If you've ever watched The Big Short, chances are you know who Michael Burry is. He's the guy who figured out a bubble was forming in the US housing markets pre-2008. He also correctly predicted a market crash would ensue and made a ton of money shorting the housing market.
This week, he noted there are correlations between the bubble which formed in the housing market and Exchange Traded Fund... ››› more
If you're approaching retirement, it's likely this question is keeping you up at night.
It doesn't really matter if you're wealthy, comfortable or just making ends meet. When you get to retirement age the world changes.
In the course of my life I've worked with high-flying executives living what can only be described as “the dream”. Owners of multiple businesses, in multiple countries.... ››› more
Let me ask you a serious question…
How many of you believe you have enough money to last your retirement?
Well when you consider that over 50% of South Africans aren't confident they will be able to draw an income in retirement, I'm going to assume not many of you.
You see, a standard retirement annuity is simply not enough to generate the income you need, for the retirement you want... ››› more
We all like to make a lot of money. It's human nature.
Take investing for example…
People tend to invest most of their money into stocks. Why?
Because stocks are usually the best place to put your money for the highest and fastest growth.
But by doing this, investors sometimes ignore or underestimate the importance of income investing.
Here's what I mean…
... ››› more
What stops a lot of beginners placing their first bet is the simple fact they don't understand the betting platform.
Fear not, as I have three simple to follow steps that will allow you to place your first winning bet.
Read on to discover how you could start earning a second income, watching your favourite sporting events.
**************Recommended**************
Tradi... ››› more
A week ago I was nearly convinced low-cost RA's are the way to go. I read a well written article on the web, promoting the virtues of low-cost RA's.
The article uses the following example:
Someone has saved R3 000 every month for 40 years into a retirement annuity (RA), and earns a return of 6.5% above inflation.
If you pay an investment fee of 3% you'd end up with R3 million at the end ... ››› more
Do you walk into a room full of investors and struggle to understand what's going on around you?
Are you lost in the jargon and anxious that someone is going to ask you a question, you just can't answer?
Well, if that sounds like you then I have some good news.
You don't need to play second fiddle to your investment advisor, your broker or even your smarty-pants friends. You don't need t... ››› more
Thankfully, things have changed since the dark days of apartheid. The investment markets are certainly not racist, sexist or homophobic. If you have enough money, you can invest in anything you want. But the successes you achieve in the investment markets are based on the strategies you use, the opportunities you see and the risks that you avoid.
With that in mind, I want to introduce you to ... ››› more
In the last three weeks, one question constantly comes up in conversation with my friends, “What do you prefer, unit trusts or ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds)?”
My quick answer is always ETFs. But then I'm bombarded with follow up questions asking, “What's the difference and why do you like them so much?”
So, today, I want to put these questions to rest and explain once and for all, why... ››› more
There are so many things you need to consider when planning for your retirement.
Of course, there's the obvious retirement planning concerns, like how much you earn and how much debt you have but there are other factors that could leave you scrambling around trying desperately to build up your retirement savings.
To help you prepare for your retirement, I've found 20 of the most common ret... ››› more
With the rand doing tumbles in the markets right now, you need a way to expose your money to international markets.
You see, by earning money in pounds or dollars, you're protecting yourself from the weaker rand here at home. In fact, you're increasing your investment returns. ETFs are a great way to get exposure offshore with limited risk and capital outlay. Today we've found you the ideal of... ››› more
Last month, I had the privilege of speaking to Gary Booysen as we prepared our articles for The South African Investor publication.
I was fascinated by the history lesson Gary gave me about the evolution of the hedge fund industry. I realised that the investment world is riddled with complex structures, obscure products, puzzling regulations and often downright confusing terminology.
But, ... ››› more
Imagine this…
You invest your hard-earned cash into a fund to help grow your retirement portfolio, but in a mere 2 days, the fund you've invested in loses 66%.
This happened to investors in the Third Circle MET Target Return Fund in December.
What's more, Asset Managers who invested in this fund also lost a fair chunk of their portfolio.
That's why today I want to share the three red... ››› more
On Tuesday, the World Bank announced it cut South Africa's economic growth forecast to 0.8% in 2016. Followed by the words, “The economy is flirting with stagnation if not recession”.
What's more is, the World Bank's economic outlook for South Africa is in line with the IMF's - which estimates economic growth rate to reach 0.7%.
The bottom line is your investments are at risk.
So, if ... ››› more
If you want to invest in tracker funds, you have two options available to you. You can invest in exchange traded funds (ETFs) or you can invest in passively managed unit trusts.
So which is the best option for you?
Read on to find out more…
The differences between ETFs and unit trusts
There are a lot of similarities between ETFs and unit trusts.
Both these types... ››› more
Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are growing in popularity the world over. Since their introduction in South Africa, they have attracted a lot of investment and the number available continues to grow.
So what are the advantages of investing in them? And are they a good alternative to unit trusts?
Let's take a closer look…
The benefits of ETFs
There are a number of benefits to ... ››› more
Ethical investing is growing in popularity.
Ethical investing involves only investing in companies that stick to certain ethics and this means avoiding investing in companies which deal in arms, tobacco and alcohol, for example.
There is an ethical fund in the UK which has outperformed its benchmark and is looking good for further outperformance.
Let's take a closer look…
An ethi... ››› more
If you're looking for a simpler way to invest, unit trusts are a good alternative to investing directly on the stock market.
A unit trust fund manager makes all the decisions for you, but you still need to decide what types of unit trusts to invest in.
So what are the most common types of unit trusts available?
Let's take a closer look…
The benefits of investing in unit trusts
... ››› more
For some investors, the idea of putting a large proportion of their investment money in equity unit trusts doesn't appeal. This is usually due to the higher risks associated with investing in shares.
As well as using unit trusts to invest in shares, you can also invest in unit trusts focusing on bonds.
So how should you go about deciding how to split your unit trusts between shares and bonds... ››› more
Not all unit trusts are managed the same. The fund manager either actively manages the unit trust to try to beat its benchmark or passively manages the unit trust aiming to track the performance of its benchmark.
As an investor, there are a few things you need to consider before deciding which unit trust management is for you…
The downside of actively managed unit trusts
Fund... ››› more
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