One long-held belief is that lemmings purposefully run off cliffs in their millions. This myth has become a metaphor for the behaviour of crowds of individuals who follow each other blindly, regardless of the consequences. Herd instincts are prevalent in all parts of life, including the financial industry when investors follow what they feel other investors are doing rather than conducting their own research. A herd instinct is a type of behaviour in which people react […]

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There’s a story that was told many years ago (it may or may not be true…) about a Microsoft call-centre agent and their call with a deeply irate customer. Having recently purchased a computer that came pre-installed with Windows, the customer called to find out why his computer would not respond. It goes a little like this: Call-center Agent (CCA): Thank you for verifying your purchase; how can we help you today? Customer (C): My computer […]

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The simple answer is: Yes, we all are! In a recent blog, we looked at five financial trip-wires and glanced over the term ‘mental accounting.’ Introduced in 1999, it’s a concept that refers to the different values we place on money. These values are often based on subjective criteria; sometimes, this subjectivity benefits us, and sometimes it doesn’t! Mental accounting enables us to create emotional connections with our financial plan. When we consider investment strategies or […]

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“It’s not in the way that you hold me It’s not in the way you say you care It’s not in the way you’ve been treating my friends It’s not in the way that you stayed till the end It’s not in the way you look or the things that you say that you’ll do Hold the line Love isn’t always on time.” If you have the tune of Toto’s yacht-rock hit from 1978, Hold the […]

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If you’ve ever seen the mayhem from the middle of the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), you can be forgiven for thinking it’s a warzone! Whilst most stock exchanges around the world now trade electronically, having cleared out their trading floors, NYSE still hosts the traditional tussle of the floor traders’ open outcries. But this is not the only place where money mayhem can cause a right kerfuffle. Every day, in all […]

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When it comes to financial planning, risk planning, estate planning and investing, many of us like to “set and forget”. Our lives are full of things to remember, for work, family and the communities in which we’re involved – often, the last thing we want to review is our financial portfolio. As a result, it’s easy to forget why we have some of these financial products in the first place. The complexity of financial planning and […]

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Money isn’t real. It’s just an agreed-upon system of exchange. Have you ever heard that?  This is the realisation that many reach when feeling frustrated with tax systems, witnessing social injustice or experiencing the unfairness of life. While money and currency systems may not be real, they represent value and help us form and communicate meaning. Money is interwoven with our stories of life and meaning. “We tell ourselves a story about how we got that […]

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A few short decades ago, we lived in a world that seemed to have far more security and certainty. The rate of change was slower, and many assumed that if you stuck to the system, the system would look after you. Social security, income security and good health were taken for granted in developed countries. The chance of losing one or all of the above didn’t feature too highly in financial plans. As you’re reading this, […]

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“… your money deserves to go places,” Ninety One (dual-listed on both the South African and London Stock Exchanges). Many people who choose to stay in a country feel a sense of pride and patriotism for their local residence. Whether it’s a native birth-right or an adopted sense of nationalism, buying, supporting and investing local is an important priority.  So much so that the thought of moving money offshore can be off-putting.  But when it comes […]

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“If only I’d bought into Bitcoin in 2008…” “But, it’s not regulated…” “But, the bubble…” “Bitcoin – I don’t want to miss out…” Before engaging in any blog about Bitcoin, it HAS to be stated that Bitcoin is an incredibly risky investment that may or may not pay off. Bitcoin is a decentralised digital currency, without a central bank or single administrator, that can be sent from user to user on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network without […]

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