This article is an extract from the Liberty customer newsletter on why we procrastinate and the impact it has on our finances The beginning of the New Year always brings with it those inevitable New Year's resolutions, and if there is one New...
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Ten ways to survive 2013
Keep a budget: As boring as it may seem, you have to know what you have and what you are spending. If you need extra discipline draw the cash you need for day to day expenses as per your budget and put it in an envelope. When that envelope is...
Investing strategies
When it comes to building wealth you need to have different strategies and these require different investment vehicles. These are your saving and investment strategies in order of importance: Pay off debt: There is no point paying a microlender 25%...
The cost of waiting to save
One of the more common questions that readers ask is “which fund should I invest in”. They often provide a list of funds and hope that some crystal gazing will allow them to select that fund which will outperform all others. However, your future...
Where to keep emergency funds?
“As part of one’s personal financial plan, I believe in having 3-6 months living expenses saved up and easily accessible in case of an emergency. “My wife and I have saved extra funds into our mortgage bond and estimate that the value of the...
Group saving bank accounts
If you form an investment club you will still need to have a bank account for the group in order to collect money and pay out withdrawals. Speak to your bank about the best account for your needs. These bank accounts are specifically aimed at...
Tap and pay
Absa recently launched the first fully functioning bank card that enables customers to simply tap and pay for low value items. Building on Absa’s PayPassTM technology which is behind the roll out of the My Citi transit card in Cape Town and the BRT...
Borrowing to study
It is that time of year when many students will be selecting their courses for the year. In an ideal world one would have saved enough to pay for one’s studies, but unfortunately this is seldom the case and most students need to consider taking a...
The secret to money is already in your pocket
Old Mutual’s On The Money financial management programme, which targets mainly lower-end to middle income earners, helped me understand that the secret to being financially independent does not lie in earning a lot of money, but rather in learning...
Now is not the time to blow your windfall
This month some households will experience a financial boost with either a bonus or a tax-rebate. Many South Africans have become used to having bonuses and tax refunds as an expected additional income instead of an ‘unexpected extra’, and...
Previous Articles
One in four can no longer afford medical aid
One in four people can no longer afford to pay for medical aid, a flash survey among users of online financial guide, Justmoney.co.za, has revealed. As the price of medical aid premiums rises by an inflation-busting average of 9.11%*, adding to the cash woes of many...
No value to be found in local listed property industry
Local listed property in South Africa is overpriced at current levels and investors should avoid the industry until prices are reduced to fair value. This is according to John Rainier, property analyst at value asset manager, RE:CM, who says the listed property...
Free financial advice
In line with its mission to promote good financial planning among all South Africans, the Financial Planning Institute will be offering pro-bono financial advice to South Africans across the country during the upcoming Financial Planning Week, from 26 November to 30...
Investment clubs are a good way to learn about investing on the JSE
If you are new to investing on the JSE and are looking for a good way to get your feet wet or you feel more comfortable learning about investing with others than on your, you can start a share club where you research companies and to discuss investment topics. When...
Q&A: Buying Capitec
"I'm sitting with some cash and would like to invest it so I can get good returns on it. I have no knowledge of the investment game but I am looking at a long term investment. I've noticed the buzz around Capitec Bank and I would like to ask you if it would be a good...
Five tricks to reduce your home loan
Homeowners can reduce the term of their home loan and the total that they pay in with careful budgeting and clever tricks. A house is usually the biggest asset that you will buy in your lifetime, but it's made affordable by the 20-year term of monthly repayments. Most...
Billions of rands paid out by employee share schemes
Due to significant increases in share prices, some participants in company share schemes are receiving payouts of hundreds of thousands of rands. If you are one of those lucky individuals, you need to use this opportunity to build your wealth base and also consider...
How risk affects your investment performance
Whenever you read anything about investing you hear words like volatility, risk and growth assets but how exactly does this affect your investment returns? There are two types of investors: one group is very risk averse and prefers to stick to cash-like investments...
What does a goal mean to you?
We recently asked our readers to tell us about their financial goals. Saving for a child’s education beat all other goals hands down and is certainly a major priority for City Press readers. Let us just hope that our children will value their education as much as we...
Getting your admin in order
While it is very important to keep track of your day to day expenses as well as your longer term financial goals, you also need to ensure that your financial administration is up to date. If you need to urgently get hold of vital paperwork do you have any idea where...