Tag: financial planning

While we will all face the inevitability of death one day, many of us find it scary to confront our own mortality. But good estate planning is a critical aspect of broader financial planning; without it, our dependants may be left in a precarious financial position. 

2020 is not coming up roses in the economy department and all indicators point to a tough year for consumers. In tough times, looking for ways to cut back, save, and make your money work harder for you, is always a good idea.

In South Africa, 1 September is known as Spring Day, signalling the approaching change in season from winter to summer. This time of year is known to act as a trigger for people to tackle their annual 'spring cleaning' ritual – they get rid of old or unused items, deep clean the house and do some general re-organising.

The stock market can be volatile, but it’s a market that many people will delve into at some point in their lives whether directly buying shares or through their employer retirement saving fund. I believe that investments should form a core part of any financial planning, even during uncertain times.

July is savings month in South Africa. This is a month where national savings awareness campaigns are run to look at fostering a culture of savings for South Africans. Historically, post the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2008, the South African household savings ratio (the income saved by households during a certain period of time), has also mostly remained in negative territory.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the global economy to its knees, and inevitably many employers will need to contain costs by cutting salaries. Being hit with a salary cut or a retrenchment is something every employee dreads, but it’s important not to panic and to manage the situation as responsibly as possible.

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down and amidst the uncertainty, many of us look ahead and feel a little panicky: What’s going to happen to our savings and to the retirement we were looking forward to?

The global economy has been hit by five shocks as the coronavirus spread rapidly. This could not have been predicted, though with hindsight the market was initially much too complacent. The situation is so uncertain now that a strategy based on trying to predict the future is bound to get it wrong.

Keeping up to date with legislative and case law changes in the highly regulated financial services industry can be challenging. Professionals need to make effective financial decisions, with a myriad of implications, while ensuring regulatory compliance and keeping current.

Technology is fundamentally changing our relationship with money. Fact. What we do for entertainment, how we get from point A to point B and even the most mundane routines such as grocery shopping are exponentially changing, on a daily basis. We are also seeing substantial changes in our relationship with money, specifically in the way we manage our money.