John Bogle, the founder of the US investment company Vanguard, calculated that the average equity unit trust investment gained 173% between 1997 and 2011. In the same period, the average investor in equity funds gained only 110%!

This is mainly because investors end up selling when the bear prowls and buying when the bull rages.

As the war in Ukraine seems set to rage on – causing ructions in the markets – it’s vital that you discover more about the importance of staying the course…

The South African Reserve Bank has raised interest rates at each of its last three opportunities. It is almost certainly going to do so again this month.

These hikes always make headlines, but how much do they actually affect your wallet? Where will you see the impacts, and what should you do about them?

In this article, we look at five areas where rising rates will have an impact. Understanding these and knowing how to respond, if you need to respond at all, should help you navigate the coming cycle.

While watching the cash pour out of your account on the first of the month can be painful to bear, debit orders are not all bad. Far from it, in fact…

When used to fund monthly contributions to RAs, unit trusts and the like, debit orders can be an extremely powerful investment tool as they create savings discipline, result in better returns and ensure compound interest is on your side. Automated monthly investments are one of the safest routes to a happy and prosperous retirement.

Read on to find out how to make your relationship with debit orders a happy one…

Banks, insurers, and fund managers tend to share an unfortunate trait – they like to make things sound complicated.

This is part of the reason why many people are nervous about their finances. Since a lot of financial information is difficult to understand, they think it’s too hard for them to take control of their money.

But this needn’t be the case. It is possible for products to be made simple, and easy to understand. And, if they aren’t, investors should probably beware.

Mtho Maphumulo at Adams & Adams:

'Insurance policies are generally worded in a complex manner and consist of various legal terminology and principles. This is unsurprising given the fact that these policies are drafted by lawyers.

'Rejection of claims may be based on various factors e.g., the claim falling within one or more of the exceptions as per the policy wording, the claim not being timeously submitted in accordance with the provisions of the policy, etc....