The recent challenge by members of Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS) around the administrative charges on their medical scheme highlights the pressure that individuals are feeling due to rising healthcare costs which are increasing well above...
A recent survey conducted by Groupon South Africa found that while people are desperate to go on holiday over 50% said they simply cannot afford it as holiday accommodation is too expensive and the current tough economy is holding them back. A...
Shares in social networking giant Facebook have continued to extend their losses since its poorly received initial public offering (IPO) in May 2012. Already down 45% on the listing price, there are fears that the lifting of a lock-in on stock...
It is important to review your vehicle insurance every year to insure that you have valued your car according to its replacement value. Insuring based on the replacement cost of your car not only saves you premiums but it is also important in the...
By Samantha Matthew, Investment analyst, Glacier by Sanlam In the last few decades women have made strides in almost every facet of life – from politics, to education and the workplace - no longer content to sit in the background; we have seen...
Pieter van Zyl, Director at FinFive, shares his view on why debt clearance is the first step in a solid investment strategy In today’s uncertain economic environment, planning for your financial future has never been more important. As the cost of...
Dr Adrian Saville, Chief Investment Officer of Cannon Asset Managers, explains how investors can make the most of an unhappy economic outlook One of the greatest enemies of successful investing is emotion. In making an investment decision, being...
A recent study by Alexander Forbes suggests that today’s average 40 year old will have 30% less funds in retirement than the previous generation due to lower market returns, longevity and lower savings rates relative to income. The Alexander Forbes...
James is an estate agent who focuses on both commercial and residential property leasing and sales. He recently moved from Durban and started his own agency in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. “I have a challenging situation. I have no cash...
Bidvest Bank’s offering is perfect both for the young and old. Grandparents often want to open a bank account for their grandchildren to encourage them to save. The problem with many existing products is that there is always a monthly bank fee that...
My brother is my hero, for the simple reason that every day, as a small business owner, he makes a difference. Three years ago he made a massive leap of faith by leaving his employer to start his own business, today he employs six people and has a turnover in excess...
The discussion document issued by National Treasury on Strengthening Retirement Savings demonstrates that Treasury has a good handle on the issues within the retirement industry, however the challenge will be in finding solutions that are not watered down in order to...
How a 22 year old accumulated R360 000 through saving and investing. A wise man once said that thrift is a form of income. What he meant was that it is what you do not spend rather than what you earn that will determine your wealth. Twenty-two year old Rob, who...
Since its peak in 2008 the single stock futures market has fallen from around R60 billion open contracts at any one point, to around R2bn today. Maya Fisher-French explores the demise of the single stock future industry against the rise of CFD’s and what it means for...
A monthly debit order is undoubtedly one of the most powerful investment tools. It creates a savings discipline as it goes off your account before you have spent your money on consumables. But now studies show that, rand cost averaging, which effectively is what you...
What we can learn from our parents who survived the inflation beast of the 1980’s There is no doubt that our day to day living expenses are becoming increasingly more expensive as necessities like electricity, travel and food take a bigger bite out of our salary each...
I was recently relating a story to a friend about a conversation I had with my two boys aged 7 and 11 where they had grilled me on financial matters. They wanted to know if we owed money on our house and if our cars were paid off. They wanted to know what taxes were...
We sent our new City Press intern Liziwe Ndalana to do some field research on opening a bank account. Liziwe’s experience highlights how important service is to us as customers. Liziwe was so impressed with Absa’s service she was nearly convinced to switch banks,...
Paul Stewart, managing director of Plexus Asset Management looks at the opportunity to invest in resource stocks. In the current global economic climate, solid growth is a rare phenomenon. And where growth exists, it tends to be more prevalent in emerging-market...
The announcement of a 15% dividend withholding tax came as a shock to all investors earning dividends, despite Treasury’s claims that it should have been expected. The rate came in 50% higher than market expectations and there was very little warning in previous...