Women do not accumulate sufficient funds in their retirement as men do and one of the factors affecting this is relationships. Motherhood If a woman chooses to have children during her lifetime, this has been seen to negatively impact the growth of future earnings. We already know about the gender pay gap but what is even more worrying are the findings in a study conducted by Joya Misra, Professor of Sociology & Public Policy, University of […]
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Women’s month
I always have mixed feelings about celebrating Women’s Month in South Africa. We’ve made great strides but also seem to be falling behind on too many important issues. In the financial planning space, it has become very clear that more work needs to be done to assist women with making better financial decisions. There are many issues to be highlighted but we’ll be addressing just four of them this women’s month. The most obvious one of […]
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Are you happy? Do you possess feelings of great pleasure? This is joy. Apparently, the amount of joy one feels improves with age. A study conducted by Comfort Keepers, a senior care specialist company in California, found that people above the age of 60 years possessed the most amounts of joy. Many of the individuals surveyed cited the following as their sources of joy and happiness, in order of priority: Family Love Music Wife Food Friends […]
Continue readingMore TagHome ownership versus your ability to accumulate wealth
Owning your own home, whether it’s a bachelor pad or five-bedroomed mansion, is a deeply personal and emotional attachment we have to a space that transcends rationality. It is bigger and more important than just being about bricks and mortar. For many, home represents a great sense of achievement, independence, protection, love, a refuge and so many other intangibles. In South Africa, the vast majority of the population was restricted from owning their homes and from […]
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It has become evident that burning excess energy unnecessarily is a no-no (in my world anyway). I’ve hung up my running shoes and have given my gym ensembles a break for now because winter is here. And yes, I am well aware that summer bodies are made in winter ???? I’m looking to buy a few good books over the next couple of weeks to keep me occupied while sitting snuggly near the heater. And I’m […]
Continue readingMore TagA grim picture
In simple terms, financial literacy is the ability to make sound decisions regarding saving, borrowing and investing. It is the basic comprehension of the principles of personal financial management. April is world financial literacy month and a time to highlight and reflect on the importance of financial education and its effects on the citizenry as it is widely accepted as one of the biggest contributors to the inequality gap. The less an individual knows about the […]
Continue readingMore TagA new way
In our culture, when a woman gets married, she gets called into a room by aunts and other older female relatives and gets given the ‘lay of the land’. She’s taught never to question her husband about his whereabouts, to dress modestly when in the company of her in-laws, never to nag etc. I know this because I went through a similar process myself. It’s done in good faith and intended to help you navigate the […]
Continue readingMore TagA whole new world (Part 2)
My mother retired too early, the first time around. She also didn’t have a clear plan for her retirement. I remember sitting in a meeting a few years ago and getting 3 missed calls in a row from her on my mobile. I thought something was terribly wrong so I rung her back in a panic, thinking something was wrong. To my horror, all she wanted was to confirm if my brother and I were joining […]
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My mother turned 65 last month and jogs, does yoga and seems to be enjoying life now more than ever before. One of her cousins is in her late 70’s and is equally busy and looks great. She’s also still lucky enough to have her mother around who is a healthy, sparkly 90-something year old! Nothing about these women says they are slowing down anytime soon and it’s a marvel to watch. I can only hope […]
Continue readingMore Tag3 financial lessons learned from my toddlers
The holidays were brutal. I spent a solid 6 weeks with 2 very energetic toddlers and got very little rest. It was a little painful. In any event, spending all that time with them reminded me of a few things that children do that can be applied to your finances, and life in general. Be selfish My children are born 2 years apart and fight constantly. Their biggest issue is having to share things – toys, […]
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