While the past year has had many challenges, a positive outcome is that we have embraced technology and had our eyes opened to the possibilities of working outside a traditional office environment. For many people, daily commutes and in-person meetings have been relegated to the past – and this is just the beginning of a new era that builds on …
Top tips for budgeting and getting a bang for your hard-earned buck
It is almost that time of the year again when frenzied shoppers and bargain hunters descend upon stores and shopping sites looking for deeply discounted items. Black Friday, the last Friday of November, marks the start of the holiday shopping season. While the Black Friday tradition started in the USA, it has become a global phenomenon and a huge hit …
5 practical questions to ask about debt
It is not difficult to understand how one gets into debt. What’s more difficult is knowing when and how to get out, financial planners warn. “We have such easy access to credit cards, retail accounts for furniture, clothing, appliances; and regular offers to apply for small loans. “Have you noticed that you qualify for a loan without having applied for …
Making a case for offshore investing
State capture, corruption, land expropriation without compensation. These are all terms that have become part of the South African lexicon and part of our daily reality. According to the recent 2020 Bloomberg Misery Index which ranks major economies by inflation and unemployment expectations, South Africa is the third-most miserable economy in the world. Not surprisingly, the Rainbow Nation’s economy is ranked only after …
Debt is a four letter
Debt is something most people find themselves incurring. And it is not difficult to understand how one gets into debt. We have such easy access to credit cards; retail accounts for furniture, clothing, appliances; and regular offers to apply for small loans. Have you noticed that you qualify for a loan without having applied for one? Elena Bevilacqua a Certified …
One crisis invariably leads to a crisis of another kind
The Covid-19 pandemic is unquestionably a health crisis. That said, just focussing on the health aspects of the virus is too narrow a perspective. There is a lot more going on than a healthcare challenge. If we reflect back to the most recent global crisis – the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008 – we remember that it was labelled …
How to review our companies and strategies for the post-pandemic world
By Andrew Bradley 15 Nov 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic is unquestionably a health crisis. That said, just focusing on the health aspects of the virus is too narrow a perspective. There is a lot more going on than a healthcare challenge. The most recent global crisis before this pandemic – the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2008 – was labelled a financial …
Higher income and lower living costs: All you need to know about “Geoarbitrage”
We’ve all dreamed of working on a sunny beach, where you’d use one hand to type an email and the other to sip away at a long island iced tea. Did you know that if you moved abroad to reduce your living costs or moved operations to increase your income – otherwise known as “geoarbitrage” – you might be able …
Making a case for offshore investing
State capture, corruption, land expropriation without compensation. These are all terms that have become part of the South African lexicon and part of our daily reality. According to the recent 2020 Bloomberg Misery Index which ranks major economies by inflation and unemployment expectations, South Africa is the third-most miserable economy in the world. Not surprisingly, the Rainbow Nation’s economy is …
Lifestyle-orientated planning and client-centricity go hand in hand
BY: GAVIN VAN DYK Client centricity, developed through dialogue rather than through number crunching, has been a major theme in financial planning recently, and builds a case for a lifestyle-orientated approach. This begins when a client first contacts a financial planner and for most, this is at the time of their retirement. Typically, the leading question they will ask is whether …