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...
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Hedge Funds 101
To some people hedge funds are unfathomable investments which grab international headlines when risky bets result in a sticky end. In South Africa however hedge funds and hedging strategies are mostly used to protect investors’ capital. We look how...
Women and finances
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...
Invest in debt clearance before retirement
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...
How to benefit from the economic gloom
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...
Where to invest my R3000 per month?
“I am currently saving R3000 in my Investment Advantage account with Absa and R200 on my 32days notice account with ABSA. I feel that I'm earning little interest in those accounts and I would like to invest in shares,” writes Godfrey who is living...
When should you guarantee your capital?
Structured funds that guarantee investors’ capital tend to be very popular after a market crash. Typically investors that get caught up in the market hype have full exposure to the equity markets and therefore suffer heavy losses when the markets...
Retirement savings rates fall
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...
A bank for children and their grandparents
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...
How to help your children buy their first home
At the moment estate agents are calling this a buyers’ market as property prices have come off their highs and interest rates are at historic lows. However many young first-time buyers are not able to take advantage of favourable market conditions...
Previous Articles
Art as an investment
Investing in art is very different from buying a painting that matches your lounge suite. While some investable art may be visually beautiful like a Monet hanging over a fireplace, more often art is there to provoke a reaction, to question and challenge and put a spot...
Investing as a 20-something
For most young people just getting out of debt is the main priority, however what if you are one of those rare “savers” who have saved a lump sum by the time you are in your early 20’s – where is the right place to invest it and how to you balance your savings with...
Reforming retirement
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...
Creating wealth from your first holiday job
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...
CFD’s rise from the ashes of single stock futures
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...
The power of the debit order
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...
SA resource shares looking attractive
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...
Trading across the globe
A new online trading platform makes it possible to trade shares across the world Do you want to invest in companies that make all the cool stuff you use like Apple, Google and Facebook? The launch of a new global trading platform makes it possible for South Africans...
Why the dividend tax should be reviewed
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...
Offshore asset allocation
“I want to invest offshore and I'm considering Allan Gray's Orbis Funds. Should I go for full equity, a medium equity or for 0% equity exposure?” writes Vaneshen Maya replies: In terms of offshore, the investment guru’s all believe that equities is the place to be as...