Daily Maverick Articles

In most cases, some form of retirement savings is available through group schemes offered an employer. Unfortunately though, sometimes the people that set these up take a chance, and hide details in the fine print. Let's take some time and discuss what you should look out for, and uncover the truths hidden underneath.

As we've spoken about before, it's important to have some assets overseas if possible, as it diversifies your portfolio to optimise growth. However, what are the advantages of having it in a wrapper? Let's take some time and unpack this scenario, with special interest on inheraitance and taxation.

We all want to live our lives as comfortably as possible, but often don't think about what happens to our loved ones should we pass away, or don't take the necessary measures soon enough. Let's take some time and discuss the importance of this planning, and ensure a bright future for your loved ones after you're gone.

We often hear the term "make your money work for you", but very few people actually understand what it entails, and how to go about achieving it. Let's take some time and shed some light on this concept, using retirement monies as an example.

The idea of planning for retirement can seem like quite a daunting task, and often times, people leave it a bit later than they should. Then when it comes to crunch time, it can lead to much anxiety and stress. Let's take some time and discuss ways to circumvent this problem, should you find yourself in it.

If you lived overseas, you would not have all your investments in South Africa. By spreading your investments across countries, you can get better returns and reduce the risk in your portfolio

The phrase "make your money work for you" is thrown around very often, but most people don't really grasp the concept fully, or have the knowledge of what to do and what resources are available. Let's take some time and discuss what structures you can put in place to ensure a healthy financial standpoint and in turn "make your money work for you".

As we've discussed many times before, nothing in my line of work is "one size fits all"; everyone has a unique set of circumstances that must be taken into consideration when they make decisions. You need to be in a solution which works in line with your own goals and targets. A specific factor in this regard is deciding what type of annuity option to choose. Let's take some time to discuss the differences between living and life annuities, and where the strength lies within each option.

This industry is mostly filled with people who are eager to do the necessary for their clients to help them grow and achieve financial success. However, as with many other professions, every now and then there tends to be a snake in the grass. Let's take some time and discuss what you should be looking out for and how to go about picking the right options.

As we've spoken about before, death is never an easy topic to talk about, but every now and then, life forces you to face the music. It is, however, important to arm yourself with the relevant knowledge. Let's take some time to understand death benefit payouts and their relevant tax implications.

Bank interest rates have been very good this year and many received a nasty surprise when they realized how much tax is payable. By restructuring the investment so that you pay CGT rather than income tax, you can reduce your tax bill significantly.

As someone who used to be employed as a teacher many years ago, and still work with many to this day, I'm quite familiar with the types of pension funds that are available in an already underpaying profession. Let's take a look at home you could structure your affairs to give you the best returns and most longevity.