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Money, explained
Short, sourced reads on tax, saving and the debit orders that quietly grow. Every tax figure links to SARS or National Treasury. Education, not financial advice.
Retire at 60 or 65? What the extra five years actually buysIn our example, working from 60 to 65 grows a R2 million pot to about R2.83 million in today's money and lifts a 4% income from R6 667 to R9 435 a month - 42% more, for five fewer years of drawing.Read →
Your December bonus: debt, emergency fund, tax-free savings or the bond?Clearing R10 000 of 22% debt saves R2 200 in a year with no risk - more than the same R10 000 earns at an assumed 7% in savings, which is why debt comes first.Read →
Two-pot after year one: how fast your savings pot refillsThe savings pot refills with one third of every contribution - R2 000 a month on a R6 000 contribution - so it is back to R24 000 a year after an emptying withdrawal, which pays out R16 560 at a 31% tax rate.Read →
When does Investec make sense as your bank?Investec's R705 a month is R185 to R455 more than other premium bundles that also include a credit card. It only wins once you carry roughly R80 000 on the card or keep several hundred thousand rand in cash.Read →
The subscription audit: what you pay for every month and no longer useSix small subscriptions at R950 a month cost R11 400 a year. Cancelling the two you no longer use saves R4 176 a year, and fixed-term contracts can be ended on 20 business days' notice.Read →
Your bonus after tax: why it feels smaller than you expectedA R40 000 bonus on a R40 000 monthly salary leaves R27 600 after tax in 2026/27 - the whole bonus is taxed at your top rate of 31%, not your 19% average.Read →
Solar before summer: what a small 3 kW system pays back at today's tariffsAt R3.50 a kWh and 9% a year price increases, a R50 000 grid-tied 3 kW system in Johannesburg pays for itself in its 4th year, but only if you use about 70% of what it makes at home.Read →
Missed the 23 October tax deadline? What auto-assessment can miss, and what to do nowNon-provisional returns were due on 23 October 2026; out-of-pocket medical costs that never reached your medical scheme are one gap auto-assessment can miss - worth about R2 132 in our worked example.Read →
Black Friday on a store card: when the interest eats the discountA R6 000 purchase paid off over 12 months on a store card at the 21.25% legal ceiling costs R713 in interest - R1 541 with the maximum monthly fee.Read →
What a 0.25% rate move does to your bond repaymentOn a R1.5 million bond over 20 years, a 0.25 percentage point rate rise adds about R254 a month - and roughly R61 000 over the life of the loan.Read →
Paying extra into your bond: what R1 000 a month really savesOn a R1.5 million bond at 10.75% over 20 years, R1 000 extra a month saves about R451 500 in interest and finishes the bond 3.5 years early.Read →
Your debit orders are growing faster than inflation. Here is how to catch it.A R1 200 premium rising 25% a year costs R39 560 more over five years than one rising with inflation. A 20-minute statement audit finds it.Read →
Living annuity drawdown: how much can you take without running short?R3 million drawn at 6% pays R15 000 a month in year one - but with 9% growth and 4.4% inflation, that income buys only about R10 300 of today's goods by year 20.Read →
How big should your emergency fund be, and how long will it take to build?On R15 000 of essential monthly spending, three months of cover is R45 000 - saving R2 000 a month gets you there in 1 year and 10 months.Read →
Medical aid tax credits: what your family gets back in 2026/27A family of three on medical aid gets R12 072 a year off its tax in 2026/27 - and out-of-pocket medical costs can add more once they pass 7.5% of income.Read →
The retirement annuity deduction: how much of your contribution SARS pays backOn a R500 000 income, R3 000 a month into a retirement annuity cuts your tax by R11 160 a year - so the contribution really costs about R2 070 a month.Read →
The real cost of a two-pot savings withdrawalOn a R350 000 income, a R30 000 savings-pot withdrawal pays out R22 200 after tax - and the same money left in the fund could be R258 700 in 25 years.Read →
Capital gains tax on shares: the new R50 000 exclusion and how to use itFrom 1 March 2026 the first R50 000 of gains each tax year is tax-free - a R200 000 gain on a R500 000 income costs R20 090 sold at once, or R6 200 spread over three tax years.Read →
Employee, contractor or your own company: who pays the least tax on the same income?On R600 000 a year, a contractor who can deduct R60 000 of costs keeps about R21 600 more than an employee - and a one-person Pty Ltd can end up keeping less than both.Read →
Start at 18, 25 or 35: what the tax-free savings account does with timeThe same R1 000 a month into a tax-free savings account can be worth R7.7 million or R1.7 million at 65 - the only difference is the age you start.Read →