Tag: financialliteracy

As thousands of matriculants across South Africa prepare to sit for their final examinations, many parents are reflecting on years of sacrifice, planning and financial commitment. These efforts have brought their children to this milestone. Yet matric marks the end of one chapter, while our Education Insights suggests that the biggest education costs may still lie ahead for many families.

Election season is upon us, and South Africans will soon head to the polls to decide who gets their vote. Between campaign posters and passionate debates around the braai, there is plenty to consider before ticking that box. However, another decision deserves just as much consideration, even if it does not come with a ballot paper: who do you trust to help you manage your money?

For decades, the conversation about inequality has centred on income, employment and access to capital. Those issues remain fundamental. However, another divide is becoming increasingly important: the gap between people who can navigate an increasingly complex financial world and those who cannot

An additional percentage point in annual investment fees may seem insignificant. However, over a lifetime, it can compound into millions in lost retirement savings. Yet many South Africans remain unaware of the fees they pay to invest and grow their wealth. An investor paying just 1% more in annual investment fees could retire with R3.5 million less than someone paying lower fees.

Nearly half of under-60s with retirement products have dipped into their savings pots, mostly to get through the month. Our 2026 Retirement Insights Survey suggests the right response is empathy and better design. Nobody raids their retirement savings unless they are facing difficult economic pressure today. That is worth saying upfront. The two-pot retirement system has become one of the most moralised subjects in South African money conversations, and the moralising has taught us very little.

As a 25-year-old professional starting in my career, investing in shares felt unfamiliar and intimidating. I considered it a market for the wealthy, and certainly not a place that I could leverage for my own personal and professional benefit. I had a savings mindset, not an investing mindset. Therefore, I invested any surplus cash in a bank account earning interest.

In August I returned to East London for the 40th reunion of my class at Clarendon Girls’ High School. There is something wonderfully strange about seeing people again after four decades. Careers have been built, businesses started, families raised, countries crossed, and lives have taken turns none of us could possibly have predicted when we walked out of those school gates. And yet, within minutes, forty years seem to disappear.

Most parents spend decades building generational wealth, but few spend the time preparing the next generation to manage it. That is often where things fall apart. We are very good at transferring assets, but we are not good at transferring judgment.

We live in a world of information overload, and it can be challenging to know what is real and what is not. When it comes to money, social media is littered with "finfluencers" who present information and share "secrets" about managing and growing money. Some of it is real, while much of it is fake. As a result, it can be very difficult to know the difference.

Preparing your children for wealth starts long before an actual inheritance. You need to prepare them to manage it with responsibility and perspective. As financial advisers, we spend a great deal of time helping people build and preserve wealth. I have worked with numerous clients who have spent decades building businesses from scratch and managing investment portfolios.