You might not want to get married, but you still need a will
There was a High Court judgment that caused a stir recently. It ruled that certain sections of the Intestate Succession Act were unconstitutional because they discriminated against heterosexual unmarried life partners. Two people living together in a long-term heterosexual relationship were not protected by the Act. In other words, if one partner died intestate (without […]
The rand has strengthened, what should I as an offshore investor, make of this?
The rand has strengthened, against all odds, over the past six months. Our clients have been vocal about this and are asking the following question: what is the longer-term prognosis for the rand? This is not an easy question to answer as there is a whole spectrum of different opinions from economists and financial scholars. […]
HESTER VAN DER MERWE WINS FPI’S COVETED FINANCIAL PLANNER OF THE YEAR AWARD
PRESS RELEASE (Afrikaans version is below the English) NOVEMBER 2020 HESTER VAN DER MERWE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: HESTER VAN DER MERWE WINS FPI’S COVETED FINANCIAL PLANNER OF THE YEAR AWARD Ultima Financial Planners recently announced that one of their employees, Hester van der Merwe, was named 2020’s Financial Planner of […]
Q&A: Relevant Financial Planning Questions during the Covid-19 Pandemic
How has the Covid-19 pandemic changed the way I need to BUDGET? The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have changed our world completely. For most of us our monthly income and expenses look significantly different now compared to January 2020. If your income and expense structures change significantly you should pay close attention to […]
New laws for expats
Personal Finance ~ Carla Rossouw from Allan Gray ~ 3 March 2020 As of 1 March 2020, South African tax residents living and working abroad are required to pay tax of up to 45% on their foreign employment income, if they earn more than R1.25 million per year – although they may qualify for […]
Comparing the benefits of a tax free savings account and a retirement annuity fund
The article was written by Jaco Prinsloo, Certified Financial Planner at Alexander Forbes Financial Planning Consultants (updated 31 January 2022) The benefits of saving are well known, as are the tax benefits offered by tax-free savings accounts (TFSA) and retirement annuity funds (RA). But what is unclear is which savings vehicle is better. Before we […]
Benefits of topping up a retirement annuity
The best preparation for the future is now As we are approaching the end of 2020 tax year (29 February), this serves as a good opportunity to consider topping up on your retirement annuity. Retirement funds offer great tax benefits as the government offers various incentives to encourage retirement savings. The deductible contributions are limited […]
Introduction to 2020
As we are all at the beginning of a new year, we instinctively hope for a better year ahead than normally the one we just come from. Engaging with people and clients alike many ask questions like; What is going to happen this year on the markets, what is the rand going to do this […]
Formal emigration not a ticket to tax exemption
TAX / 13 JULY 2019, 09:00AM / JOSEPH BOOYSEN ~ Personal Finance ONCE South Africans emigrate, they are not totally exempt from tax. Supplied Many South Africans believe they are completely tax-exempt in South Africa once they have formally emigrated, but this is a huge misconception, says Coreen van der Merwe, managing director of the South African arm of […]
Do you really need Critical illness cover?
You might not have a family history of any serious diseases and be perfectly healthy, yet your financial planner will always recommend critical illness cover as an essential component of a holistic financial plan. It is an expensive benefit and therefore not always considered a priority. As financial planners we know that a critical illness […]
