If you would like to buy a property or two, please raise your hand. If you love wading through red tape and bureaucracy, please raise your hand. If you enjoy spending ages on hold and doing endless administration and filling out forms, raise your hand. If uncertainty and putting your life on hold gives you a thrill, raise your hand. If you only did so right in the beginning and the other statements leave you feeling dizzy, this article is for you.
Category: Lending/Loans
Compared to the Joneses, how have you faired with managing your debt this season?
The season is turning. Winter is coming. Soon, your hollow-boned teenager will need a new winter school uniform. The world might have been brought to a standstill for months, but it did not stop your kids from growing taller. You may only need half a smart outfit and bunny slippers to conduct your zoom meetings but not so your kids – at least on alternate days.
Stokvels – an ingenious indigenous way to save and grow your money
Ubuntu can be translated as “I am because we are”. We know from our troubled history that through the centuries the majority of our society were excluded from many of the rights, privileges and supports afforded to Whites. Stokvels have endured for centuries and show the power of ubuntu.
The Finance Minister has spoken – extraordinary measures, monies and circumstances
The passage of time seems to be such a fractured thing right now and it isn’t going to stop being so any time soon. As a country, we are bracing ourselves for the cresting of the Corona wave.
Undoing Lockdown – levels of business support
Some feel cheated. We were told ‘this lockdown thing’ will come to an end, and yes, we knew it would not quite mean business to usual, but THIS unusual? And for how long, THIS time? Anger and frustration, fueled by denied addictions and proclivities, are rising. Scathing memes and poisonous comments are setting Facebook and social media on fire. There are growing accusations of class and race prejudice from all sides.
Advice on first homes and first real grown-up debt
Buying a house is a scary prospect and may be something that you have put on the back burner. You may tell yourself that you are being wise – after all the current economic climate is dicey and you may worry about the future. However, do you know that should you buy a house, you not only save on rent (in other words paying someone else’s bond) but your asset may well make a profit after the first year? This means it is one of the better debts you may enter into in your life time. Admit it, the vast majority of us yearn for a place to call our own…
Debt – coaxing the monster out from under the bed
Financial monsters: As a Financial Advisor, I can sense the palpable fear and desperation when some people come to see me for the first time. It takes courage to come and, like the dentist, I am avoided until the pain of debt and fear of financial ruin become too much.
The power of two – On credit scores and being twins
How is your credit rating determined? Your Credit Bureau score is calculated using a formula that evaluates how well or how badly you pay your bills, how much debt you carry and how all of that stacks up against other borrowers. The lower your scores, the less you stand a chance of obtaining a loan or other financing.
When you need a new car
If you drive a car in South Africa, you will understand the hassle of replacing it. Once you have decided on a make and model, the paperwork begins. Some dealerships will try and rip you off, by adding extra administrative costs to the transaction.
Lending criteria for the self-employed
As a somewhat public figure, I find myself fielding questions of a financial nature at the most random times.