Insights
What if You Live Longer Than You Thought You Would?
We spend our whole lives planning for retirement. While nurturing our nest egg, we worry about short-term risks. Things like wars, elections, interest rates, leaking roofs and tax breaks.
But how many of us stop to consider the prospect of living to 90 or 100? People are living longer than ever before. But most of us don’t pay enough attention to longevity when planning for retirement. Read on for some tips on how to have a long and happy retirement.
Climbing a “Wall of Worry” on an Unstable Footing
Global markets are currently climbing a classic “wall of worry”, stubbornly rising against a persistent backdrop of uncertainty.
However, this rally is increasingly viewed as fragile, driven more by positioning and narrative than by a fundamental assessment of the real risks arising out of the Iran war.
Why Every South African Also Needs a “Digital Will”
Estate planning in South Africa has followed a well-trodden path: we draft a will, appoint an executor, and ensure our physical assets – the house, the car, the Krugerrands – are accounted for.
However, in an era where our lives are increasingly hosted in the cloud, a significant portion of our estates is becoming invisible. Without a “digital will” or a comprehensive folder, your heirs may find themselves locked out of your financial, sentimental, and professional life.
Death and (Capital Gains) Taxes: Don’t Get Caught Out
Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is not a flashy, Ferrari-driving, Gucci-wearing kind of tax. Instead, it quietly goes about its business in the background, day in and day out. This doesn’t make it any less consequential.
Many estates that appear financially secure can come under unexpected pressure from Capital Gains Tax at death. The good news is that there are several relief mechanisms within the tax system that, with careful planning, can meaningfully reduce this impact.
Snakes and Ladders: Managing Your Money in a World That’s Lost the Rulebook
What could a childhood board game possibly have to do with investment advice? Quite a lot, it turns out.
Uncertainty has always been a feature of human history. But in recent years, the volatility has ramped up several notches. Change is everywhere, it seems, and there’s always a fresh crisis around the corner. But amid all the turmoil there is also opportunity. You just have to be prepared to land on a few snakes…
Is SA’s Investment Tide Changing?
For over a decade, the best you could say about South African markets was that there was a lot of unrealised potential. At worst, there was a sense of structural decay.
But could a shift be underway? In this article, we look at the changing sentiment towards South Africa and what it might mean for local investors.
Adjusting the Sails Strengthens Long-Term Wealth
The 2026 Budget was greeted with wide acclaim, but not much was made of the seemingly insignificant increase of the annual CGT exclusion from R40,000 to R50,000.
It might not seem like much, but the extra R10,000 will make rebalancing your portfolio every year more important than ever. As any yachtsman will tell you, the only way to reach your final destination is to make continual small adjustments along the way.
Simple mistakes that Tax-Free Investors continue to make
Tax-free Investment accounts (TFIs) were introduced in 2015 to encourage South Africans to save more. Ten years later, we now have a sufficiently long track record to analyse whether investors are maximising the material benefits that they offer. With ten years of...
The “Grey Zone”: It’s Time to Redefine Retirement
Retirement has long been seen as a binary switch: you worked until 60 or 65, and then shuffled off to live off your pension.
But so much has changed. Economic shifts, increased longevity, and the “fractionalisation” of the workplace have birthed a new era: The “grey zone”. In this article, we explore why it’s time to look at retirement in a completely different way.
Your Year-End Tax Checklist: Smart Moves Before 28 February
"The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that still carries any reward. (John Maynard Keynes) 1. Boost your retirement savings Contributing to a Retirement Annuity (RA) before 28 February can reduce your taxable income and grow your long-term wealth....
Search our insights