It’s not always easy to see, but there are unexpected positives in South Africa’s current financial situation. Of all the segments of our population who could be grumbling, many would say that SME owners are right up there. Squeezed like the middle-class tax payers, but with the added brutal success figures of less than 10 percent after two years, SMEs seem to have it doubly rough. But could there be a silver lining? Things cost the […]
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The retirement gap needs a new rap
Retirement (as well as education and the job market) is one of our greatest future-unknowns. We know it will happen… but we are finding it harder to understand and predict what it might look like. This doesn’t mean we should abandon planning for it. If anything, it simply means that we need to change the way we start to talk about, engage with and plan for retirement. According to a global survey done by BlackRock, about […]
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Investing masterclass: Four tips for the long game
When it comes to coffee-shop conversations, little is said about the long game in the investment space – it’s often about which asset manager did well this year, what outperformed everything else in the last quarter… etc. But, if you’re an investor, chances are high that you’re saving for future events that have a five-year-plus event-horizon (as we all should!). Here are four thoughts for investors looking to improve their long-term results. If you’re feeling shaky […]
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The dollar’s time is running out
South Africans (and many others) sometimes suffer from an unbalanced bias when it comes to the United States: we assume that anything American is top-class. Certainly, when talking about the markets, South Africa’s indices and analyses are always about what America is doing. The dollar has, for a long time, been the most influential currency. However, this may not be for much longer. Investors are preparing for what’s becoming known as ‘de-dollarisation’. What is de-dollarisation? De-dollarisation […]
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Starting your business is going to get easier!
South Africa is an enterprising and entrepreneurial nation… which is why it’s interesting that it can be so tough to do business here. Of all new businesses started in South Africa, nine out of ten of them will close their doors within the first two years. Government grants are talked up but are thin on the ground, B-BBEE requirements are onerous and keep changing, and then there’s the red tape. Bureaucracy has been South Africa’s Achilles’ […]
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Earning more isn’t the answer
When it comes to building your wealth, it’s not about how much you make, it’s about how you work with what you have. You do not need a larger paycheck, you only need to invest and use your money wisely. Yes, more money gives you a larger budget to work from but that simply needs increased consideration. Here are some tips that will make it easier to build your wealth, even if you do not have […]
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Take the dread out of disease cover
A lot of people misunderstand the term ‘dread disease cover’… and with that name, it’s enough to take the smile out of anyone’s day. But dread disease or CI (critical illness) insurance is a powerful tool to ensure that health emergencies don’t trip up your financial dreams or weigh heavily on your family.
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Microsavings: when a little goes a long way
There is a lot of good financial advice out there which goes something like this: ‘you know that money you don’t use every month? Well, take R50,000 and invest it in X now, and you’’ be happy later.’
Sound familiar?
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Five awesome things about women investors
It’s Women’s Month, and we’ve been thinking lately about all the ways in which women are wonderful in matters of money.
Women as investors don’t get praised often enough – there’s been an unfortunate stereotype in the past that keeps finances in ‘man territory’. Today, we’d like to honour the ladies in our stock markets and on our shareholders’ boards and count the ways in which they rock and the things male investors can learn from them.
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Mind the gap within
What you think you can do and what you can do are not the same thing. What would you try with your finances if you couldn’t fail?
When it comes to the things we want in life, most of them are inextricably linked with our finances.
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