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...
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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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Previous Articles
Which investment option is best for you?
Beata Carstens, a certified financial planner from Veritas Wealth, explains that deciding on the best vehicle for your hard-earned money ultimately depends on your investment goals. There is such a plethora of investment options available on the market these days that...
Financial tips for the bride-to-be
How the couple handle their finances, bank accounts and budgeting has a far greater ripple effect on a marriage than the perfect dress or the three-tier red velvet cake, writes Citadel Advisory Partner, Kirsten Smit. White dresses, wedding décor, floral decoration,...
Financial planners vs asset managers: who provides more value?
We should be giving more awards for excellence in financial planning than for excellence in asset management. Over a 30-year period, more than two-thirds of your retirement fund costs will go to the asset manager. In fact in the final year of retirement, the active...
Five biggest debt mistakes
Wikus Olivier, debt counsellor at DebtSafe, highlights a number of common financial mistakes that individuals often make, resulting in debt. However, these can be mitigated if discipline is practised and changes are made in spending behaviour. Consumers can often feel...
Long-term perspective: about more than just investments
Ensure that the “sandwich generation” is only a one-generation phenomenon, writes Kagisho Mahura In 1974, sociologist Dr Edward Banfield of Harvard University wrote a book entitled The Unheavenly City. In it he described one of the most profound studies on success and...
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...
The risks of risk profiling
How effective are current risk profiling techniques? Do they achieve their aim (to determine a suitable investment strategy) or are they being undertaken simply to tick the boxes in terms of compliance? Patrick Barker, Private Client Portfolio Manager at Cannon Asset...
Lessons learnt from building the “dream home”
As I am about to move into our newly built dream home, someone asked me if I would do it again. My first reaction was “never!” but then I thought about how much I had learnt and how much easier it would be the second time round, having learnt some valuable lessons....
Estate planning around divorce
Experiencing the emotional turmoil of a divorce is bad enough, but going through a divorce when you are financially dependent could make your problems even worse. Angelique Visser, Chairperson of the Fiduciary Institute of Southern Africa and Director, Baraza Wealth,...
Should you fix your interest rate?
With the 75 basis points increase in the prime lending rate since January this year, and analysts predicting further hikes in the interest rate, many people are asking whether they should fix the interest rate on their bond repayments. As with any financial decision,...