With rising COVID-19 cases, South Africa took the bold step of entering into a national lockdown in March this year. Retrospectively termed a Level 5 lockdown, our national response to the emergence of COVID-19 meant that various industries had to suddenly close as South Africans remained at home to help our medical and essential service providers prepare for a wave of COVID-19 cases....
Read More..Choosing a bank account is one of the most important financial decisions people can make. Not only does a bank account allow you to keep your money safe, but also to transact between accounts, apply for credit, or make investments for your future. There are several major factors you should consider when choosing a bank account – and selecting the right account that offers the servic...
Read More..The “economy” is often referred to in newspapers, discussion forums, radio, and television as a measure of how a country is performing financially – and often discussions around how the economy is performing mention a direct impact on a person’s finances, their ability to manage debt, as well as their saving and investment plans for the future. But what is the economy, really? The ec...
Read More..When it comes to managing your monthly expenses, it can be difficult to define how you should settle your costs – especially if you have recently found yourself in financial distress, or suffered an unforeseen emergency expense that you couldn’t have anticipated. While it is important to settle all of your expenses, prioritising your payments can help you form a plan of action and al...
Read More..Loyalty programmes are offered by retailers to encourage you to shop at their outlets. We explore how you can leverage these schemes to boost your budget. What is a loyalty programme? Loyalty programmes are reward schemes that are designed to attract and retain customers that can either offer discounts on goods or services, offer free rewards, or can give a ‘cashback’ option where c...
Read More..Currencies are used to exchange for goods and services, but how are they valued? In this helpful guide, we explore what defines the South African Rand. What is a ‘currency’? “Currency” is a term that refers to a medium of exchange for goods and services. While today people would traditionally use paper or coins (or digitised representations of paper or coins) when transacting either...
Read More..Dealing with load shedding has become a familiar challenge for South Africans, requiring us to continuously adjust our budgets and plans to cope with life without electricity, even for short durations. 2023 has witnessed the emergence of Stage 6 load shedding, characterized by rolling blackouts that sometimes extend beyond eight hours per day. As a result, the financial implications...
Read More..An estate is what is called a ‘legal entity’ or ‘legal vehicle’, which is used to manage your assets and your finances after you have passed on. Rather than immediately distributing all of your wealth or possessions to loved ones, an estate can manage these assets as a company or group of people would – creating what is called ‘continuity’ after your passing, where you can create rule...
Read More..
