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 economic climate, in which certain human rights are sadly still far from inalienable, most parents understand that it is important to […]
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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 advice a greater reality; creating a new financial advice scenario. And this stage is due to be implemented later this year. […]
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What will Trump your investments?
America is a massive global economy. Whilst we can all agree that whatever happens over there will certainly affect our economy and investment opportunities (local and offshore), you may have some questions as to how it affects us. Brian Kantor, chief economist and strategist with Investec Wealth, recently published his thoughts online on the BizNews website. The article presents some insightful graphs and specific trends that may not interest everyone, but certainly paint the scene in […]
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Top tax tips for small businesses in South Africa
January may begin with resolutions for the year ahead – but March begins with Tax Resolutions for the next tax year. We promise ourselves to be a little more organised, a little more prudent and try to minimise our contributions the next time around. BusinessTech recently said that with the many challenges small business owners face every day, being tax compliant is often not at the top of the list and tax deadlines often come and […]
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Budget 2017 – A quick precis
The Budget for 2017 has been presented to parliament and is awaiting final approval, but if all goes through as planned, here are some key issues that may affect your financial planning for the year – as well as your investment portfolio. Significant announcements New 45% tax rate for those earning more than R1.5 million per annum. (Around 100 000 taxpayers are affected) Dividend withholding tax increased from 15% to 20% (this will have an impact […]
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Organize your life – Part 1
Some people are amazingly good at bringing order to chaos and organizing their lives in such a way that makes the rest of us simply stand and gawk, thinking ‘How do they do it?’. Finding just the right amount of order in your life will not only help you minimise waste – but it will also help you reduce stress! When you can find what you’re looking for, quickly and easily, you will have more time […]
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Should you have a tax free savings account?
In an article recently published on Moneyweb Today (by Paul Leonard, CFP, Regional Head, Citadel), several points were made that succinctly provided useful insight for those considering the options about investing in a TFSA, and deciding whether or not it would be the most appropriate savings vehicle. Before making any final decisions, it’s always best for us to meet and assess your investment plan based on your financial needs analysis – but these pointers should help […]
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Valentine’s Gift Ideas
The best gifts are the one’s that show deep consideration for the recipient. That means that Valentine’s Day is not just about flowers, chocolate, biltong and a cute travel mug… it’s about knowing your partner and buying them something that they would truly love! So here are some pointers for this Valentine’s day for expressing your appreciation! EXPERIENCE OVER EXPENSE The best gifts are memories, not expensive trinkets. If you plan it right, your entire Valentine’s […]
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The Cost of Living in South Africa
Every year we see an internal migration of individuals and families between the major cities of South Africa – mostly for work reasons. These decisions are sometimes thrust upon us due to simple economics, but other times we are able to explore the opportunities and the pros-and-cons of living in a new city. But how exactly can you make informed decisions without relying mostly on hearsay or the perceptions of friends and colleagues. Which cities are […]
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Medical Aid vs Dread Disease Cover
If you are paying for both Medical Cover and Dread Disease Cover… you may ask yourself why? The cost of living keeps rising and in the year ahead we can expect more increases that will put pressure on our hard-earned and diligently saved resources. This doesn’t have to be bad news – it can encourage us to improve and tailor our financial planning to meet the changes and test our flexibility! That means going back to […]
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