax implications of investing for your children
Investing for your children is a generous act of foresight and certainly opens up future opportunities for them. However, you need to be aware of the tax implications of investing money on behalf of your children. This is the view of Carla Rossouw,...
How do I save for a deposit?
In Episode 10 of the Change in your Pocket series, we give you practical tips on how to go about saving for a deposit on your first home. https://youtu.be/mTmjtAoE-Tw – Video supplied by BrightRock Welcome to The Change Exchange where we are...
Previous Articles
The power of paying extra into your mortgage
If you have taken out a mortgage recently you would have noticed on your statement that the interest charged each month is nearly equal to your monthly repayments. In the first few years of your mortgage repayment, interest makes up a very large part of the payment....
A budget makes you spend less
My husband and I keep a household budget and have done so ever since 2004 when our finances went pear-shaped. It was only by creating a budget and learning to live within our means that we were able to survive when we hit financial Armageddon. Both of us had lost our...
Why the SARB should keep on nudging rates up
By John Loos, FNB Household and Property Sector Strategist There is little current pressure on the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to hike interest rates this week, at least from a current inflation point of view. Global commodity...
Buying a home: understand your running costs
Episode 9 of the Change in your Pocket series focuses on the running costs associated with home-ownership. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx_jjJ5SutM – Video supplied by BrightRock Welcome to The Change Exchange where we are discussing the ins, outs, trials and...
How much tax will I pay on my investment?
Dihemo asks: I have R50 000 I want to invest but I want to understand how tax works on investments. Maya replies: Tax is an important part of investing. There are three taxes that are deducted when you invest. Income tax on interest Any interest earned on your...
Turning a 21st birthday into a legacy
Johanna writes: My daughter is turning 21 and she has asked that instead of organising a party for her she would love to invest the money for herself. What is the best investment to consider as currently we have unit trusts and a share account with FNB. We are looking...
Trading requires time, not expensive training
You don’t have to spend a fortune to become a trader, but you do need to spend time. When asked about his biggest financial mistake, Money Makeover candidate Dipolelo admitted that taking out a loan to buy software that claimed to teach him to invest on the JSE, was a...
Buying a home: understand your transaction costs
In episode 8 of the Change in your Pocket series, we continue the discussion around financing your own home by unpacking the transaction costs involved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqixEBSgOxA – Video supplied by BrightRock Welcome to The Change Exchange where we...
Should quality company growth be highly valued in today’s abnormal cycle?
by Clyde Rossouw, Portfolio Manager, Investec Asset Management Good businesses are more expensive than they have been in the past, but ironically far more valuable in today’s world. The reason for this is simple. In a world bereft of growth opportunities, growth is...
Should you cash in your pension to pay off debt?
I was recently asked by a young woman if it would make sense for her to cash in her pension, settle her debts and start all over again. It sounds like a good idea: on the one hand you have debt with interest as high as 25% per annum and on the other hand you have an...