There are a few pieces of financial advice that are repeated more than any others: stay invested for the long term; don’t try to time the market; and diversify.

But what exactly does diversification mean, and why is it important? If you are able to identify an investment that's going to do well, why would you want to put any of your money anywhere else? 

In this article, we look at what the share prices of Amazon and Ford can tell us about why this particular piece of advice matters so much. Especially at times such as these, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine has sent the global economy into a tailspin.

Financial planning is all about bringing calm to the chaos of your financial life. As your financial advisors, it is our job to craft a neat, orderly plan that will ensure your future prosperity. 

But what happens when the façade of family harmony cracks and the Hollywood happy ending seems out of reach? It might sound crazy, but we’re going to stick our necks out and say that you should actually embrace disorder as a valuable learning tool in the financial planning process. 

If Plan A doesn’t work, remember that the alphabet has 25 other letters! Also remember that a plan based on hard home truths is far more resilient than pretending everything’s perfect.

There's a reason many people who have many problems don’t do anything to fix them. It comes down to our human emotions.

Having financial difficulties leads to feelings of shame. And when we feel shame about something, we want to hide it. This makes us either withdraw or ignore the issue, only making it worse.

This article deals with a topic that should apply to everybody. Giving money to a loved one or a charitable cause that you care passionately about is one of life’s most rewarding acts.

But if you want to keep yourself and your beneficiaries smiling, you’d best be careful about how you choose to give. Do you want to give when you are alive, after you have died, or both? How much you want to give and who/what you want to give it to? And finally, how much control you want to have over how the funds are used?

Read on for a rundown of smart, tax-efficient ways to give to people and causes, both during and after your lifetime.

We bring you two quotes on the impact of the war in Ukraine.

Firstly, could our petrol cost rocket to R40 a litre? A quote from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sets the scene.