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10 January 2012 23:13

Your money in 2012

The mistakes you avoid will be your best investment in the years ahead, writes Warren Ingram.

At the start of every year it makes sense to review what has happened with your finances in the last year and to make your plans for the year ahead. After a particularly difficult year like 2011, many of us might be tempted to ignore our finances in the hope that things will get better before we look at them again. In difficult times, it is often the mistakes that you avoid that will be your best investment in the years ahead.

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25 November 2011 03:02

JSE fundamental outlook is good

The volatility on the JSE has been very unsettling for investors, writes Warren Ingram.

The volatility that we have seen on the JSE (and other international markets) over the last 12 months has been very unsettling for investors. Most people are gloomy about the markets despite the fact that the JSE has returned nearly 10% over the last year. There is so much bad news about the global economy that investors could be forgiven for thinking that there is no point investing in the JSE at the moment.

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26 October 2011 16:57

The one book you should read this year

Warren Ingram: Once you’ve read it most of your investing questions will be answered.

CAPE TOWN - I cannot count the number of investment books, articles and publications that I have read since I started financial planning in 1996. In that time I have read a few great books that I believe everyone with an interest in money should read. Recently I read another great book that I wish I could send to all the people who e-mail me on a weekly basis asking how they should invest their money – after reading this book, I think they would have most of their answers.

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05 October 2011 08:28

Cheapest way to buy ETFs

The results will surprise you.

BLOEMFONTEIN - I have been a staunch advocate of exchange traded funds (ETFs) from the launch of the first ETF in November 2000. Since then, many new indexed products have been launched and various companies have created new options for purchasing these investments. As a result, I have been getting an increasing number of questions from readers asking me how they should buy these indexed investments. The variety of purchasing options available to investors makes the answer quite complicated. To that end, I am very grateful to one of our regular readers, Hercules Viljoen from Pretoria for sending me his research on the cheapest way to purchase ETFs. I wish more people would take the time to share their research so that we can all benefit and the best product providers get the most support.

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14 September 2011 10:55

Three steps to financial freedom

The real key is to ensure that your expenses are really low.

WHAT IS FINANCIAL FREEDOM

The final step towards financial freedom is when the income from your assets exceeds your expenses. Financial freedom is quite different from being wealthy because some people have financial freedom with an asset value of R5m whilst others who have assets of R50m are not financially free. It is not possible for everyone to become truly wealthy (despite the Hollywood fairytales) but anyone can be financially free. I have met many people who have retired with relatively small amounts (under R5m in investments plus a paid off home) who are living fantastic lives as retirees. The real secret to their success is that they have accumulated sufficient capital to cover their expenses and they have controlled their expenses.

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