GUEST - Tim Acker - Portfolio manager at Allan Gray With 2024 being an election year for almost half the world’s population, including South Africa, the US and the UK, many investors are worried about what the future holds and how it will affect their wealth. But the times we live in will always be uncertain and the trick is to remember many of the behavioural biases that erode wealth during periods of heightened risk. In times like these, we can improve our long-term investment outcomes by focusing our efforts on the things that stay the same, rather than the variables that are out of our ..read more

GUEST - Meagan Fraser, Tax manager at Allan Gray One of the key benefits of investing for retirement using a retirement fund is the generous tax deduction taxpayers receive for saving towards their retirement. But is there any benefit in contributing beyond the maximum annual tax-deductible amount to a retirement fund? Meagan Fraser, tax manager at Allan Gray, joins Kaya Biz to unpack the tax benefits of retirement annuities and explains the pre- and post-retirement benefits of making excess contributions to your retirement fund savings. Kaya 959 ..read more

GUEST – Richard Carter - Head of Assurance at Allan Gray According to industry stats, the average South African retiree can replace just 31% of their monthly income when they reach retirement. Most income-earners face the very real risk of outliving their retirement nest egg. Richard Carter, head of Assurance at Allan Gray, joins Kaya Bizz to discuss how to plan for and achieve a sustainable retirement income. Kaya 959 ..read more

GUEST - Mthobisi Mthimkhulu - Direct Clients manager at Allan Gray In a world where instant gratification is king, it can be hard not to get distracted by the lure of short-term gains. But taking a long-term view of your investments and staying the course can give you the edge to achieve better investment returns over time. Kaya 959 ..read more

The end of the tax year in February presents an opportunity to evaluate the tax efficiency of your financial plan. With many competing financial priorities in the current economic climate, as well as the pending changes to the retirement fund system, you may be wondering whether maximising the annual tax incentives still makes sense. Discussion points:  Why is it important to think about tax when you consider your financial plan?  What are the tax benefits of saving for retirement using a retirement annuity?  How do these compare to the tax benefits of investing in a tax-free investment pro ..read more

GUEST – Shaheed Mohamed, Head of Group Savings and Investments at Allan Gray School fee increases in South Africa have, on average, been roughly 2.6% above inflation every year since 2012, aside from 2021. In an environment of already high consumer inflation, this packs an extra punch. Many of us rely purely on our salaries to pay for our children’s education. We absorb the cost from month to month, tweaking our budgets to accommodate the ever-increasing expense. But the problem with this is that the cost of education typically grows at a higher rate than the average salary and inflation in g ..read more

GUEST – Marise Bester, senior investment specialist at Allan Gray The first few weeks of a new year can feel like a clean slate and a good time to give our finances a fresh start. Research suggests that we are most motivated to achieve the goals we set when we action them at the start of a new period. Marise Bester, senior investment specialist at Allan Gray joins Kaya Bizz to discuss how to set achievable financial goals and shares tips for setting quarterly goals that encourage good financial habits. Kaya 959 ..read more

GUEST – Gladness Rupare – Investment specialist at Allan Gray The season of “irresistible” specials has officially kicked off and the temptation to overspend lies around just about every corner. In the hive of festive activity and faced with ‘deals that are too good to resist’, it’s easy to forget your financial goals and spend more than you planned. Practicing self-control and harnessing the willpower to subdue our impulses to spend are key to achieving our long-term savings and investment goals. Gladness Rupare, investment specialist at Allan Gray, joins Kaya Bizz to discuss how you ca ..read more

GUEST – Lise-Mari Crafford, head of ManCo Distribution at Allan Gray In any period of change, like the current high inflationary environment escalating living costs across the board, we are forced to make adjustments to our finances. Not all adjustments are necessarily negative ones, and they can be leveraged to form new, positive habits that can help us achieve better financial planning outcomes over the long term. Lise-Mari Crafford, head of ManCo Distribution at Allan Gray, joins Kaya Bizz to discuss some of the positive changes you can apply right now to recalibrate your personal finances ..read more

GUEST - Tamryn Lamb, head of Retail at Allan Gray This year, as Allan Gray celebrates 50 years of long-term investing, its first unit trust, the Allan Gray Equity Fund celebrates its 25th anniversary. When the fund launched 25 years ago, Nelson Mandela was the president, financial markets faced a liquidity crisis after Russia unexpectedly defaulted on its foreign debt, the prime interest lending rate was 21.5%, a dollar cost R5.50 and it cost R126 to fill a 50-litre petrol tank. Though things have changed significantly since, the reality is that the year doesn’t stand out. At any given p ..read more