A deceased estate is a term for your assets, income, and liabilities after you pass. This is vested in the Master of the High Court, who appoints an executor to manage the affairs of this estate – including: collecting assets, liquidating the estate’s liabilities, and distribution of the balance to heirs. The executor is...
Living annuity vs life annuity
Once you opt to retire from a retirement savings product, two-thirds of your funds need to be invested into a living or life annuity. If you have reached retirement (55), the time to draw an income from your retirement savings is now. People who have retired have two options, to purchase either a life...
Tame your finances to regain control of your money
Credit, in conjunction with bad spending habits, often leave many South Africans living from payday to payday. However, it is never too late to take control of your finances and free yourself from bad spending habits. Recent surveys conducted by Debt Rescue, indicate that 85% of South Africans need help, financially and emotionally as...
What is the best way to spend my tax refund?
Consumer profile: Khalid is a contractor and a single male in his mid-30’s. Each year, he receives a SARS refund, primarily driven by retirement annuity (RA) contributions and other items which he can claim based on his line of work. For illustrative purposes, let’s assume an annual pre-tax income of R1 Million and that,...
South African companies are battling the pandemic and recession – Companies in key industries and coping with the unprecedented crisis
An article by Moneyweb (2020) has reported on the various business sectors in South Africa and their responses to coping during the COVID-19 Pandemic and lockdown restrictions since March. In this time, the South African economy has suffered the longest recession in 28 years, with millions who have lost their jobs. Banks The demand...
Financial anxiety is up around the globe – Moneyweb Surveys (2020) suggests that many people are perilously unprepared for a major economic jolt
As the world reels from the economical shockwaves of the COVID-19 Pandemic, surveys (Moneyweb, 2020) suggest that we are unprepared for a major economical shock. The following statistics were taken from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s 2020 International Survey of Adult Financial Literacy. 42% of the 125 787 adults selected “worrying about...
Safar 1442
Literal meaning: “Empty” During this month, the houses used to be empty and deserted because the ban on going to war in the month of Muharram came to an end and everyone proceeded towards the battlefield. Safar also means to be yellow. When the names of the months were being given, it was the...
The economic volatility surrounding the pandemic | A financial perspective
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all in different ways. Of which, our emotional and financial health suffers in such times of volatility. What you need to remember is that during this period, we are surrounded with anxious situations that render us feeling that one situation will result in our entire world. In such...
Insights on how women invest – products & myth busters
“Women must empower themselves by being ahead of the curve as society catches up.” Much focus has been afforded of late, to the rise of female wealth with frequent discussions on all mediums and platforms on the subject. As such, the contents of this article aims to identify the changes, trends and myth busters...
There’s more than one benefit in this for you
Endowments are often overlooked when it comes to portfolio planning, but they offer many benefits to investors. Endowments are investment ‘wrappers’ around underlying investments in equities, property, bonds and cash that offer tax and estate planning benefits, especially to people in a 30%-plus tax bracket. Originally considered expensive, inflexible and opaque, decreases in cost,...