Can things still get worse on the JSE?
For South African investors, the past few years have been extremely trying. The only asset class that has delivered annualised returns of more than 10% over this period is local bonds.Both local and international equities have performed below inflation,...
The biggest risk to investors: their own capitulation
The last five years on the JSE have been incredibly hard. Investors in the local market have received returns only barely above inflation. As the graph below shows, this is one of the worst five-year periods on the local market in the last four and a half...
How to prevent a financial day zero
Over the past year, Western Cape residents have had to envisage a future without running water and adapt their lifestyles accordingly. They have rallied together to ward off ‘Day Zero’, cutting down on their water consumption and recycling water to get the...
The silver lining of low returns
In last quarter's Corospondent, we wrote about the low-return environment of the previous five years and how it has led to a significant gap between expected returns and the actual results experienced by investors. The underwhelming period endured by some...
Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes
Since narrowly winning the leadership of the ANC in December 2017, president Cyril Ramaphosa has made meaningful changes to his Cabinet and some state-owned entities. However, there are still legitimate concerns about his ability to make sufficient robust...
Matters of Land
All aspects of land reform are complex and emotive. Peoples’ ties to land throughout history and across geographies are closely linked to their own cultural identity and economic position, and are often fraught with periods of upheaval. In South Africa,...
7 Reasons why insuring your monthly income is down-right obvious
7 Reasons why insuring your monthly income is down-right obvious At FMI, we believe that life insurance benefits should protect your income against all risks that life may throw at you. Whether it be a temporary or long-term Disability, Critical...
Is the return of volatility a return to normal?
Is the return of volatility a return to normal? During the whole of 2017 the S&P 500 had just eight daily movements of more than 1%. This was an extraordinary period of low volatility in a year in which the index recorded 12 consecutive positive...
The elusive art of effective budgeting
Research shows that approximately 68% of South African households do not have a financial plan, and 10% don’t have a budget. We all know that it's not always easy to plan for the life you want and still manage to live in the moment and enjoy all of life’s...