There is one thing all parents have in common: a desire to give their children a better life, which means that saving for your children's education is crucial. We want our children to stand on our shoulders, and one of the best ways to do that is...
Working remotely: what are the tax implications?
If you are working remotely for a foreign company, lawfully meeting your tax obligations can become complex. Martin Bezuidenhout, expatriate tax attorney at Tax Consulting SA, explains. The Covid pandemic brought about a lot of changes in terms of...
Staying the course in crazy markets
Roné Swanepoel, Business Development Manager at Morningstar Investment Management South Africa, knows that many investors are currently unsure as to what to do in these difficult markets. She recommends biting the bullet and staying the course. Two...
Is your car under-insured?
Used car prices have been increasing due to shortages, with the result that your vehicle could well be under-insured, according to getWorth CTO Mark Ridgway. If your car is insured and you suffer a total loss, where the car is stolen or written...
Save as you swipe
Several banks now offer a feature where you can “save as you swipe”, effectively creating a digital “change jar” into which you can save small amounts without even noticing it. FNB recently announced that its retail customers had accumulated over...
Petrol price: parsing the pain at the pump
Petrol stations across the country were jam-packed on the last Tuesday of May as motorists waited in line to fill up ahead of the following day’s record increase in the petrol price. Old Mutual Wealth Investment Strategist Izak Odendaal analyses...
Loadshedding: counting the cost
South Africans are counting the cost of loadshedding – and it is significant. These are the findings of a survey conducted by InfoQuest/TrendER, a leading South African online research company. The survey interviewed 300 respondents, nationally...
Death benefit: what you need to know
After the death of a loved one, you may be entitled to a death benefit. Rita Cool, certified financial planner at Alexforbes takes a look. During what is a very emotionally-charged time, the paperwork which nominees are required to complete in...
Is medical insurance the solution to high medical premiums?
With many South Africans unable to afford medical schemes, medical insurance is filling in the gap. But you need to be aware of its limitations. Medical schemes are becoming increasingly unaffordable for the average South African household....
What does the rate hike mean for the economy?
Carmen Nel, economist and macro strategist at Matrix Fund Managers, delves into the implications of last week's 50 basis-point rate hike by the Reserve Bank. At Thursday's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, the South African Reserve Bank...
Previous Articles
When to switch to a fuel-efficient car
With the fuel price at record highs, many motorists may be rushing to sell their fuel-guzzling vehicle and to replace it with a more fuel-efficient car. But you should be careful not to make a costly knee-jerk decision. If you were planning on buying a car for the...
How retirees can reduce their tax
It often comes as a surprise to pensioners that they are still liable for tax. The bottom line is if you receive an income above a certain amount, it will be taxed, but there are certain measures that can be used so retirees can reduce their tax. Most retirees would...
Listen: Planning for a lifestyle change
The Covid pandemic forced many people to reflect on their lives. Not only did we stand still for a moment to take stock, but many people realised that there's maybe a different way to live our lives, prompting some to make a major lifestyle change. In the second part...
How to make your living annuity income last
Retirees who primarily live off a living annuity income are often haunted by the question: How do I make my income last throughout retirement? “There are four rules that are essential long-term drivers of success for living annuity investors,” says Shaun Duddy,...
Avoid the debt collection agency
Missing one or two payments on your debt obligation is not a train smash, but once you miss three payments in a row, you are now in default. This means you will receive a negative listing on your credit record and in many cases your debt will be handed over to a debt...
Listen: Ageing with dignity
This is the first in a series of conversations that Maya (@mayaonmoney) will be having with financial planner Louis van der Merwe of WealthUp around life transitions. This first chat is around ageing. Whether you are the adult child of an elderly parent, or even if...
Is inflation bad for the economy?
Kyle Wales, portfolio manager at Flagship Asset Management, gets into the nitty gritty of how inflation works and explains why it is bad for economic growth. For the last year opinions around the future path for inflation have been divided into two camps. In the first...
Surge in death claims during Covid third wave
The Association of Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA) recently released death claims figures which left no doubt as to the true impact of Covid-19 when it comes to mortality rates. Industry-wide figures from South African life insurers show that there was a...
Your personal information is never safe
With multiple breaches of personal information, consumers should assume they are compromised. Once again individuals’ personal data has been compromised, this time through a breach at credit bureau TransUnion South Africa. This follows a compromise of credit bureau...
Listen: What should financial advice cost?
Good financial advice is worth paying for. We can probably all agree on that. But when we buy a traditional financial product sold to us by a financial adviser, do we know how much it is really costing? And how do we know we are getting good advice? In this podcast...