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/ 15 November 2006
If you drive less than 1Â 000km a month, you may find that opting for a ”pay as you go” insurance on your car could save you a substantial amount of money. I put Hollard insurance to the test to see if there was actually a substantial saving in opting to pay per kilometre that you drive. While this is not meant to be a product endorsement, I was quite simply astounded by how much I could save, writes Maya Fisher-French.
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/ 7 November 2006
Imagine a banking product that has no monthly account fee, carries no charges when you make purchases, offers 55 days’ interest-free credit, rewards you for using the product by giving you discounts or loyalty points, and then throws in free travel insurance. Not only does it exist, but the banks are so keen for you to have this product they are offering to approve your account in seconds and give you additional interest-free periods.
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/ 30 October 2006
The equity markets are breaking new records and the party has only begun. No, sorry, they have peaked and could be looking at a sharp correction … Anyone could be confused by the conflicting messages coming from market pundits. The only things we can be certain of are that the JSE and Wall Street are hitting new highs and that no one is sure what the next move is going to be.
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/ 24 October 2006
Given the current legislative environment that negatively impacts on the Pension Funds Adjudicator’s ability to carry out his duties, combined with chronic under-funding, current incumbent Vuyani Ngalwana will not be renewing his contract, which expires in March.
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/ 16 October 2006
South Africa is one of the few countries in the world where mortgage bonds are linked to short-term interest rates. As a result South African homeowners experience high volatility when it comes to mortgage repayments. Considering that mortgage payments are the biggest expense for homeowners, it would make sense to find a mechanism that can decrease the volatility of bond repayments, something Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni alluded to recently.
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/ 16 October 2006
There has been bad news with the release of the latest economic statistics, which show inflation rising rapidly, a trade deficit double internationally accepted norms and indications that the economy is slowing with lower growth in car sales and house prices. When trying to make sense of all this, perhaps the best number to look at is the JSE All-Share Index, which reflects the market reaction to economic data.
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/ 10 October 2006
Unlike that from a life annuity, income from living annuities is not guaranteed and bad investment decisions could be very costly. However, in low-interest-rate environments, an appropriately invested living annuity could extend the life of your retirement fund.
Samantha Galliet is best known as "that woman who took on Discovery". Diagnosed with breast cancer at 29, Galliet faced a woman’s worst nightmare. She had a particularly aggressive strain of breast cancer called Her2. Fortunately for Galliet there had been a breakthrough in drug therapy for this type of cancer and her chances of survival were dramatically increased by the availability of a new drug called Herceptin.
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/ 26 September 2006
South African pensioners are now able to convert their homes into retirement annuities without selling their property. Although this product has been available in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia, local banks have taken a while to come to market with a similar product, mostly due to the previously volatile nature of the South African property market.
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/ 26 September 2006
With all the rigmarole required by the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (Fica) when opening up a bank account, one would think criminal syndicates have nowhere to hide. The reality is that, according to the banks, the identification verification process as required by Fica does little in combating fraud.