Whilst it’s good to have someone on your team (your financial adviser) who knows what’s happening in the markets, it’s not always helpful to relay all that information to you and have you make decisions about it. We can’t control the markets, but we can control our conversations about money. That’s why it’s not always helpful to ask what is happening in the markets; it’s more beneficial to ask what problems we can work on in […]
Continue readingAuthor: Lara Warburton
It’s okay to listen and learn
Over the last two decades, we’ve been introduced, seduced and held captive by the overwhelming presence of digital communication. From the days when we promised ourselves we would ‘never get emails on our Blackberry’ to an age where we can DM, post, comment, react, share, support, subscribe, pin, tweet, self-publish, sync, stream, webcast, update, upload and download practically anything and everything. We’ve moved from a chosen behaviour to listen and learn to a conditioned behaviour of […]
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When the markets have you second-guessing
“Genuine travellers travel not to overcome distance but to discover distance.” James P Carse Investing money is always a paradox: it’s simple, complex, straightforward, challenging, mathematical, and unpredictable. It’s because of our emotional influence that plays a significant role in every decision we make. When investing in the markets, many have said it’s all about time in the markets, not timing the markets. When trying to time the markets, our emotions can offset our mathematical thinking […]
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The Superman Syndrome
Have you ever watched a superhero movie where they show the origin story of the hero? It’s often a journey of going from ordinary and wanting so much more, to being extra-ordinary and not being able to cope with all of the responsibility. A sense of overwhelming obligation can both distract and dilute the hero from being truly powerful in exacting the change they would like to see. And, although we’re not superheroes we can sometimes […]
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Car insurance and your financial portfolio
When the effects of inflation are being felt more than ever, and global economies are stuck in a state of recovery, it’s common for us to sit down and review our monthly expenses in a fervent drive to reduce our expenses. As we scroll through our bank statements or budgeting apps, we will start to question every payment – and insurance will always catch our eye and have us asking if it’s really necessary. The answer […]
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Fight or flight – freeze or appease?
We all have reactionary instincts, which can be quite different in various situations. We won’t always run from certain challenges (flight) or panic when confronted with a problem (freeze). Sometimes we may stand our ground and represent our deep values (fight), but in other cases, we could simply go with the flow in order to keep the peace (appease). In her article “Everything I Know About Fight or Flight, ” Aurora Eliam describes how these hormonal […]
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Retirement 101
Creating your long-term saving goals (this is retirement for many people) is not something that you can simply decide on the spot – and often, these goals may change over time. Before you even get into some of the technicalities of long-term saving strategies, as we will cover in this blog, you need to know why you’re saving – and what you’re saving for. When you know the why, the how is much easier. This should […]
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Financial lessons from Rich Dad, Poor Dad
In his bestselling book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, the author, Robert Kiyosaki, explains the fundamental differences in the way his two fathers thought about money — his real father who was ‘poor’ and the father of his best friend who was ‘rich’, despite both earning a good salary. From studying their journeys, he realised that your wealth can depend more on your actions than the money you earn. He surmised that it is, therefore, important to […]
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The urgency of an emergency fund
An emergency fund is a lump sum of money that is important to set aside to cover any financial surprises, such as car breakdowns, medical requirements, home repairs, vet bills, or sudden unemployment. These unexpected emergencies can be stressful, costly, and they often demand immediate payment. You can financially manage these unanticipated disasters by ensuring you have an emergency fund to fall back on when the need arises. Insurance can play a big part in financing […]
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Recent change to TFSAs
A National Treasury regulation that came into play on 1st March 2018 now provides South Africans with more flexibility when it comes to investing their money in a tax-free savings account (TFSA). According to an article published on Business Tech, South Africans will be able to switch as much as they want of their money in a TFSA between financial service providers at no additional cost. They can do this up to a maximum of twice […]
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