Women submit more critical illness claims than men. RISKSA published an online article that shed some light on an area of financial planning that appears to be largely overlooked, or at least, underestimated. A key consideration for every financial portfolio is to insure your most valuable asset – your ability to earn an income. Traditionally this lot has fallen to the ‘man of the house’ to earn an income. Although this notion is seriously outdated (by […]
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END OF THE MONTH SAVING TIPS
With the first quarter of 2014 safely stashed away, how can you build and improve your financial habits going forward? Perhaps you’d like to work on the way that you spend and save your money? The fun with making and saving money is that you can be creative and monopolise on really simple ideas that would work well for you. You don’t have to simply rely on your job for your income, you can explore other […]
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PLANNING FOR THE UNEXPECTED
How can you plan for the unexpected… and, if you’re expecting it, then how can it be unexpected? Well, those are good questions! Planning and arranging your spending plan to include the ‘unexpected’ is a wise approach to take. When we talk about unexpected costs we generally mean services or commodities that are over-and-above what you would normally expect, but might be able to find out with some deeper digging. UNEXPECTED ACCOMMODATION COSTS Electricity and municipal […]
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DON’T THROW YOUR MONEY AWAY
The number of people who are currently saving is declining, research shows. Last year MasterCard conducted a survey to discern consumer purchasing priorities and the research revealed that saving is a forgone priority in an increasing amount of household budgets. The biggest barrier-to-entry in any budget for savings is the belief that there is no ‘extra’ money to save, and as a result, the money is channelled into commodities, accommodation, groceries and other expense pockets. In […]
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BUY OR RENT?
In an article published on Fin24 earlier this year, it was said that homes are expected to become less affordable this year (2014). John Loos, household and property sector strategist at FNB Home Loans, said the following: “After six years of improving residential property affordability, 2014 could be a year in which this improving affordability trend is reversed mildly, and in which affordability becomes slightly more challenging,” said Loos. Now, I don’t sell Home Loans – […]
Continue readingMore TagFRESH SAVING TIPS!
Economists are not positive about the growth of investments this year as they foresee a tighter budgetary approach from investors who are feeling the pinch of rising costs. This means that all of us should be doing whatever we can to engage with our monthly spending plans and pull back on unnecessary costs. With that in mind, here are my regular ‘end of the month’ saving tips! 1. PREPARE MEALS YOURSELF, AT HOME The demand for […]
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MIND THE GAP
For those of you who have travelled on a tube in London, you’ll know the familiar sound of the lady saying “Mind the gap.” as you step on and off your tube. In fact, even if you haven’t travelled to the Big Smoke, you’ve probably heard about it. However, when people buy health cover they’re very seldom told to mind the gap. I always try to make it very clear to my clients that the gap […]
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HOW ARE THE MARKETS LOOKING?
Fluctuations in the markets are one of their defining characteristics. Various factors contribute to the vicissitudes of investor behaviour, both locally and globally, and many of these are psychological factors that are strongly influenced by perceptions – and an interest rate hike will surely shake the boat. It’s always good to know how your investment portfolio is constructed and variety is important to encourage an overall positive return. When local markets are up, global markets might […]
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FUEL PRICE ADVICE
What goes up must come down… except for the fuel price! A little over a week into the new month and all drivers are already feeling the weight of the escalating petrol and diesel prices. Reaching record heights last week, petrol pumps are now set at over R14 per litre (R13.95 at the coast), and this excludes the increased fuel levies that will be imposed from April, as announced in the budget speech at the end […]
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#BUDGET2014 – THE SKINNY
Last week Pravin Gordhan, Finance Minister to President Jacob Zuma, delivered his final budget speech for the current administration. Financial gurus, economists, financial planners and all those money-astute, sat rapt and listened with educated ears to the updated blueprints for South Africa’s future. This blog is not written with them in mind, but rather for those who know that there are some changes and simply wish to know what the bottom line is. If you are […]
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