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...
You are Here >
Home > Financial Sense >
How much would you spend on your wedding?
The costs of the wedding are just the tip of the money iceberg when it comes to getting married. In the past, according to tradition, a young couple could expect the bride’s parents to pay for their wedding with a contribution by the groom’s family...
Clampdown on credit insurance abuse
Abuse within the credit insurance industry has led to an investigation by National Treasury into the practices of credit providers selling credit life to customers. If you have borrowed money, whether it be through a furniture retailer,...
Finding cost-effective medical cover
We set ourselves a challenge to try and find medical cover for one of our readers. Our findings show that medical cover is expensive for many middle-income earners and that a comprehensive hospital plan is possibly the best option. Elizabeth has...
How to fund your child’s education
When I was in grade one at a government school in 1984, my school fees for the year were 25 cents. I have the receipt to prove it! When my son started grade one last year though, we had to fork out just under R30 000 for the year. Ouch. We’re...
Financial planning for the “sandwich generation”
by Kagisho Mahura, investment and retirement planning specialist at Gradidge-Mahura Investments. The sandwich generation refers to those people who find themselves supporting both their parents and kids financially. The growth of the sandwich...
Low-cost investing with Satrix
Satrix has released a new range of funds which has reduced the cost of investing Since Sanlam bought out Satrix two years ago it has been implementing some interesting changes which have improved the offering to investors wanting to access low-cost...
Peer-to-peer lending
Peer-to-peer lending is a growing global phenomenon which links borrowers and lenders directly, bypassing banks and their fees. It is a similar concept to crowdsourcing except that instead of a business proposal, a borrower lists needs for a...
Want a pool? Read this before you take the plunge
Whether you are considering installing a swimming pool or want to buy a house that already has one, there are some things you need to know about the costs and responsibilities involved. Swimming pools are an integral part of South African culture....
More clout for medical scheme members
The Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), which is the regulator for medical schemes in South Africa, has initiated new processes to put more power in your hands so that you are able to take on large medical schemes. Consumers have always been able to...
Previous Articles
Check those till slips
In response to complaints about unauthorised cash withdrawals at PicknPay till points, PicknPay has announced upgrades to their till points. A shopper had complained that on two separate occasions, PicknPay tellers had made unauthorised cash withdrawals when he was...
SABMiller: fermenting into the future
Paolo Senatore, Chief Investment Officer at Ashburton Investments, looks at the prospects for SABMiller. The need to quench a burgeoning city’s thirst during the Johannesburg gold rush in the late 1800s resulted in Charles Glass’s establishment of Castle Brewery...
Investing in the JSE via fractional ownership
A recently launched trading platform, www.easyequities.co.za, allows you to invest in shares via fractional ownership. This means that instead of having to pay the full share price, you are able to invest the money you have available and buy fractions of shares,...
African Bank: lessons for investors
The recent collapse of African Bank caught thousands of investors and bank clients off-guard while at least two large asset managers were caught with their pants down, so to speak. Instead of shaking your head at the magnitude of the losses, this is a good time to...
Time for the SARB to go on hold?
By Nazmeera Moola, economist and strategist, Investec Asset Management Consumers should be able to sleep somewhat easier in the next few months, as we have most likely seen the last interest rate hikes for 2014. This is partially due to the weak economic outlook. We...
Choosing the right life insurance
You need to ensure that you have the correct type of life insurance policy in order to leave a legacy. In order to make insurance more affordable insurers have introduced age-rated premiums where you receive an initial discount on your life insurance cover with...
Think carefully before becoming a trustee
David Knott of Private Client Trust warns that becoming a trustee of a friend's family trust can be fraught with danger. After a good game of golf, over a few drinks in the clubhouse it might be easy to accept the invitation to become a trustee of a good friend’s...
Badly worded divorce orders rob women of retirement fund benefits
Russell Anderson, consulting senior policy advisor at the Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA), says if you are a woman facing divorce, it is critical that you ensure that the wording of your final divorce order does not fail you when it comes...
Is the performance of active investment managers getting worse?
By Mike Brown, Managing Director of etfSA.co.za It is a well-known characteristic of most stockmarkets that have relatively high degrees of efficiency, that over time, around 70% of active investment managers fail to beat the performance of a comparable benchmark...
How much do I need to retire?
Clifford, like many people nearing the age of 50, is starting to worry about his retirement and whether or not his current savings will be enough to provide a decent income in retirement. “I would like to live on R3 million in my retirement. My mortgage bond will be...