In a nutshell, the markets are driven by business activity which is supported by investor confidence. When businesses have investors, they can grow and create more value, which in turn encourages more investors. When businesses can’t run normally (like in the case of a global pandemic), investors fear they will lose money and pull out their investments or stop supplying more cash – which hits the businesses even harder. The interconnected world we live in means […]
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Don’t sabotage your future self
Bad market performance, government lockdowns, global epidemics and loadshedding aren’t what threaten our investing and financial behaviour. Our biggest threat is ourselves. Studies have shown that people improve substantially in financial and investment decisions as they get older. When we are young — and perhaps less secure in our financial situation — we have a tendency to be controlled by emotional biases; strong impulses that can be detrimental to our investment habits. Behavioural economists refer to […]
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Fight the fear
When life doesn’t go according to plan, our first response will often be one of fear. Unfortunately, life generally never goes according to plan – so we encounter fear a lot! Since fear cannot be avoided, we need to develop tools to cope with it so that we can allow it a constructive space in our lives, and not let it be a destructive force if left unchecked. Hopefully, this brief article can spark conversations that […]
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Understand what you need in your adviser
Here’s the thing about a 20-minute DIY job: it never takes 20 minutes. Either you don’t have the right tools, or the right skills… or the materials turn out to be too hard, too soft, too big, too small etc. On the rare occasion, it might take you 20 minutes or less. You might be perfectly suited to it, and have all you need on hand. For most of us – it doesn’t turn out that […]
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Freedom to change
For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. Nelson Mandela How are you building into the lives of others? This is a challenging question. In an age that has focussed on individual rights and freedoms, it’s easy to become so insular that we forget about the chains of others whilst we’re fighting so hard to cast off our […]
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Financial wellness mindsets for life’s autumn
Autumn is a precious time of year and is perhaps an altogether more positive metaphor for another special time: the tail end of middle age when we are far from elderly, but far from young. You look up one day and realise that while you were busy building a life with your family, or perhaps pursuing a fulfilling career, the years rolled by more quickly than you thought. There’s still time on the proverbial clock, but […]
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Freedom of expression – what our spending says about us
The way we spend our time and the way we spend our money says what’s really important to us. Rick Warren It’s really easy to spot the errors in other people – too easy in fact! However, when it comes to our own blindspots, it’s not as easy to spot the errors in our thinking. Holding up the mirror and reflecting on the choices we’ve made can be difficult and scary – which is why it’s always […]
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Make your life easier – Part 3
Don’t avoid digital help. Whilst there are many dystopian stories about how robots will take over the world, those projected realities are highly unlikely to ever manifest. AI, big data and cloud storage can be our friend in making our life easier – which is what technology was always intended for! Granted, we can easily become disconnected from the material and relational world around us if we immerse ourselves too completely in the digital world, so […]
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Freedom to invest, better
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. Chinese Proverb We officially live in a world where COVID-19 is a milestone in human history. Perhaps we shouldn’t call it a milestone but a waypoint? Regardless, few people alive today, and in generations to come, will know a history that doesn’t include the impact that this virus has had around the world. It’s important for us to acknowledge […]
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Make your life easier – Part 2
Every time we say ‘YES’ to something new, it seems to just make our life more complicated down the line; more events to attend, increased responsibilities and less time to relax and do what we really want to do. Finding just the right amount of order in your life is one of the secrets to making your life easier (learning to say ‘No.’ is another secret…) Whilst we can’t just stop growing and adding more to […]
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