The most expensive flight of my life Now that the dust has finally settled on our move to the UK, and most of the whirlwind of admin that goes with packing up and moving to a new country (and then thrown in for good measure – a new job, a new house and new schools, all while in the middle of a... {This is a content summary only - Click on the blog title to view the full article, share your comments and to browse the website ..read more

Crib notes! Over the years I have generated a number of 1 page summaries and explainers related to personal finance and investing. That's because sometimes a picture or an infographic can explain things in way that is a lot easier to understand. Sometimes the different angle allows a concept... {This is a content summary only - Click on the blog title to view the full article, share your comments and to browse the website ..read more

Get some coin! *Updated - September 2021 We all hope to have enough money to pay for our monthly expenses (and some extra for fun stuff of course) once we hit retirement. No one wants to eat dog food 3 times a day. Except your dog of course. But I digress... Retirement Annuities are one of a... {This is a content summary only - Click on the blog title to view the full article, share your comments and to browse the website ..read more

Trading flags. When it comes to my finances, I have realized that being efficient is a key skill. Doing the things that gives me the best return per unit of time, money and effort allows me to take the biggest strides forward. This focus on efficiency is what lead me to move closer to my... {This is a content summary only - Click on the blog title to view the full article, share your comments and to browse the website ..read more

Don't let the market shoot holes in your financial freedomIf you are familiar with the 4% rule, you will know that it's a great guide for retirement planning, as well as for managing your drawdown in retirement. A quick recap on the 4% Rule if this is the first time you are hearing about it –... {This is a content summary only - Click on the blog title to view the full article, share your comments and to browse the website ..read more

Own it, bond free, in 13 years instead of 20For those of us who aren't trust fund babies, a home loan is pretty much unavoidable if you want to buy a house. And yes, due to the duration of a standard home loan, doing it this way means you are going to be paying a lot of interest - a 20 year home... {This is a content summary only - Click on the blog title to view the full article, share your comments and to browse the website ..read more

Just when you thought Winter was  nearly over. Insurance is good business - it’s why the actuaries get paid so well! When Maths is on your side, you know you gonna win. The average insurance premiums are designed so that, on average, for the average person, the insurance company wins.... {This is a content summary only - Click on the blog title to view the full article, share your comments and to browse the website ..read more

Time to check the scoreboardYour credit score is a pretty important number. Why? Well a good credit score not only influences whether or not you will get any finance you are looking to take, but it also plays a big role in determining the interest rate you get for that finance. And this is... {This is a content summary only - Click on the blog title to view the full article, share your comments and to browse the website ..read more

Is it possible to score from a TFSA penalty? Those of you with TFSA accounts should be familiar with the annual and lifetime limits which apply. As it stands, there are severe penalties for contributing more than R36,000 to your TFSA in a single tax year, and more than R500,000 over your... {This is a content summary only - Click on the blog title to view the full article, share your comments and to browse the website ..read more

Real returns - better than fake ones. We need to get real. Realistically speaking, as much as we would really like to keep all of the return our investments generate, the reality is inflation secretly steals some of that return. Okay that was really bad! Doh! Oops, I did it again! Right,... {This is a content summary only - Click on the blog title to view the full article, share your comments and to browse the website ..read more