Risk factors are a big consideration when I make investment decisions. Generally, I consider sectors, regions, currency and asset allocation when deciding between ETFs. I’m by no means claiming these are the only risk factors, but these are the ones I understand. Considering I only invest once a year, it’s kind of nuts how much ...

We often speak to people who want to set up investment clubs. I like to fly solo, especially when it comes to money, so I never really paid attention to it. Of course, now that I might have to set one up, they suddenly seem a lot more interesting. We’ve been chatting to Njabulo Nsibande ...

When we discuss financial principles on The Fat Wallet Show, we try to make them a rule of thumb. More often than not, debt is bad and saving is good. Most of the time, retirement and tax-free should be where your money goes first. This week we discuss when "bad" financial choices are actually great. ...

Fat Wallet regulars know that index-tracking products are at the heart of our investment philosophy. Even Simon, with his individual shares and trading accounts, prefers having at least half of his portfolio invested in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). ETFs are financial products that track the performance of an index. If you struggle to understand what an ...

Thinking about how you are going to spend your money when you haven’t yet started earning any seems like putting the cart before the horse. However, if you’ve been earning money for a while you probably have monthly expenses that are difficult to account for. Why is that we can plan every other aspect of ...

In the current political climate it’s not surprising that we get so many questions around moving money offshore. This week’s episode was going to be about moving pensions abroad, but offshore exposure in general ended up dominating the conversation. First, we talk about taking your pension fund with you when you emigrate. The good news ...

You’ve probably noticed that we’re aflutter about the new Satrix ETFs. International index-tracking offerings on the cheap is pretty much the reason we get out of bed in the morning. Sneaking a #selfie while @simon_brown_za makes us a pre-recording coffee. This week we check out the deal with IPOs. #fatwallet #podcast #money #shares A post ...

I’m slightly obsessed with having a solid financial foundation. I talk about it often. Here’s what I have as my foundation: No short-term debt.* An emergency fund. I work on somewhere between three and six months’ expenses. Dread and disability insurance, in case you lose your ability to earn an income. Medical aid. Retirement annuity. ...