All of us have moments in our life when we realise that we have to make a change. Sometimes change is something we choose, and sometimes it happens to us, forcing us to find a new way to cope. Making a sustainable change is something that we can choose – before life forces something worse upon us. As Reinhold Niebuhr’s serenity prayer says: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the […]
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Ifs, buts and Bitcoin
“If only I’d bought into Bitcoin in 2008…” “But, it’s not regulated…” “But, the bubble…” “Bitcoin – I don’t want to miss out…” Before engaging in any blog about Bitcoin, it HAS to be stated that Bitcoin is an incredibly risky investment that may or may not pay off. Bitcoin is a decentralised digital currency, without a central bank or single administrator, that can be sent from user to user on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network without […]
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The dangers of unchecked emotions
“If you cannot control your emotions, you cannot control your money.” – Warren Buffet Whether it’s because we’re aware of how others perceive us when spending on luxury items, or if it’s a constant juggle to stay afloat and make ends meet. We cannot separate our emotions from our finances; we need to learn how to manage them. All of us have an emotional relationship with money, whether we realise it or not, and whether it […]
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It’s Hue-Guh, not Hoo-Gah
Hygge (pronounced hue-guh, not hoo-gah) is a Danish word used when acknowledging a feeling or moment as cosy, charming or special. This can happen whether alone or with friends, at home or out, ordinary or extraordinary. It’s about how the event makes you feel, not the event itself. From Danish cookies, cheese and pastries to their culture of simplicity, politeness, and equality – they should have a pretty good sense of how cosy-charming-special truly feels! And, […]
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The best interest-bearing investment: knowledge
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest” – Benjamin Franklin Those who invest in their education often end up richer – not just because they often improve their financial situation, but because their minds are richer too. This story is a good example and brings us back to our earlier blog about how education can change the world: I wanted to change the world ( – Author: Unknown monk around 1100 AD) When I was […]
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Bite-sized chunks
No matter how hard we try, we never seem to get it all right… all the time! We were taught as kids that practice makes perfect, and this phrase set us up for unrealistic expectations. At some point in our future, we figured we would get it perfect. All we needed to do was keep trying and keep practising. A different way to phrase that saying could be that practice makes progress, not perfection. Progress is […]
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Education for all
“If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.” – Chinese Proverb Another Chinese proverb this brings to mind is, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Both proverbs advocate imparting knowledge or teaching self-sufficiency to plan for more success in […]
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Stop telling yourself these things
Everyone knows that building wealth can help to ensure financial security in the future. Yet, it is a small number of the world’s population who have had the opportunity and fortitude to save money consistently. In some cases, this is because putting money away is not the easiest thing to do. It’s a tough habit to form. As a result, we don’t give ourselves time to save, only time to spend. These behaviours cause us to […]
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Key thoughts for passive investors
Passive investing has become the most popular investing strategy, globally. Simply put, it’s the strategy of buying the whole market (a diversified reach of stock allocations, ETFs and the like), and continually contributing to your portfolio. The long-term goal is to achieve the average market return. This strategy avoids buying and selling regularly (like with actively managed strategies), long hours of extensive research into individual companies and stocks. In theory, this sounds like an easy approach […]
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Something we don’t need a cure for
“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity” – Dorothy Parker This statement in itself suggests that boredom needs a cure. We tend to steer away from boredom and try to escape it at all costs. Nobody likes to be bored, but it’s not in fact as negative as perceived. There is plenty of research confirming the opposite – the benefits of boredom; what are these and what happens if we allow […]
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