For those interested in the state of affairs in the euro-zone, take a look at this illustrative chart, courtesy of MRB Partners. The chart shows net government debt (as a percentage of GDP or the economy) on the horizontal axis and net consumer wealth (as a percentage of GDP) on the vertical axis. [read more »]
National Treasury introduced an “amnesty” to enable natural persons to transfer their residences out of trust or company structures, free of capital gains tax, dividends tax, STC and transfer duty. This period of tax relief is valid from 1 October 2010 until 31 December 2012. While the tax relief is certainly to be welcomed, serious thought must be given from a financial planning perspective whether to make use of it or not. [read more »]
The Financial Times reports that China has emerged as one of the fastest growing buyers of US real estate, in what some see as a sign that China’s rich are looking to take their money out of the country. Buyers from Hong Kong and China made up the 2nd-largest group of foreign buyers of homes in the US in the year to March, behind the Canadians, accounting for $9bn of sales. This is a 23% increase on the previous year and an 88% increase from 2010. The rise of Chinese buyers has made up for declines in sales from UK and Mexican buyers. There has been a huge influx of wealthy mainland Chinese shopping for high-end properties in New York so far in 2012, ranging from $1m apartments to $20m trophy properties.
With so much economic uncertainty, investors are concerned with making the right decisions
The world has not seen global economic shocks like those experienced in the last four years since the Great Depression. Despite this, core investment fundamentals have remained the same.
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Andy Warhol self-portrait sells for $38,442,500
Christie’s in New York set a new auction world record in May 2011, when a self-portrait by Andy Warhol was finally sold after a riveting and unprecedented 16-minute competition between bidders in the room and on the phone.
Great TV advert by Allan Gray
Spot the opportunity early… face the opposition. The end justifies all else
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Global Excellence in Financial Planning
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Your Finances Won’t Plan Themselves
Your finances can’t manage themselves, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try. Bring all your finances together with the help of the one person who can — a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. CFP® – Let’s make a plan.
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Offical Video of the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa
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Tim Bennett, deputy editor of MoneyWeek magazine, explains how you can use compounding to make your money work harder for you.
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