Retirement: A Salute to the Committed
By Deidré Valentine 26 April 2025 When it comes to South Africa, people often focus only on the negative aspects, overlooking our beautiful landscapes, great sense of humour, delicious food, and good-hearted people. In much the same way, retirement planning is often discussed only in terms of the “doom and gloom” side, rather than exploring […]
Emerging markets lead the pack
By Andró Griessel 29 March, 2025 It’s just before 3:00 PM on 11 September 2001, and I’m going about my usual day on the third floor of a former employer, Investec Asset Management (now NinetyOne). Suddenly, someone exclaims in disbelief: “A small plane has just crashed into the World Trade Center.” Immediately, everyone scrambles to […]
Follow your ‘roadmap’ to success
By Cassie Carstens 1 March, 2025 There’s something special about an old-fashioned roadmap. Those fold-out AA Karoo maps carried a sense of trust, a reliability that has since faded into nostalgia. As a child, it was my job on long family road trips to study the map and shout directions from the backseat. I never […]
Insurers penalise you, but…
By Andró Griessel 1 February, 2025 Every five years or so, I get the urge to rant and rave about what I see as the murky underworld of contractual savings products. The companies offering these products seem untouchable, continuing to siphon millions of rands from unsuspecting savers every month. These products serve the interests of […]
Create wealth in 2025 with these three timeless principles
By Samuel Rossouw January 4, 2025 2025 has arrived, bringing with it a sense of optimism about our financial prospects. South Africa remains stable following the 2024 elections despite the ANC’s support dipping below 50% for the first time. The stock market has grown by 6.4% over the past 12 months, and the bond market […]
Where do you stand when the bull run is over?
By Andró Griessel 7 December 2024 In case you haven’t heard, last month a banana (the simple yellow kind that monkeys love) was taped to a whiteboard and sold for $5.2 million (not $6.2 million as some online sources claim) at a Sotheby’s auction. At the current exchange rate, that’s around R95 million. The banana […]
Tax, emigration and inheritance
Tax law changes carry substantial implications based on where your heirs are situated around the world. By: Elmie de Jager 02/11/2024 If you or any of your trust beneficiaries are considering emigrating, it is important to note that the taxation of distributions to non-residents has changed. These legislative changes may require many people to reassess […]
Annuities Prove Their Worth Once Again
5 October 2024 By Andró Griessel RA has once again outperformed offshore investments over the past 5 years A South African rugby fan can be quite emotional — and that’s often how we approach investing too. Take Manie Libbok, for instance. He swung from “hero” to “zero” in the hearts of most Bok supporters during […]
Gradual Retirement
Pay attention to the financial and emotional impact By Deidré Valentine 31/8/2024 Many readers of this column have likely followed the Olympic Games to some extent this year. My husband and I quickly finished our chores after work so we could watch how the top athletes compete, hopefully winning a medal for themselves and their […]
‘Lost decade’ – what now?
There is light at the end of the tunnel for SA investors By Andró Griessel 3/8/2024 Any investor who has seen the latest report on unit trust returns and thinks that they might as well have hidden their money in their living room couch over the past 10 years can be forgiven for this thought. […]