If you’ve been reading the news or follow trending topics on social media, you would have picked up the furore after it was reported that a certain insurance company refused to pay out a client’s life cover. The story can be summarized as follows: Client had a pre-existing condition which he was aware of at the inception of his insurance policy (according to medical records) but never disclosed it to the insurance company This came to […]
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To do list before I die
I wrote my very first bucket list in 2001 and it was titled ‘to do list before I die’. I’ve added to it and removed a few items from it over the years but I’ve kept the original list in the original cheesy diary it was written in all these years! Every now and again, I open it up and see how far I’ve come and how much work I still need to put in. […]
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Begin with the end in mind
I spent the past weekend in Elgin in the Western Cape. It was the 17th annual Elgin Open Gardens event where many country gardens were opened to the public for viewing. This gives avid gardeners and enthusiasts an opportunity to enjoy the expansive and colourful country gardens and a chance to buy plants/flowers on offer. It was a slow paced, inspiring treat which got me thinking – this would really be an ideal way to spend […]
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The 123’s of art investing
Art investing can serve many purposes. The obvious ones being the potentially high investment returns as well as the aesthetic value. There is also merit in considering this asset class from a tax and estate duty perspective. Capital Gains Tax There is no capital gains tax (during and after your death) on art work purchased for personal use. That means, if you are not an art dealer, you will not be taxed for any gains […]
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A case for art investments
There is definitely a case for art investing given the recent investment returns of certain artworks. According to The Art Price, an art market information portal – ‘’The appeal of Art as an investment stems from the exponential value increases that affect certain works and, in certain cases, the media coverage they attract. 2017 saw plenty of examples of exceptional capital gains.’’ Average art investment returns globally are now in the double digits with an increase […]
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What is financial advisory?
We often get this question about what it is that we really do. Often, what we do is confused with other disciplines within our sector. So let’s start by talking about what we are not. Portfolio Management Portfolio managers or asset managers are experts in stock selection as well as fund collation. In simple terms, they decide which shares, bonds, property stocks to invest in (or not) on the stock market. They also make decisions around […]
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F.I.R.E.
There is an interesting and growing movement among millennials called F.I.R.E. – an acronym for ‘financial independence, retire early’. It’s young people planning to achieve financial independence and retire from their high stress jobs extremely early in their 30s and 40s. They aim to do this by drastically downsizing their living expenses and perhaps getting side gigs to supplement their income. The point is to trade material status and luxuries for more time and freedom. Many […]
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