In the aftermath of South Africa’s downgrade to junk status by two major ratings agencies, it is feared that the country will begin a self-reinforcing downward spiral. Until the end of 2016, Azar Jammine, the director and chief economist of Econometrix, felt that the nation was experiencing a “slow erosion, not a huge slump.” However,...
A death is often a traumatic enough event, without the added burden of dealing with estate matters. Unfortunately, many people underestimate the costs related to death, especially the smaller fees that quickly add up. Consequently, loved ones sometimes find themselves in situations where they have to sell valuable assets in order to settle the outstanding...
Positive steps to regulate and improve the conduct and professionalism of the financial planning industry have been made over the past months and are now coming to a point where it will impact our clients. These steps have been called the Retail Distribution Review (RDR). On the surface, RDR is looking to turn the commission-based...
One sneaky fact about retirement, that many of us often overlook, is that it arrives faster than we expect! Essentially, we are never too young to think about our retirement investments inside of a healthy financial portfolio. As you read this blog, please also bear in mind that each person’s retirement goals are unique and...