South Africa is an enterprising and entrepreneurial nation… which is why it’s interesting that it can be so tough to do business here. Of all new businesses started in South Africa, nine out of ten of them will close their doors within the first two years. Government grants are talked up but are thin on the ground, B-BBEE requirements are onerous and keep changing, and then there’s the red tape. Bureaucracy has been South Africa’s Achilles’ […]
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What are you willing to trade?
“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson Living life every day is all about trade-offs. The more we live life, the more opportunities we have to understand which choices give us a minute of anger and frustration, or 60 seconds of joy and happiness. However, this requires us to be intrinsically aware of what we’re thinking and doing, and then link it to how that makes us […]
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Earning more isn’t the answer
When it comes to building your wealth, it’s not about how much you make, it’s about how you work with what you have. You do not need a larger paycheck, you only need to invest and use your money wisely. Yes, more money gives you a larger budget to work from but that simply needs increased consideration. Here are some tips that will make it easier to build your wealth, even if you do not have […]
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Five inspiring quotes from women to up your hustle game
August is traditionally about celebrating women, but we believe every month should honour the strong ladies that make our world go around. Here, courtesy of Investec, are five inspiring tidbits of advice to fire you up for slaying the rest of your work week. Like a (woman) boss. Learn from your mistakes – and everything else Palesa Moloi, the former accountant, now successful businesswoman and technologist who created parking app ParkUpp, advises, “Never stop exploring, and […]
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The new life in life insurance
No one knows how long they have in this life and, though it can be uncomfortable to think about, death is 100% guaranteed. Do you have life insurance? Taking out life insurance is not only an act of pragmatism, it’s an act of love. In a world where everyone is consumed with thoughts of themselves, the person who takes out life insurance has asked themselves: ‘What do those around me need? What will help them if […]
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Four Million Ways To Thrive
“There are some four million different kinds of animals and plants in the world. Four million different solutions to the problems of staying alive.” – Sir David Attenborough In her most recent novel, Orange Prize-winning author Madeline Miller describes two fictitious gods talking to each other, the older one explaining to the younger one about these mysterious things called humans. He describes them as each unique, yet all bound by their desire to reach and reach […]
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Four often overlooked steps to reducing financial stress
A lot of people are quite financially stressed right now. It’s understandable – it’s been a hard few years for most of us, and the uphill climb back to a bustling economy, both locally and globally, is far from over yet. Does that mean that we have to be stressed with where SA has been in the past five years? Not necessarily. You can reduce financial stress with the following tips. Step 1: Communicate One of […]
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The one underrated quality it takes to truly innovate
“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. Great accomplishments depend not so much on ingenuity as on hard work.” – Thomas Edison We live in a culture that values and encourages innovation. In the information age, it’s all about the nimblest, the boldest and most inventive disruptor. We revere the likes of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk who are able to disrupt industries and deliver something radically new. But innovation is only the tip […]
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Why we need to remain patient
2019 has been a financially hard year for many and for South Africa. Investors in particular, have seen low returns in a high-risk (election) year after several lean years. In financial climates like this, many panic and thoughts of losing money can lead to impulsively pulling out of investments. In the words of Warren Buffett: “The investor of today does not profit from yesterday’s growth.” Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Stock investors sometimes […]
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Diversifying happiness
The ancient philosopher Aristotle came up with a single word for what every person wants: ‘Eudaimonia’. Eudaimonia means happiness but more than that it alludes to a sense of fulfillment. Many people have viewed financial planning as the management of financial goals and resources. Typical conversations would include questions like: “How much will my assets grow, how can I get X amount by the time I am this age and what will my retirement look like?” […]
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