Assets & Investments

Many people of retirement age still associate senior living communities with ‘jelly and custard’ nursing homes and a lack of freedom and independence. Luckily, retirement and senior living communities have come a long way from this antiquated misconception – with communities designed to meet the lifestyle needs of modern older people.

The loss of a family member or a loved one is a challenging and an emotional life experience. The days and months following the death of a loved one can often go by in a blur. Help and guidance are essential for families to get their affairs swiftly in order. Putting financial issues off to later will not only leave families with unnecessary financial constraints but it can also lengthen the process of winding up an estate.

Investment and financial fraud is on the rise across the world. Each day thousands of people are conned out of their hard-earned money by scams that have increasingly become sophisticated. There are dozens of ways scammers use to gain access to people’s accounts, often masquerading as being from financial institutions.

In the wake of the pandemic, many face the reality of their meticulous credit records being negatively affected by the whirlwind of last year’s economic instability. Landlords and tenants alike have been affected due to income loss, leading to missed bond payments, downsizing and, unfortunate, if unavoidable evictions.

All five members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 3,5%. It has been on this level since 23 July 2020. The MPC viewed the overall risks to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) outlook to be on the upside compared to balanced in the March 2021 statement. This means the MPC’s interest rate outlook is more hawkish.

On 23 April 2021, the Competition Commission published a notice in the Government Gazette in which it, inter alia, indicated that it had published its final non-confidential report of the commission’s findings on the impact of the COVID-19 Block Exemptions and the commission’s advocacy and enforcement work.

Applying for a home loan is the most important step on the home buying journey, but many first-time applicants are in the dark about what the banks – the institutions with the power to approve these home loans are looking for. The process is relatively straightforward, provided you have all your financial affairs in order.

Many people around the world are turning to the gig economy and side hustles to make ends meet, especially as the economy continues to take further knocks from the COVID-19 pandemic. Cash strapped South African consumers are taking strain from debt collectors with limited options to manoeuvre their existing budgets but very few have spotted the opportunity or potential of the gig economy.  

Proposed changes to the Pensions Funds Amendment Bill, currently before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance, which will allow retirement fund members to access a portion of their retirement savings in cash before retirement as a guarantee for a loan, should be viewed with caution.

The current chaos and squabble amongst the Zulu Royal family following the recent death of King Goodwill Zwelithini might have been avoided had his Will complied strictly with the requirements of the Wills Act. At this time, while the reporting coming out is not entirely clear, and it might well be that omissions and problems may have been overstated or miscommunicated, the truth will be clearer once the Will is made public.