A Good Budget Doesn’t Limit Spending, it Prioritises it
“Many folks think they aren’t good at earning money, when what they don’t know is how to use it.” (Frank A. Clark) If you have done any reading on budgeting, you have almost certainly come across the problem of the morning cappuccino. It’s that old piece of advice...
Renewal of the all pensioner rebates with City of Joburg
The City of Joburg has warned residents to expect higher-than-normal municipal bills this month due to the newly instituted rate and tax hikes. Additionally, all existing pensioner rebates lapsed on 30 June 2023 and require qualifying residents to re-apply to City of...
What’s Cooking with the Three-Pot System?
And now there are three If the draft bills are approved, from March 2024 members’ retirement funding will be split into three pots. Namely: The vested pot (amounts accumulated before 29 February 2024) The savings pot (the 1/3 of contributions that is accessible to...
Make Sure Your Family is Financially Prepared for When You Pass Away
“Death is the penalty we all pay for the privilege of life.” (Robert Half) We know we can’t escape death. But most of us still do everything we can to ignore or avoid it. The problem is that if we don’t acknowledge our own mortality, we won’t prepare for it. And,...
Leaving Anything Important Out of Your Property Sale Agreement Will Sink It
“No alienation of land … shall … be of any force or effect unless it is contained in a deed of alienation signed by the parties thereto or by their agents acting on their written authority.” (Alienation of Land Act) Ensure that all the important terms of your sale...
Dual Citizens: Good News if You Lost Your South African Citizenship, But…
“Citizenship is the gateway through which a number of rights in the Constitution can be accessed. It enables a person to enjoy freedom of movement, freedom of trade, and political representation” (Constitutional Court, quoted in judgment below) Note: Many South...
How to Invest When There’s So Much Bad News
“Panic is highly contagious, especially in situations when nothing is known and everything is in flux.” (Stephen King) South African investors have every right to feel concerned. The local economy is facing a heap of problems, and growth has slowed to almost nothing....
Four Ways to Make the Most of Retirement
“The greatest task for ANY person is to find meaning in life.” (Victor Frankl) Retirement. The word conjures schmaltzy images of silver-haired men in tailored suits, sipping coffee from small cups while gazing out of the window at an expensive view. Or an immaculately...
Can Gratitude Make you Feel Better About Your Money?
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” (Oprah Winfrey) Most personal finance advice focuses on practical things like budgeting, saving, and investing. But financial...
A Must-Have for Couples who Choose not to Tie the Knot
“The course of true love never did run smooth.” (William Shakespeare) The times they are a-changin’ Living together and having children without getting married is becoming increasingly accepted worldwide. When Boris Johnson and his partner lived together as the first...
Property Buyers: The Danger of Not Doing Your Financial Homework
“Look before you leap” (wise old proverb) Don’t let the excitement of buying a property blind you to the necessity of doing your homework before you agree to anything. Look before you leap! It’s not just a matter of buying the right property at the right price – make...
Maintenance Claims and Life Partners
More and more couples are opting to live together as permanent life partners rather than enter into a formal marriage. The risk for such couples is that whilst our law is steadily (if slowly and cautiously) extending many of the protections of formal marriage to...