Planning Topics
On the face of it, South Africa has a robust and competitive insurance sector. Though there may be more than 170 or so companies playing in the insurance space, if you dig a little deeper, it becomes evident that it’s actually quite concentrated and difficult to break into this sector as a new…
The United Kingdom’s top financial regulator will give the nation’s largest banks two weeks to explain why they have been shutting customer accounts.This is in response to the scandal linked to the threatened closure of politician Nigel Farage’s bank accounts.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)…
SOUTH AFRICA has turned into a destination for elite events, drawing in guests from across the globe to attend different exhibitions, conferences, concerts and festivals.Over the years ,the events industry has experienced significant growth due to its ever-growing industry. One of the people who…
BONGANI HANS and MANYANE MANYANETHE unions sympathising with the Sekunjalo Group have welcomed the news that Standard Bank has postponed its decision to unbank the company.This was after the banking institution this week announced that it would continue to provide banking services to Sekunjalo…
FOR decades, foreign governments have covertly manipulated media landscapes to advance their agendas. South Africa, with its immense resources and newly minted democratic and hungry government, is no exception, writes Feroza Petersen***Note: Some of the content in this article originated from a…
What is the secret to a fulfilled, happy life? Perhaps we can glean some clues from the five Scandinavian countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – which score highly on measures of happiness, prosperity, social security and human development.All five Scandinavian countries appear…
The audit profession has been in the news plenty over the years and all over the world, and never for the right reasons. From the Enron scandal in the US that brought Arthur Anderson down with it to the Wirecard impropriety in Europe, which saw Germany's accounting watchdog fine EY and ban it from…
A ruling by the highest court in the land, the Constitutional Court, has put to rest concerns about pension fund rule amendments, which arose after a determination against a fund by the Pension Funds Adjudicator (PFA) was upheld by the High Court but then overturned by the Supreme Court of Appeal (…
With the state-mandated Road Accident Fund (RAF) facing financial challenges and taking to court those who try to hold it accountable, serves as another strong example of how woefully inept the state is commercially. But this parastatal specifically, is making plenty more enemies of the state.Over…
The status of Nelson Mandela as one of the greatest South Africans ever can never be in dispute. His words and deeds are used as inspiration by all to do great things and to persevere where giving up seems to be the logical choice to make.We rarely apply his wisdom to our retirement planning…
Nedbank Group, presenting its interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2023, on Tuesday, showed that South African household finances deteriorated significantly in the first half of the year. “Growth in real personal disposable income slowed further, constrained by modest job creation and…
Are attitudes towards work and retirement changing, or are people being forced to rethink retirement as they realise they won’t have saved enough to retire on?These questions were raised by a recent retirement survey by Sanlam, which found that 60% of South Africans save for their wind-down years,…
I am forced by circumstance to reprint a piece that I wrote a year ago, almost to the day.The purpose is both to inform you, dear reader, but also in the hope of swaying the banks into applying some basic logic and broad compassion.The matter affects the continued existence of every newspaper and…
As we celebrate Women’s Month, it is worth reminding ourselves that despite advances, women still face persistent exclusion from formal banking systems. According to the World Bank, the gender gap in account ownership across developing economies, though improved, still sits at six percentage points…
RECENT legal judgments have vindicated the Sekunjalo Group, confirming that the company has not engaged in any wrongdoing. Despite facing various inquiries and hearings, including the Mpati Commission, Western Cape High Court, Equality Court, and Competition Tribunal, none of these entities found…
One of the key components of someone’s risk of poverty is their location. Regarding many aspects of life, location is everything, especially when it comes to the accessibility to food resources. A food desert is an area in which someone does not have close access to a food source, such as a…
This month, we celebrate Women’s Day in South Africa as well as women increasingly taking charge of their financial futures. For some women, asking about their finances or approaching a financial adviser can still be a daunting task. I like to use the analogy of learning how to drive. At first, it…
Around the world, governments are moving ahead to regulate crypto assets. The South African Reserve Bank (Sarb) at first merely warned the public about the volatility of the crypto asset market, but regulators have now defined crypto as a financial asset under the Financial Advisory and…
With load shedding on the rise, as South Africans place increased demand on the grid amid the cold winter months - the next block scheduled doesn't mean you have to stay in the dark.However, despite the need for alternative power solutions or portable power stations to keep going when load shedding…
Small business owners may often find themselves basking in the glow of success during prosperous times, putting aside our contingency plans, and allowing complacency to settle in. It's easy to assume that the sun will keep shining – until it doesn't.In business, one must expect and be prepared for…