IOL Podcasts

IOL Podcasts

IOL Podcasts bring you in-depth interviews, news and reviews in South Africa. Follow us now and stay in the loop so you never miss a scoop! https://www.iol.co.za/multimedia/podcasts

  1. Personal Finance with Ruan Jooste: Girl Math

    18/10/2023

    Personal Finance with Ruan Jooste: Girl Math

    If you’ve never heard of the term Girl Math, neither have I until recently. It is a social media trend where young women (and Generation Z in particular) justify how they spend their money, especially on non-essentials.  The latest discourse to hit social media revolves around spending, consumerism and economics, both real and imagined. In some videos I saw, young women describe the logical manoeuvres that allow them to justify spending money on luxuries ranging from Botox to Beyonce tickets.   In the world of "girl math," cash is not real money, buying on sale is a form of saving and cosmetic procedure is an "investment in your future self." "If I pay for something in cash, it feels like I got it for free," one TikToker explained. Another example she shared? If she cancelled a manicure appointment, she now has that money to spend. Look this is the first time I’ve ever watched a Tik-Tok video and I’m a Boomer so I actually have no idea what these young girls are on about, but much of Personal Finance listeners are of the younger variety and it is important for us to cater to their needs.  So I got an expert to come and explain it all to me, and unpack the value proposition this trend holds for the fearless females of the future.  My guest today is Farzana Botha, a Segment Manager at Sanlam Risk & Savings. She has 17 years of industry experience and is currently working on her Honours in Integrated Organisational Communications through UNISA to add to her intellectual arsenal.

    9 min
  2. Personal Finance with Ruan Jooste: The SA tax system

    04/10/2023

    Personal Finance with Ruan Jooste: The SA tax system

    There is very little which is not taxed in South Africa, from sales to sins, even savings.  As a matter of fact, the South African tax system is structured in such a way that it actually punishes investments and income generation. The more wealth you create, the more taxes you have to pay. Incentives are also few and far between, are not being adjusted for inflation, and benefits are stingy at best. The downgraded medical aid contribution and scrapped income protection deductions are a case in point.  In fact, policymakers have become pretty hostile towards capital creation by subjecting it to a range of taxes, intermediary costs and regulatory charges. And the numbers show it. South Africa's Household Saving Ratio is at an all-time low of -0.5%. So on average South African residents save less than nothing. That is an alarming rate. It is for that reason, that we invited Ettiene Retief to be our guest today, because it is clear to me that individual investors might not be aware of what taxes are payable when you buy into or sell out of an investment.  Ettiene is a Tax Specialist, with more than 23 years’ experience in anything that goes with it.  He is also the chairman of the National Tax and SARS Stakeholder Committee of the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (or SAIPA for short) and Centre of Tax Excellence. So he is well-placed to provide clear and practical insights for our listeners on how individual investors can make smart tax-informed decisions for their investment portfolios

    20 min

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IOL Podcasts bring you in-depth interviews, news and reviews in South Africa. Follow us now and stay in the loop so you never miss a scoop! https://www.iol.co.za/multimedia/podcasts