How to Create Wealth in an Uncertain World

Creating wealth is a long-term process that requires patience, resilience and a strong strategy that can weather the global investment storm that has been raging in recent times. As you embark, or continue, upon your journey to financial independence, it is important to wholly understand the investment landscape, or have an advisor you trust, in […]

Keep Calm and Carry On

When it comes to investments, it’s important to stay focused on the bigger picture – even though the effect of recent political events in South Africa may have you itching to move your investments out of the market and into cash. The instinct to do this arises from the fact that cash investments are readily […]

Keep your Retirement Options Open

It’s never too early to start planning for your retirement, and help is at hand if saving for the future ever feels confusing or overwhelming. The key is to think like a wilderness explorer and always be prepared! Be open to what could happen in your autumn years. For example, if you live to the […]

Rich for distress

In the aftermath of South Africa’s downgrade to junk status by two major ratings agencies, it is feared that the country will begin a self-reinforcing downward spiral. Until the end of 2016, Azar Jammine, the director and chief economist of Econometrix, felt that the nation was experiencing a “slow erosion, not a huge slump.” However, […]

How to Reduce Estate Costs

A death is often a traumatic enough event, without the added burden of dealing with estate matters. Unfortunately, many people underestimate the costs related to death, especially the smaller fees that quickly add up. Consequently, loved ones sometimes find themselves in situations where they have to sell valuable assets in order to settle the outstanding […]

The Value of Good Advice

Positive steps to regulate and improve the conduct and professionalism of the financial planning industry have been made over the past months and are now coming to a point where it will impact our clients. These steps have been called the Retail Distribution Review (RDR). On the surface, RDR is looking to turn the commission-based […]

Living Annuities for Retirement Planning

One sneaky fact about retirement, that many of us often overlook, is that it arrives faster than we expect! Essentially, we are never too young to think about our retirement investments inside of a healthy financial portfolio. As you read this blog, please also bear in mind that each person’s retirement goals are unique and […]

Junk Status – A Fallen Angel

The South African landscape of junk status is looking rocky and, in a time like this, it is important to stay informed about what is happening and how it could affect you. Political risks from South Africa’s cabinet reshuffle on the last day of March 2017 have been labelled accountable for Standard & Poor’s (S&P) […]

Do High School Fees Equal High Quality Education?

In a land of inequality, education has a greater value than ever before and it can pave the path of success for children. However, many parents are financially crippling themselves in order to offer what is considered the ‘best’ education for their offspring, when this is arguably not wholly necessary. In an unstable political and […]

Financial Advice Fees & RDR

Over the past year or so the financial planning industry has been positioning for significant reform and regulation around fees for financial advice, and Fin24 recently published an article on the Retail Distribution Review (RDR). The first phase of RDR is expected to bring South Africa a step closer to making direct payment for financial […]