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@Quidditas
Actually this is true. Many accountants (corporate types and small one-man-shows) don't practice what they preach and end up under-recovering on fees. Also, many "smart" people don't know how to make provision for their own retirements. Some of the pensioners I see retire with 1 years' salary in the kitty. Financial management is a vital skill that is too often left in the hands of others or "fate", even if Gareth is talking to his own book here.
by Dre

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09 August 2010 02:19

Five reasons why you should understand financial management

Not only will it make you a better dinner party guest, but a more informed world citizen.

1. Understanding financial jargon

With the recent recession hitting everybody where it hurts, people have come to realise that they weren't following what was going on around them. In a major part, this was because people didn't understand the lingo being used, and couldn't decipher the warning signs for themselves. Wrapping your head around the jargon of the financial world not only makes you a better dinner party guest, but a more informed world citizen.

Perfect for:  Everyday Joe - finances are an unavoidable part of everyone's lives, whether they like it or not. Learn to know when "advisors" are working in your best interests, or their own.

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13 July 2010 13:07

Creating a budget for your business

Anna Malczyk and Gareth Cotten provide six tips on how to do so.

CAPE TOWN - A budget is a financial plan that outlines how much money your business makes and how much you need to spend on essential expenses. It is an excellent way of balancing cash flow: making sure that you spend enough money on your operational needs, without overspending and putting yourself under pressure. It also provides a clear overview of where your money is going if you need to cut costs. Here are six simple tips for kicking off your company's budget.

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25 June 2010 17:32

Keeping warm energy-efficiently

And remembering that everything is negotiable.

CAPE TOWN - Utilities: Keeping warm as energy-efficiently as possible. With it being the coldest part of the year here in the southern hemisphere, one is constantly reminded of the many appliances that people use to warm their homes and offices. The primary way that people warm a room or space is the use of heaters. Being appliances that generates heat, heaters are some of the biggest energy-guzzlers that you will have, so using them efficiently will have a substantial effect on your pocket. Firstly, it's generally accepted that gas heaters are more efficient than electric or oil ones.

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11 June 2010 01:19

Tips for public speaking

Plus: What is short-selling?

Investing jargon: Short-selling.  A term you may hear thrown around a fair amount is "short-selling" or "shorting".  Normally, when you buy a stock or share, you become the registered owner of that particular unit.  Then, when you want to sell it, somebody who wants to buy it takes over the ownership of that stock from you at the agreed price.  (Obviously, this is a major simplification, and there are other more complex variations of this, but they are unnecessary for explaining the current concept).

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09 June 2010 22:46

Six business lessons from a rock concert

Target baby-boomers if you can...

Having gone to the Masters of Rock concert at GrandWest Casino last Tuesday night - featuring Wishbone Ash, Uriah Heep, and Deep Purple (all big in the 60s and 70s) - I couldn't help but be reminded of a few pertinent business lessons:

1.             Target baby-boomers if you can.  If you haven't heard the phrase before, a "baby boomer" is used to define the group of people born between 1946 and 1964.  Having been born in the post-second world war period, they represent an above-average burst of population growth, and thus form an outsized "bubble" of consumers.

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