The four numbers of retirement – and why they aren’t enough

‘It’s my life, it’s now or never. I ain’t gonna live forever…’ The famous Bon Jovi words could well be used to describe retirement – and saving for it.

Most people don’t know where to start when contemplating something as big and hectic as retiring in decades’ time, but there are ample titbits of conventional wisdom from the financial planning industry. Let’s take a look at some, and their pitfalls.

Delicious savings – how to eat for a week on four meals

With tough economic times all around, a lot of us are trying to cut unnecessary expenses. Be that as it may, we still need to eat and feed our families. Yet who has the time to play chef and work a fulltime job? And who wants to eat mediocre meals just because the economy is […]

Trust issues – four things to check in your trust deed

Trusts as vehicles of wealth preservation have had some important regulatory changes over the past few years as authorities have attempted to shift them away from tax evasion and more towards a true, family-minded way to pass on assets.

Can finances be a family affair?

Throughout the year there are clusters of holidays and long weekends when family comes to the fore. These moments are often an opportunity to step out of the frenetic hamster wheel of life, we now have long weekends and, for some, religious holidays to spend with those nearest and dearest to us. Which got us thinking – how much does your inner circle feature in your finances?

Mindfulness matters: how about a quarterly review?

Earlier in the year we spoke on the importance of mindfulness in our busy, digital world. Unfortunately, many of us have grand intentions at the beginning of the year, eating healthily and meditating and generally trying to get the year off to a good start, but after a few weeks that dedication peters out.

The true cost of load shedding

Load shedding has cost all of us over the past few weeks, but do you know exactly how much?Neither did we, until we did a little digging. Cost to the economy at large

Equity Schmequity – really?

There’s a conversation that does the rounds every 10 to 15 years in investment savvy circles; Cash vs Equity – which is better?When markets are rallying, equities hold to their promise of higher returns than cash; when markets take a knock, cash suddenly appears to have been a hidden gem that could even outperform equities for a short period.

Your starter guide to alternative investments

In the wake of very lacklustre JSE performance and plenty of uncertainty, many investors have started considering thinking… alternatively.In a nutshellAlternative investments are different to the standard stock market approach; investing in assets outside the usual asset classes or in companies outside of the JSE-listed crowd.