There is no doubt that 2016 is going to be tough on households financially as price increases across the board push up our day-to-day living expenses. At the same time it is unlikely that we will see salary increases keeping up with our rising...
An easy debt payment strategy
Budgeting and knowing where your money is going is all well and good, but how do you use this knowledge to reach the goal of being debt free? The whole point of budgeting and money management is to help you get in control of your finances, but it’s...
Raising your kids with values
Yesterday marked the day that I had been a mother for exactly 16 years, as this year my son’s birthday fell on Mother’s Day. The very essence of being a mother is to put our children first, so yesterday was all about his big day ‒ so no breakfast...
Should you sign up for a PayPal account?
In the freelance world, PayPal provides a way for South African service providers to be paid by international clients. Although the fees are not insignificant, it is still the least expensive and most effective way to get paid. Banks make a lot of...
How your bank tracks fraud
A few weeks ago, as I was about to leave my office for the day, my cellphone started to beep as several SMS notifications came through confirming online credit card transactions, including a R7 700 booking through an online travel agent. None of...
What are the risks of using 22seven?
I am now onto week three of testing out the 22seven app and it is already starting to have an impact on our household finances. On Sunday evening, the day before payday, rather than watching TV, my husband and I were both updating our 22seven...
The risks behind MMM
MMM markets itself as a social financial network whereby members support each other financially to help each other get out of debt with financial institutions. Its website suggests that members can earn returns of up to 30% per month, and many...
Test-driving the new improved 22seven.com app
Over the last few weeks I have been working on the Show Your Money Who’s Boss campaign, a collaboration between Maya on Money, City Press and 22seven.com, which required me to test drive the money management app 22seven.com. I had tried out...
When would you trust your child with a lump sum?
If a member of a retirement fund passes away leaving minor children, the trustees of the fund are required to determine whether or not to pay out the child’s portion of the fund directly to the surviving parent or guardian, or whether to transfer...
Beware of pyramid scheme MMM
I have received many reader queries about MMM and whether or not it is a safe investment. For example, Seraki writes: “My friends and colleagues are making a lot of money every month through this MMM, and I am tempted to join. I know that there are...
Previous Articles
Beware of telephonic agreements
Max writes: I was called by a company who promised to send me a discount card that I can use for airtime, electricity and groceries. I asked for a written offer so that I could check their address and contact details. Soon afterwards an amount of R258.00 was deducted...
Is now a good time to buy a house?
Rebecca writes: I am a 36-year-old professional and single mother of two. I had planned that this would be the year that I would buy my own modest home. I have been listening to financial experts on TV saying that first-time home buyers must delay buying due to the...
How to cut down on your data usage
I’m a lot better at financial management than managing my cellphone data, but the reality is that data is money and for most of us, our smartphones are like a dripping tap, using data we are not even aware of. I received some useful tips on managing data from Karin...
The rising cost of education
A recent study by Sanlam done amongst mothers with children aged between 3 and 15 shows that some parents go as far as holding down two jobs to put their children through private schooling, which they perceive to be the best legacy they can give their children. “Our...
The impact of tax increases on your R1000
By Ricardo Teixeira, COO of BDO Wealth Advisers With South Africa precariously placed on the cusp of a credit rating downgrade, being able to demonstrate to the global credit rating agencies that ‘SA Incorporated’ is solvent and growing has been a key focus of the...
Time is ticking on disclosing your foreign assets
By Kezia Talbot, Legal Advisor at BDO Wealth Advisers For those taxpayers with undisclosed foreign assets, time is running out. With the introduction of FATCA and a global standard for the automatic exchange of information between countries’ tax authorities, it is...
Budget 2016: What do the Capital Gains Tax changes mean?
By Hedley Lamarque, Certified Financial Planner at BDO Wealth Advisers If you have been planning on cashing in an investment (such as shares or unit trusts) in the short term, then it would be better to do it before the end of February 2016, due to changes in capital...
Why your bills are rising faster than inflation
Whenever Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) releases the consumer price index (inflation) figure, I always wonder whose basket of goods they are using, because I can assure you that my living costs are increasing well above the 5.2% CPI recorded for the year to...
Why buy a TV when you can rent it?
There is much to be said for renting when it comes to electronics, appliances and even furniture. When I was young, everyone rented a TV, most of them from Teljoy. In those days, TVs were simply unaffordable and credit was not as easily available as it is today. As...
Social media makes you vulnerable to cybercrime
According to statistics from antivirus software provider McAfee’s Global Cost of Cybercrime report, cybercrime costs the South African economy about R5.8 billion a year. In light of Safer Internet Day celebrated on 9 February 2016, Candice Sutherland, Cyber Liability...