"I have received marketing material from Investcare Amathubagold and I want to know if this is a good investment opportunity," asks Henry. Investcare Amathubagold describes itself as a Precious Metals provider and offers a Precious Metal Investment...
When you invest globally, you can invest in either rand-denominated (asset swap) or foreign domiciled funds, which are denominated in foreign currencies. According to Stephan Schalekamp, manager of fund research and development at Stanlib, an...
“What's the difference between a money market account and a unit-trust money-market account?” asks Roderick Maya replies: A money-market account offered by a bank is simply a bank account with a more aggressive interest rate. It's an investment...
“I am a 31 year old dedicated saver and I have two main savings besides my pension and I want to know if they are the right investments. I've been increasing these savings by 10% each year and putting some into my bond. Do you think this will give...
In his budget address, Finance Minister Gordhan proposed that from March 2012 all employees will be allowed to deduct up to 22.5% of their taxable income for contribution to retirement funds up to a maximum of R200 000. While this may bring pension...
Investors should perform a pre-mortem on their investment choices, before putting a trade into action. That way, they may find themselves spotting 30 percent more alternatives – avoiding what could prove to be a disastrous investment decision. That...
"I recently read an article that stated that by investing R500 per month you can save R2.3-million. You said that this is the power of compound interest growth although one has only contributed R60 000, the rest is all growth from the investment...
Many investors will by now be familiar with the RSA Retail Bond range offered by National Treasury that offers aggressive interest rates for savings between R1000 to R5 million. What few people are aware of however is that National Treasury offers...
For quite some time now gold analysts have been advising investors to invest in physical gold rather than gold companies as the costs of mining gold have negated much of the benefit of the rising gold price. However Kobus Nell, Resources Analyst at...
Investors have endured continuously falling short-term interest rates, which are now reaching 30-year-lows. This begs the question as to what pensioners should do with their investments in the fixed interest domain, given the current environment....
South Africa is one of Africa's richest nations and we are seeing an increase in wealthy families. These families generally have one aim in mind – to grow wealth and, where possible, pass it on to future generations. Leaving a legacy is something we'd all like to do...
I have been avoiding adding to the already uncountable amount of column space dedicated to fund managers’ views on the recent market correction and importantly the prospects lying ahead. But, like the proverbial moth circling the flame, I have found the attraction...
If you're thinking of investing in a retirement annuity (RA), consider the advantages according to Rowan Burger, head of investment strategy at Liberty Retail South Africa. "To prevent people from relying on the government to provide for them in their old age, there...
I am interested in buying Krugerrands. They appeal to me as they are a physical investment that I can actually store at home, show friends and family and pass down to children and grandchildren. The question is, is it a sound investment? Would I be better off in...
A few days ago I received an email from a colleague asking me where he could by gold “lots of it”. This took me back a few years to December 1999. I was working for a stockbroking firm and a friend of mine, who had never owned a share in her life, called me wanting to...
There's only one thing more fascinating than a celebrity marriage, and that's a celebrity divorce. Particularly when it's messy, vituperative and, yes, expensive. But it's when we think of divorce as a corporate risk that it takes on another whole dimension and...
Savings clubs are very popular ways to save because they form a social contract between friends which helps create the discipline to save every month. Also when you are pooling your resources you are able to make a more significant investment. Why are you saving? When...
Can the financial media replace the financial advisor A recent survey by financial services company acsis looked into the financial security of middle income South Africans. They were specifically interested in how secure people felt around their retirement. The...
If you've checked the provisional tax status of your eFiling profile, you may have noticed that all taxpayers are now loaded as provisional taxpayers. Why is this? Technically, any person deriving income that's not remuneration is eligible for provisional tax, so this...
Investing in art may seem like an arcane or dubious investment practice to the uninitiated, but we do know it can bear fruit. Art does have investment potential – it's considered an alternative investment that offers investors the chance to diversify out of equities...