As the days draw shorter, the sun stays hidden for longer and the colder weather encourages us to hibernate away, coupled with constrained financial conditions, we can be forgiven for falling into the trap of thinking smaller, trying to save both money and energy. When it comes to cooking for the family – here’s a […]
Author Archives: Anthony Brandt
When Rona hits your wallet
Whilst we may try our best to keep our bodies safe from the flu – we may overlook the sluggish money myalgia that can hit us around this time too! You might have financial flu… Every winter our communities are hit by different strains of coronavirus (root of the common cold and flu). COVID-19 is […]
How to emotionally distance when investing in tough times
Current investors have seen more ‘interesting times’, more black swans and market freefalls, than any other generation gone before. From the 2008 global financial crisis, followed by the longest bull run in history, to Brexit, several downgrades for South Africa and then the COVID-19 pandemic, today’s investors have run the gamut. Their emotions have run […]
Tips for when markets recover
The last few years have seen more market volatility than anyone could have predicted, with the icing on the cake being the COVID-19 pandemic. But the best and worst thing about markets is their cyclical nature. All markets recover, eventually. We know what to do when there’s a downturn and experience has taught many investors […]
Mid-Year Money Check
Many of us only look at our financial plan when we receive a windfall (this is not often…) or when things go terribly wrong. It could be the loss of a job, the loss of a loved one or another crisis (like a global lockdown…). These aren’t necessarily the best times to make investment decisions […]
Living annuities and how they affect your living
Oh, the ironies of life… One of South Africa’s most contentious laws regarding annuities states that a retirement fund may not be completely withdrawn in a lump sum, but a minimum of two thirds must be invested into a compulsory living annuity in an attempt to aid preservation of retirement money. Even those who are […]
Words that will make (or cost) you money
Communication around your finances is crucial if you want to be more mindful and intentional around wealth creation. There are some conversations that will help you ascribe meaning to your money, and these should happen early on in your planning process (and regularly thereafter). Then there are conversations that will facilitate the actioning of your […]
Hold onto your life cover
Sometimes it feels like this conversation is a broken record, constantly going round and around on the same track: people the world over are feeling the financial pinch and tightening belts. It’s not just a local issue, and it’s not a new concern. A few minutes on Instagram or Twitter will reveal just how many […]
Finding the fungibility in commodities
Depending on your level of investing savvy, you may or may not be comfortable with the term ‘commodities’. As our global systems currently enter one of the toughest times experienced in over a hundred years, you may hear this term bandied about a fair amount. Essentially, commodities are the basic building blocks of the global […]
Working with different money personalities
As the 2020 global pandemic for COVID-19 becomes forever etched in our history, most of us will remember how the term ‘lockdown’ moved from a novelty to a serious psychological threat. At the point of writing this blog, it’s not clear just how vast and integrated the knock-on effect of lockdown will be, but for […]