We've seen many financial institutions offer their customers a debt payment holiday during these trying times. And while it may seem like a welcome relief, be careful because it might end up costing you a lot more than you realize. According to the...
Payment holidays offered during the three-month period from April to June 2020 will cost an additional R20.7 billion in debt for the estimated 1.6 million South African consumers who participated. This is according to calculations by DebtBusters,...
If you are being retrenched or forced to take unpaid leave due to the lockdown, you may be able to claim from your credit insurance policy. Many people, especially those with short-term debt and even store cards, may have credit insurance without...
If you have taken a debt payment holiday, make sure you catch it up. I have previously warned readers against taking the three-month payment holiday offered by the banks unless you had no option. This is because the interest is capitalized and like...
One of the main reasons we have a credit crisis in South Africa is that we never plan and save towards our goals, because it’s just easier to borrow. Change your dependency on credit by planning for those money moments and start saving for your...
Credit bureau Experian has released figures confirming that South Africans are in deep financial trouble. The number of credit active South Africans who have missed a debt repayment for the first time ever is at a record high. This is based on the...
We’ve had significant cuts in the interest rate this year. On 1 January 2020, the prime interest rate was 10%, and as of 22 May, it had been reduced to 7.25%. The current repo rate of 3.75% is the lowest it's been for almost 47 years. So it's not...
If you are a regular watcher of Money Matters you will know that the best way to manage a credit card is to pay it off in full at the end of each month. A credit card acts as a revolving loan. If you are only paying off the minimum instalment...
National Treasury recently announced that it had provided a guarantee of R100bn to banks to provide additional funding for small businesses. This will be increased to R200bn if it is necessary and the Scheme is successful. “This guaranteed loan...
If your debt counsellor is not registered, or not contactable, or not providing you the required service, then you can transfer to another debt counsellor. All you have to do is approach a new debt counsellor and complete the application form. It...
If you are being retrenched or forced to take unpaid leave due to the lockdown, you may be able to claim from your credit insurance policy. Many people, especially those with short-term debt and even store cards, may have credit insurance without even being aware of...
Credit life payouts and payment holidays are on the cards. But it will only be for those who are directly impacted by the lockdown, and will come with Ts and Cs. While we are expecting more announcements from the banks, they have all indicated that they will be...
All of our 2020 Money Makeover candidates were struggling with credit card debt. When your spending exceeds your income, it is easy to slip into the habit of using your credit card to make it to the end of the month. But unless you are paying it off in full each...
You can apply for debt review if you are unable to meet your debt commitments. However, in some cases, your finances may improve and you may wish to exit debt review. Whether or not you are able to exit will be determined by where you are in the process. When you...
As salaries struggle to keep up with inflation, and the economy in general continues to deteriorate, many middle- and higher-income earners are now relying more heavily on unsecured loans to maintain their lifestyles. As a result, many more South Africans are now...
Higher-income earners are tapping into unsecured loans to maintain their lifestyles as their salaries fail to keep up with inflation. Debt Counselling firm DebtBusters recently released their quarterly debt report for the last quarter of 2019, and the figures were...
The National Credit Amendment Act (NCA) was signed into law in 2019. The Act included provisions for debt relief. This is not a way to avoid your debt obligations and you need to understand what it really means. This is a free debt review process for consumers earning...
Over 6 million applications for credit were turned down in the second quarter of this year, according to the latest Consumer Credit Market Report. In comparison to the same period last year, the number of new credit transactions and facilities opened decreased by over...
Many consumers commit themselves to debt review only to get cold feet several months later. For some, finding themselves cut off from credit lines is just too stressful, while others find their financial situation may have already improved. A recent court ruling...
There is no question that the debt crisis faced by lower-income households needs to be urgently addressed, however the provisions for debt intervention in the National Credit Amendment Act raise many questions about how and when it will be implemented. The banks have...