In a nutshell, the markets are driven by business activity which is supported by investor confidence. When businesses have investors, they can grow and create more value, which in turn encourages more investors. When businesses can’t run normally (like in the case of a global pandemic), investors fear they will lose money and pull out […]
Don’t sabotage your future self
Bad market performance, government lockdowns, global epidemics and loadshedding aren’t what threaten our investing and financial behaviour. Our biggest threat is ourselves. Studies have shown that people improve substantially in financial and investment decisions as they get older. When we are young — and perhaps less secure in our financial situation — we have a […]
Fight the fear
When life doesn’t go according to plan, our first response will often be one of fear. Unfortunately, life generally never goes according to plan – so we encounter fear a lot! Since fear cannot be avoided, we need to develop tools to cope with it so that we can allow it a constructive space in […]
Understand what you need in your adviser
Here’s the thing about a 20-minute DIY job: it never takes 20 minutes. Either you don’t have the right tools, or the right skills… or the materials turn out to be too hard, too soft, too big, too small etc. On the rare occasion, it might take you 20 minutes or less. You might be […]
Financial wellness mindsets for life’s autumn
Autumn is a precious time of year and is perhaps an altogether more positive metaphor for another special time: the tail end of middle age when we are far from elderly, but far from young. You look up one day and realise that while you were busy building a life with your family, or perhaps […]
Make your life easier – Part 3
Don’t avoid digital help. Whilst there are many dystopian stories about how robots will take over the world, those projected realities are highly unlikely to ever manifest. AI, big data and cloud storage can be our friend in making our life easier – which is what technology was always intended for! Granted, we can easily […]
Make your life easier – Part 2
Every time we say ‘YES’ to something new, it seems to just make our life more complicated down the line; more events to attend, increased responsibilities and less time to relax and do what we really want to do. Finding just the right amount of order in your life is one of the secrets to […]
Offshore investing and the new expat tax
As of 1 March 2020, an amendment to the South African Income Tax Act will have definite ramifications on the lives of South Africans living and working abroad. Now that this infamous ‘expat tax’ is in effect, SA expats are now obligated to pay up to 45% of their foreign income to the taxman when […]
Make your life easier – Part 1
Every day our lives get a little more complicated. That’s the reality of the world that we’re currently living in. It’s not easy to keep order in your life – even if you’re one of the few who excel in keeping things in line! Finding just the right amount of order in your life is […]
The NHI: What we know so far
South Africa has just had its annual Budget Speech, with one of the many controversial topics not addressed being the National Health Insurance scheme. Yet President Ramaphosa stated very recently that he expects it to be fully rolled out within the next five years. The NHI was initially to kick off on 1 March 2020 […]