Planning Topics
By: Kyle WalesA higher-for-longer investment narrative has been behind a steep decline in equity markets globally, with concerns that if interest rates stay higher than expected for an extended period, companies, and thus equity markets, will come under significant pressure. But, as with every…
Deregistering as a VAT vendor can be challenging, according to the Office of the Tax Ombud (Oto).This comes after the office received a complaint from a taxpayer against the South African Revenue Service (Sars), where it delayed deregistering the taxpayer’s VAT (Value added Tax) profile for over a…
Intercare has launched a unique online healthcare offering, fully integrated with its existing physical network of world-class primary care facilities. By offering on-demand, cost-effective care from anywhere, these services address many of the barriers South Africans face in accessing affordable,…
The Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, said yesterday that the collection of revenue this year was lower relative to the 2023 Budget, citing under‐collections in corporate tax, particularly from the mining sector.The gross tax revenue estimate for 2023/24 has been revised down by R56.8 billion…
By: Claire KlassenThey say money can’t buy you happiness. But does happiness (or at the least, a sound mind) help prevent poor financial decisions?The influence that financial hardship has on one’s stress levels is well-documented. A research paper published last year found that financial worries…
Treasury officials said that they are making progress on 17 of the 22 action items that the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) asked South Africa to attend to and the Treasury officials said they expect compliance by early 2025.Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in his speech said that…
Author: Bertie JacobsThere are words that tie the tongue in knots. They confound learned abilities; they separate the novice from the expert at spelling bees. They even change lives. At the North-West University (NWU), one of them is ‘pharmacoepidemiology’, and it’s a field that is enriching the…
Former Personal Finance Editor Bruce Cameron and former Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa’s (FPI) Financial Planner of the Year, Wouter Fourie, have released the third edition of their book: The Ultimate Guide to Retirement in South Africa.This book is a valuable resource for people…
Consumers were more cautious and did less impulsive buying in the third quarter of 2023, although being a bit less financially vulnerable, the majority still despaired about their financial situation.This information is contained in the latest Consumer Financial Vulnerability Index (CFVI) by…
After an influx of complaints about the repossession of vehicles by banks when people fall behind with their vehicle finance repayments, the Ombudsman for Banking Services (OBS), Reana Steyn, said it was necessary to clarify the rights of consumers and banks in such circumstances.Importantly, she…
The effects of South Africa’s power cuts, inflation, cost of living and brain drain disproportionately affect domestic workers – 94% of whom are women.The average domestic worker in South Africa is their family’s sole breadwinner and sole caregiver, supporting an average of four dependants at home.…
The concept of Life Rights in real estate has become a popular retirement model across the globe. This approach to retirement, often referred to as the ‘right of occupation,’ is achieving significant acclaim in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, and according to some local industry…
Last week National Treasury announced that it was postponing the the implementation of the proposed two-pot pension fund system by a year, following public consultations in September regarding the proposed system. Initiation is now set for 1 March 2025.It makes sense as the final legislation has…
Managing pain and fever can be challenging when your family spans multiple generations.From tiny tots, to working moms and dads, to wise grandparents, each age group has its own unique needs when it comes to pain and fever relief. Dedicated to everyone’s well-being, Panado® offers a range of…
According to media reports mutual societies are enjoying a renaissance in the financial services sector in some parts of the world. In Japan, mutuals and co-ops have 39.2% of the insurance market and in Canada, it’s 17.4%. The Vanguard Group, the second largest money manager in the world, managing…
The National Treasury has amended its original proposals on the two-pot retirement system, which would permit members of retirement schemes to access their pension funds before retirement, and proposed that it be implemented in 2025.The new proposed two-pot system intends to allow members of…
2023 was a big year for travel. Come year-end, there’ll have been approximately five billion air travellers, according to statistics from MarketSplash.There are plenty more adventures awaiting in 2024. Bulk up your bucket list with these 10 destination recommendations, curated by Flight Centre…
The CareConnect HIE (Health information exchange) hub has been in talks with the Department of Health to be part of the National Health Insurance (NHI) in a bid to curb the lack of information flow between health professionals, funders, private and public health facilities.CareConnect HIE was…
1. A quick look at the graph below shows how many people in South African households have the most important household items, such as mobile phones, stoves, refrigerators, and even television sets.Personally, I am getting on in years, yet I can attest to the fact that my grandparents never had the…
Last week I looked at collective investment performance over the last quarter and 12 months. Today I dig down into long-term returns, over 20 and 10 years, to the end of September. After all, this is why we invest: to benefit from compounding over long periods. All return data was supplied by…