The pandemic has affected virtually everyone. While many of us perhaps lived without taking too much notice of the pennies, this event has highlighted the value of a clear and definite strategy for our income, allowing us to weather storms better. For this reason we wanted to share a principle of budgeting that can help [...]
Is This the New Normal? In light of the economic 'mood' we are experiencing in South Africa, can we be optimistic about our future? We invite you to listen in on the Podcast below, where Jeremy Gardiner from Ninety One, explains an interesting perspective on how the Corona Virus has been handled [...]
Should I File a Tax Return for the 2020 Tax Year? In response to COVID-19, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has tried to simplify the tax filing process for individual taxpayers and remove the need to visit branches. SARS has introduced a four-phased approach to filing season this year: 1. Phase [...]
The One Thing That Matters In a time of intense contestation on the correct economic policy for South Africa, economists from the left, right and centre all agree on one thing: productivity matters. As left of centre and self-proclaimed progressive Paul Krugman put it: ‘Productivity is not everything, but in the long [...]
Some Good News That We All Need! Over the past year there have been occasional pings for an update on the huge gas find at the strangely named Brulpadda Prospect 175km off the Southern Cape coast. Announced on 7 Feb 2019 by French oil major Total, its CEO Patrick Pouyanne told reporters [...]
The Power of Optimism Who knew that optimism could be such a powerful force! As a result of investors focusing on the good news and not the bad, we have seen market values being pushed up. However this information means different things to different investors. Above all, what will help you make [...]
Fasten Your Seatbelt? Or Jump? This slide shows the difference in what the average actual investor earned invested in the S&P 500 vs how the S&P 500 performed. In theory they should be exactly the same. So why the difference? The difference is due to poor investor behaviour, in other words, pulling [...]
Crisis? What Crisis? While the world around us feels like it is falling apart, you might be forgiven for missing the fact that many investment markets, including our own, have mostly recaptured losses and in some cases are making new highs. How can the value of assets such as equities fall by [...]
COVID-19 and You Wondering how COVID-19 is affecting the market, and as a result your future? Can we feel hopeful about our economy, after looking at China's economic response following their lockdown? Following some commendation that South Africa has received from other countries, is that a good sign for our economy in [...]
Helpful Links for SMME Relief Aid This lockdown period has been a lonely and financially stressful time for many people. With that in mind, below is a list of links/websites that may be helpful to you, or someone you know. Please take note that we are merely passing on this information, and [...]
