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...
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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,...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Previous Articles
The truth about retirement reform
Setting the record straight in terms of how the government's proposed retirement reforms will affect you. Over the last few weeks vested interests have tried to create fear and confusion around the proposed retirement reform. Between unions flexing their political...
Is value investing in trouble?
Razeen Dinath, senior analyst at Momentum Asset Management, looks at whether value investing is a good investment strategy at the moment, given market conditions. Value investing has not worked well over the last five years. This is a long period of underperformance...
Picking trustees for a family trust
Who should act as trustee for a family trust? A family member, a professional independent trustee, or both? This is one of the biggest decisions to be made in estate planning – and it’s a decision which can have massive consequences for the heirs and the estate if not...
Domestic worker benefits
For most South Africans, their domestic worker is part of the family. As such and as a responsible employer, you should consider providing additional benefits similar to those that an employee in any other working environment would enjoy – for example, health care and...
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...
It’s annual tax phishing season
With tax filing season upon us, the annual tax-related cyber-fraud feeding frenzy has begun, warns Jonas Thulin, Security Consultant at Fortinet. "The Receiver of Revenue, financial institutions and security firms have been issuing the same warnings every tax season...
Jointly owned bank accounts in the British Isles – pitfalls and planning strategies
By Oliver Charles Phipps, FISA member and Solicitor in England with Lester Aldridge It is quite common for an individual in South Africa to own a bank account which is registered in the British Isles. This may be because he or she originated from the British Isles or...
Retrenchment insurance
When Chantal Ogle returned to work after the December holiday and was told that the IT company she works for was no longer considered part of the holding company’s “core business”, she was taken by surprise. However, she soon realised that she would be able to use...
The greatest possible pitfalls in investment planning
Patrick Barker, Private Client Portfolio Manager at Cannon Asset Managers, identifies what he believes may be the biggest hindering factors in investment planning. Investors need to think in terms of taking responsibility for their investments, rather than being...
Choosing a bank account for your child
When selecting a bank account for your child, first consider what they will be using it for and then look for one with the best pricing structure. A young child who is mostly saving will want an account with a high interest rate, while an older child who may be doing...