Current investors have seen more ‘interesting times’, more black swans and market freefalls, than any other generation gone before. From the 2008 global financial crisis, followed by the longest bull run in history, to Brexit, several downgrades for South Africa and then the COVID-19 pandemic, today’s investors have run the gamut. Their emotions have run the gamut too, whether they realise it or not. Our brains on investing Like being chased by a lion or falling […]
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Tips for when markets recover
The last few years have seen more market volatility than anyone could have predicted, with the icing on the cake being the COVID-19 pandemic. But the best and worst thing about markets is their cyclical nature. All markets recover, eventually. We know what to do when there’s a downturn and experience has taught many investors some hard lessons with recent stock market crashes. But what about an upswing? What do you do when the markets recover […]
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Mid-Year Money Check
Many of us only look at our financial plan when we receive a windfall (this is not often…) or when things go terribly wrong. It could be the loss of a job, the loss of a loved one or another crisis (like a global lockdown…). These aren’t necessarily the best times to make investment decisions or changes to our financial plans as emotions are often running extremely high during times of transitions and our stress levels […]
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Living annuities and how they affect your living
Oh, the ironies of life… One of South Africa’s most contentious laws regarding annuities states that a retirement fund may not be completely withdrawn in a lump sum, but a minimum of two thirds must be invested into a compulsory living annuity in an attempt to aid preservation of retirement money. Even those who are well informed about their retirement money sometimes forget this element of their annuities. Then along came the Coronavirus pandemic with global […]
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Words that will make (or cost) you money
Communication around your finances is crucial if you want to be more mindful and intentional around wealth creation. There are some conversations that will help you ascribe meaning to your money, and these should happen early on in your planning process (and regularly thereafter). Then there are conversations that will facilitate the actioning of your financial plan and will be important when you need to make changes to your portfolio. Here is a quick guide to […]
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Hold onto your life cover
Sometimes it feels like this conversation is a broken record, constantly going round and around on the same track: people the world over are feeling the financial pinch and tightening belts. It’s not just a local issue, and it’s not a new concern. A few minutes on Instagram or Twitter will reveal just how many are building their third, fourth or fifth ‘side hustle’. This is partly because our internet age has made alternative streams of […]
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Finding the fungibility in commodities
Depending on your level of investing savvy, you may or may not be comfortable with the term ‘commodities’. As our global systems currently enter one of the toughest times experienced in over a hundred years, you may hear this term bandied about a fair amount. Essentially, commodities are the basic building blocks of the global economy, upon which most other goods are created. They fall into two broad categories – hard and soft. Hard commodities are […]
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Working with different money personalities
As the 2020 global pandemic for COVID-19 becomes forever etched in our history, most of us will remember how the term ‘lockdown’ moved from a novelty to a serious psychological threat. At the point of writing this blog, it’s not clear just how vast and integrated the knock-on effect of lockdown will be, but for most of us it’s confronted us with conversations we’ve never had to have before. Being confined indoors, or a specific area […]
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Investing amid uncertainty
Anything of any value takes time. Likewise, creating wealth is a long-term process. Well-structured investment strategies have always taken uncertainty into account. Patience, resilience and a robust strategy are imperative to weather the global investment storm that has been raging in recent times. As you embark, or continue, upon your journey to great financial security, it is important to wholly understand the investment landscape. This is one of the areas where having an adviser you trust […]
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A level head saves skewed vision
As Nelson Mandela said, once we’ve climbed a great hill we only find that there are many more hills to climb. When you’re looking up or down the hill, it’s easy to have a skewed vision of what’s really going on. We spend more time going up and down than resting at the top; it’s difficult to hold a level head in times of turmoil. You may look at your bank statement this morning and see […]
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