On Swallows and Bittersweet Numbers
THE PAST IS NOT THE FUTURE By Andró Griessel 7/2/2026 According to my data, one would have to go back to 1999 to find a period in which a combination of South African assets (equities, bonds, cash and listed property) delivered a better return than in 2025. It is, however, a bittersweet statistic, I suspect, […]
Investors Sometimes Need to Reassess Perspective
REMEMBER: YOU STILL WANT TO BE ABLE TO RUN AT 80 By Deidré Valentine 3/1/2026 “Remember, you still want to be able to run when you’re 80. When that’s your goal, your perspective changes.” This piece of wise advice was shared with a friend of mine by an experienced runner after she suffered an injury […]
Investing Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
15 Timeless Lessons for Long-Term Success By Andró Griessel I didn’t grow up in a household where money was discussed—probably because there wasn’t much to discuss. My parents did their best with what they had, and my Sanlam study policy got me through the first six months of university. After that, a student loan from […]
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 […]
Reality vs. Theory
The path to an investment’s end destination is not level By Andró Griessel 3/12/2022 Have you ever had the experience of consulting your financial advisor for help with your investments and when talking about expected returns, the advisor refers to a long-term inflation-related return, typically inflation + 5% or something similar? Sometimes a simplified 10% […]
The ‘intelligent’ approach to investing
Why a predetermined process is better than reactive behaviour By Deidré Valentine 1/10/2022 It is almost the end of 2022, and the new year is beckoning. At the beginning of every year, my peers find it strange that I don’t believe in setting New Year’s resolutions. I prefer to focus on creating sustainable habits rather […]
Ask the right questions
…to make better investment decisions By Samuel Rossouw 07/05/2022 I often wonder why prospective clients ask certain questions when I meet them for the first time. They are probably trying to gain a better understanding of the suitability of the advice, but often these questions give the experienced salesman the ammunition to sell his products […]
Be mindful of rand depreciation panic
By Andró Griessel The past teaches valuable lessons about what might follow Would you believe me if I tell you that I know what you Googled exactly 5 years ago? I can at least make a reasonable guess. It was probably “who the hell is Des van Rooyen”? On 9 December 2020, it was exactly […]
Wishes do not always come true
By Cassie Carstens There are, however, ways to get the gift of investment peace of mind Even though Christmas season is not about gifts, most children sit in front of the tree on Christmas Eve, shaking, smelling, and looking at their wrapped gifts to guess what’s inside. We all know the feeling of excited anticipation. […]
Do you also long back to 1985?
By Andró Griessel Are you certain that it was truly the ‘good old days’? I miss 1985! Life was good! Desiré Steyn said yes to being my girlfriend, my golf handicap was 12 (now 30), I flew in an airplane for the first time in my life (which was in fact for golf) and just […]