Know Your Money with Bronwyn Waner and Craig Finch

Know Your Money
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Welcome to Know your money, where we will explore our relationship with money and how the psychology of it impacts our financial decisions as everyone thinks about money differently. In our podcasts we will be presenting a variety of financial topics in an easy-to-understand way which, we hope, will assist you with managing your money.Please subscribe to our podcast or have a look at our website www.growthfp.co.za

  1. 5d ago

    195. The Hidden Price Of Good Investment Returns

    Send us Fan Mail The most dangerous money myth is that you can get something for nothing. We sit down as financial planners and pull apart a simple line from Morgan Housel’s work: “nothing’s free” and why it explains so many costly investing mistakes, from panic-selling to chasing the “cheapest” option without counting the real bill that arrives later. We start with an everyday example that makes the point instantly: buying a car. A brand-new car with a maintenance plan looks expensive, a second-hand deal looks like a bargain, and stealing looks free until you count the consequences. That same logic shows up in personal finance and investing in South Africa. The true cost is often hidden in uncertainty, repairs, missed opportunity, stress, and time. Once you learn to look for the full price, you stop being surprised by it. From there, we move into investing and why people try so hard to avoid paying the price for good investment returns. The “fee” is usually volatility. When your portfolio drops, it doesn’t feel like a fair trade for long-term growth; it feels like punishment. We talk about the long view of market history, why headlines amplify fear, and how staying invested is often the difference between building wealth and falling behind inflation. We end with practical financial planning: setting clear time horizons and building separate buckets for short-term spending, medium-term goals, and long-term growth. If you found this helpful, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s feeling nervous about the markets, and leave a review so more people can find Know Your Money. Support the show Please subscribe to our podcast or have a look at our website  www.growthfp.co.za

  2. Sep 28

    194. Balanced Financial Planning

    Send us Fan Mail A money plan that never changes sounds disciplined, but it can be the quickest route to regret. We sit down with Morgan Housel’s book The Psychology of Money, chapter 14 “You Change”, and talk honestly about what happens when you build your entire financial life around one fixed future, especially retirement, while real life keeps moving. We explore what balanced financial planning in South Africa looks like across life stages: education, earning years, and retirement. Along the way, we discuss the practical “other buckets” that deserve funding too, like children’s education, short-term savings goals, meaningful holidays, and proper risk cover. We also share a powerful way to frame your finances: there are many versions of you. Some are chosen, like marriage, family, and retirement. Others are unexpected, like illness, accidents, divorce, or a financial shock, and a rigid plan can leave those versions of you unprotected. We then zoom out to change in the wider world, from technology to investment products, and why you should be careful of inherited money beliefs. A common example is writing off a retirement annuity (RA) or ignoring a tax-free savings account because someone had a bad experience years ago. Products, fees, regulation, and flexibility evolve, and smart investing means staying curious, reviewing your assumptions, and adjusting as you learn more. If you want a retirement plan that still lets you live well today, press play, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more South Africans can find the show. Support the show Please subscribe to our podcast or have a look at our website  www.growthfp.co.za

  3. Sep 21

    193. Divorce Planning In South Africa Without Regrets

    Send us Fan Mail Divorce changes your life fast, but the biggest surprises often land in your bank account months later. We speak frankly about why going straight to a lawyer without doing proper divorce financial planning can leave you underprepared, especially when your “normal” expenses were quietly supported by a spouse’s income, their company benefits, or the way your household used to run. We want you to walk into the process with your eyes open and your numbers solid. We unpack how to build a realistic maintenance claim by doing more than scanning the last 12 months of bank statements. A proper post-divorce budget needs to include the full cost of running a home, property upkeep, utilities, insurance, and medical aid, plus the real costs of raising children across two households. We also highlight a helpful South African resource: Christelle Detoy’s book, Divorce Smart, and her detailed budgeting spreadsheet that helps surface the costs many people miss. We then zoom in on divorce agreement wording, especially where child maintenance is concerned. Support that ends at 18 can create a funding gap if school, medical costs, or other essentials still continue. Thoughtful planning can reduce resentment, protect your financial future, and make co-parenting easier because money is less likely to become the ongoing battleground. If this helped, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more South Africans can find practical guidance when it matters most. Support the show Please subscribe to our podcast or have a look at our website  www.growthfp.co.za

  4. Sep 14

    192. South Africa’s Three Marriage Regimes Explained Clearly

    Send us Fan Mail The most romantic plans in the world won’t protect you from the fine print of a marriage contract. We sit down for a quick, practical guide to the three matrimonial property regimes in South Africa, and why your choice can shape everything from day-to-day money decisions to what happens if you divorce or lose your spouse. We walk through in community of property and explain what “one estate” really means for assets, debt, and the messy reality of splitting everything 50/50. We also unpack the two flavours of an antenuptial contract (ANC): without accrual and with accrual. If you have ever assumed an ANC automatically means “fair”, we explain why that is not always true, especially when one partner earns while the other supports the household, raises children, or backs a growing business. We then get specific about the accrual system: what you can exclude, what is automatically excluded (inheritance, donations between spouses, damages for losses, and commencement values), and why vague commencement values can turn a future divorce into a costly argument. Our goal is simple: help you ask better questions of your lawyer and your financial planner so your marriage regime matches your real life, not just a template. If this helped, subscribe, share it with someone getting married, and leave a review so more South Africans can make smarter money decisions before signing. Support the show Please subscribe to our podcast or have a look at our website  www.growthfp.co.za

  5. Sep 7

    191. Start Saving Because Winter Is Coming

    Send us Fan Mail Most financial stress does not come from one bad decision, it comes from a plan that leaves no room for error. Bronwyn Waner and Craig Finch from Growth Financial Planning, work through Morgan Housel’s “Room for Error” to show why confident forecasts can be dangerous, especially when you have only experienced good markets and steady economic conditions. We talk about the temptation to assume the stock market will keep delivering the same returns, and why a smarter retirement plan in South Africa starts with humility. By lowering expected investment returns and saving a bit more, you build a margin of safety that makes your plan more resilient. We also use a simple seasons metaphor: it is not always summer. Winter comes, and the real skill is staying patient and prepared until conditions improve. Then we zoom out from market risk to real-life risk. COVID showed how quickly income can disappear, which is why an emergency fund matters. We also share a powerful medical aid story that highlights how a single blind spot can overwhelm even an excellent savings rate. Medical aid, gap cover, and income protection are not flashy, but they can protect your health, your cash flow, and your ability to retire on time. If you want practical financial planning ideas you can apply immediately, listen now, share this with someone who is building a plan, and please subscribe and leave a review so more South Africans can find the show. Support the show Please subscribe to our podcast or have a look at our website  www.growthfp.co.za

  6. Aug 31

    190. How Personal History Changes Investing Choices

    Send us Fan Mail Your financial plan is never just about numbers. It’s also about the surprises that shaped you, the stories you inherited, and the moments that made you decide “I’ll never do that” or “I must always do this”. We pick up Morgan Housel’s The Psychology of Money, chapter 12 (“Surprise”), and unpack why using history to predict the future can be useful, but also dangerously incomplete when life throws the unexpected at you.  We talk about how your personal history can quietly run your money decisions. If you grew up with a parent who took big risks, spent freely, or never built a safety net, you might respond by becoming extremely cautious, even when smart, diversified investing would serve you. We share how that risk story can lead to missed opportunities, and why starting early and saving consistently still matters, even when you feel unsure.  We also explore a powerful client example: when no one in your family lives past a certain age, why would you save for retirement at all? Add a childhood link between investing and gambling, and suddenly “growing money” feels unsafe. That’s where money mindset work and good financial planning meet, helping you spot the belief, understand how it once protected you, and choose a more balanced approach. We end by reflecting on COVID-19 as a money memory that still influences spending, saving, and fear today.  If you found this helpful, subscribe, share it with someone who’s rethinking their money habits, and leave a review so more people can find the podcast. Support the show Please subscribe to our podcast or have a look at our website  www.growthfp.co.za

  7. Aug 24

    189. You're A Person, Not A Spreadsheet

    Send us Fan Mail A flawless spreadsheet can be the fastest way to do nothing. We talk through Morgan Housel’s “reasonable versus rational” idea from The Psychology of Money and why a plan that helps you sleep at night often beats a plan that looks perfect on paper. From a South African financial planning lens, we unpack what happens when the numbers don’t match your real life. Think of the young professional or student trying to afford medical aid, income protection, possible life cover, and retirement savings while earning a starter salary. When the “correct” answer eats most of your pay cheque, the real skill becomes prioritising, placing smaller bricks first, and mapping out what you will add as your income grows. We also zoom out to retirement planning and lifestyle choices. Many people assume their current costs will stay the same forever, but life changes and so can spending. Holidays are a great example: an overseas trip every year might be irrational for your budget, but a local South African break can still be a meaningful, affordable goal. The key takeaway is simple: keep the spreadsheet, but treat it as your North Star, not your bible, and come back to it after every season-changing event like buying a home, getting married, or having children. Subscribe for more practical money conversations, share this with someone who feels stuck, and please leave a review. What part of your money plan feels unrealistic right now? Support the show Please subscribe to our podcast or have a look at our website  www.growthfp.co.za

  8. Aug 17

    188. Saving Money Is A Habit You Can Learn

    Send us Fan Mail Saving money is not a personality trait, it is a skill you can build, and we get honest about why so many of us struggle to start. We are Bronwin Wayner and Craig Finch from Growth Financial Planning, and we work through a practical, human look at saving that goes beyond spreadsheets. If you have ever told yourself “I’ll save when I’m older” or “I just can’t save”, this conversation is for you.  We unpack the three types of savers and how people can shift between them as life changes. From lifestyle spending to the short-lived thrill of a flashy purchase, we talk about what actually drives decisions, and why the psychology of money matters as much as the maths. We also explore a key wealth-building idea: a higher saving rate can outweigh a higher investment return, which is a relief if you are tired of feeling behind or overwhelmed by market noise.  We then move into what support looks like in the real world: using the right long-term tools, understanding a tax-free savings account properly, and having a financial plan that covers both goals and the “what ifs” like health shocks or income disruption. If you want to build better money habits, improve your budgeting, and grow your retirement savings in South Africa with less stress, press play and start where you are. Subscribe, share with someone who needs the nudge, and leave a review with the money habit you are working on right now. Support the show Please subscribe to our podcast or have a look at our website  www.growthfp.co.za

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Welcome to Know your money, where we will explore our relationship with money and how the psychology of it impacts our financial decisions as everyone thinks about money differently. In our podcasts we will be presenting a variety of financial topics in an easy-to-understand way which, we hope, will assist you with managing your money.Please subscribe to our podcast or have a look at our website www.growthfp.co.za

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