At the end of the year, there is often a heightened expectation to show appreciation to one’s staff. Whether they help you out around the house or run your company, most of us have people who work for us and feel a desire to show them appreciation! Whilst paying out bonuses is a common way to do this, not all employers can afford to pay out bonuses and may feel stumped as to how to motivate […]
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Road Trip Bliss
For most South Africans, December will include a road-trip of sorts. Whether it’s an hour or two up the coast, or 15 hours across the middle… we live in a country that is too beautiful not to explore in our time off. So how can you use your hours on the road to your advantage? Watch your posture Did you know that sitting in a car naturally makes you moody? Joint research from Harvard and Columbia […]
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Christmas Gifts… Sorted
Every year it seems like Christmas gets closer and closer, and December seems to disappear without warning. Before we know it, it’s a few days before the big day and our gift cache is looking too meager for our liking. So here is my solution: buy online through Takealot! But not at the last minute… start browsing today! Every day, they post their daily deals that have an average of around 40% discount. But if you […]
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Characteristics of a canny investor – Part 2
Just because you don’t have an ultimate financial gambit to sell a business or inherit funds, it doesn’t mean you will never become wealthy. The important thing is to know yourself – in particular, your financial behaviour. Modeling your behaviour after successful investors is already a step in the right direction. Let’s look at some more of the behavioural traits of an astute investor: 1. They get pleasure out of saving, not spending Buying things releases […]
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Characteristics of a Canny Investor – Part 1
By making the most of your income and implementing some savvy financial thinking even an ordinary salary earner can grow an impressive portfolio of assets. Investment success is primarily due to behaviour – not luck. As you will probably know, one of the mature investment perspectives reminds us that it’s not so much about timing the markets as much as it’s about time in the markets. Let’s look at some of the behavioural traits of a […]
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Don’t go crackers
For most of us, November started off with a bang! But unfortunately remembering the redemption from explosive chaos does little to help us manage our time, stress, skills and finances over November and December. It’s like we just go from one event to the next, our limited weekends disappearing under the demands of a myriad of social events – all costing us ‘a little here and a little there’. Before we know it, we look at […]
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When it comes to the rand – local is lekker
Have you ever wondered what causes the rise and drop in commodity prices? While there are several factors at play, the most significant cause is the fluctuating value of a country’s currency. We’ve seen this happen with our own rand in the past few months as our currency has tumbled and gained momentary reprieves, so has the price of certain commodities. As things currently stand our currency is doing better than it was in January of […]
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What are you paying for?
With the recent announcement of some higher-than-expected increases to medical cover products for 2017, many people are reconsidering their medical cover for the immediate future and re-assessing their financial plans to ensure that they are still working with the best portfolio for their lifestyles, their families and their businesses. Whilst the year-ahead increases will cause some to question what they are paying for in medical cover, the larger question – one that is much older than […]
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Life insurance in my 20’s… seriously?
Whether it’s a student loan, vehicle financing or retail credit accounts, it’s likely you’ve incurred some form of debt in your early 20’s. It’s easy to understand why life or disability insurance may feature at the bottom of your list of priority expenses. However, there are rather compelling reasons to buy risk cover while you’re young, in your prime and insurable. There is a common misconception that you don’t need insurance because you’re young and healthy. […]
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Choosing your medical plan for cancer
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in South Africa and may become even more prevalent – medical journal, Lancet, predicts a 78 percent spike in cancer cases by 2030. Despite the prevalence of the disease and the high price tag associated with cancer treatment, medical aid schemes in South Africa do not automatically cover all treatment costs. Comprehensive medical aid options that provide cover both in and out of hospital usually have unlimited […]
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