It’s literally 24-hours after payday and your bank account is being hit by debit order collections left, right and centre! The attack is so vicious it feels like your cellphone is having a fit, brought on by a slew of uncontrollable SMS notifications – ‘It’s ok little fella, this too shall pass’. Begrudgingly you pick […]
Brendan Els
3 Not So Obvious Money Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Considering Having Another Child
Dikeledi is turning 4 next month. The party invitations are out, and the Unicorn cake order is in. It honestly feels like yesterday that you received the earth-shattering news that made your eyes well up. The name Dikeledi means “tears” in Setswana and considering how long you waited for your first bundle to arrive, the […]
10 Money Questions Every New Parent Should Know The Answer To
“I’m pregnant!” – How many times will you be able to utter those joyous words in a lifetime? Perhaps only a handful of times, if you are lucky. One thing is for sure though, your finances are never going to be the same again. Welcome to a 21-year financial commitment (that’s a minimum BTW) and […]
Meet Stan – He Doesn’t Like The Word ‘Artificial’ But He’ll Take ‘Intelligent’
In a not too distant future, your online purchases will be delivered to your front door by a swarm of drones. Your car will drive you to work while you sit in the back seat, and your fridge will work out that your favourite bar of Swiss chocolate is all but finished and will be […]
Admin Hacks You Can Wave Away Once You Dive Into The Stangen “My Policy Dashboard”
Time is money. You’ve heard it before, right? What that somewhat overtraded phrase really tries to sum up is the concept of “opportunity cost”. If I’m doing this right now, it’s taking away from my ability to do that (which might be far more valuable to me). And if you truly believe that time is […]
Hold On A Second, Why Am I Suddenly Paying An Extra R838 p/m For My Child’s Medical Aid?
It’s the day after all your monthly debit orders have run. You know the “usual suspects” have been dipping into your bank account because your cell phone has been steadily dancing away to the tune of a flurry of SMS notifications. Doesn’t this type of text message activity look familiar in and around the beginning […]
Easter Holiday Insurance Checklist
‘Kinda fresh’ is a fair description for early mornings this time of year, neighbourhood trees are sporting fashionable golden scarves, and hot chocolate sales around the country are gradually starting to pick up as the sun sets earlier and earlier every evening. Yes, Autumn is in the air, and that means the Easter Holidays are […]
16 Warning Signs That You’re Slowly Losing Control Of Your Personal Finances
It feels like the ATM is directly poking fun at you as it sticks out a paper tongue. Two words are neatly printed out on the bank slip – “Insufficient funds”. You figured as much, but the zero-balance staring back at you is a clear indication that there are dark clouds gathering on your personal […]
Can You Trust Your Children’s Legal Guardians With Your Life Insurance Payout?
People can be funny when it comes to money. Have you ever been out for dinner with a big group of family members or friends? When it’s time to square up at the end of the evening, it’s strange how difficult it sometimes is to get everyone to chip in what they really owe. Imagine […]
No Change To Income Tax Brackets But Watch Out For The “Creep”
Meet Bongani… Bongani is 30 years old and currently earns R25 000 a month. The great news for Bongani is that he is due for an increase in a couple of weeks, and his salary will be bumped up to R27 500 a month. “Life couldn’t be better,” Bongani thinks, as he pulls out of […]