Progressively more articles are appearing warning that the South African economy is heading for a total implosion. The sentiment is incredibly bearish on the ground and South Africans are finding themselves between a rock and a hard place. Should we pack up and immigrate, should we throw in the towel and prepare ourselves for a complete collapse, and/or should we take all our money offshore?
0 Comments
For our investors investing in Morningstar Managed Portfolios, click below to access the latest performance snapshot, market commentary and market performance summary:
Morningstar SA Managed Portfolios Morningstar Global Managed Portfolios (USD) Market Commentary - SA and Global Market Performance Summary - SA and Global In the run-up to savings month this July, we’ve been sharing quite a lot of content such as how to cultivate healthy financial habits as early as possible, the power couple that is savings and investing, the perils of sitting on the sidelines and not investing your cash as well as the importance of saving consistently. In this article, we’re going to keep things a bit more practical and look at the various choices or products available through which to save and grow wealth. ![]() In the era of digital transformation, cloud storage and file sharing services have become essential tools for businesses globally. As remote work becomes increasingly common, the need for reliable, secure, and efficient file management is more important than ever. This article explores some of the top business cloud storage and file sharing solutions in 2023, namely Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, IDrive, and Google Drive. 1. Microsoft OneDrive for Business Microsoft OneDrive for Business offers a robust cloud storage solution, integrating effortlessly with Microsoft's suite of online tools like Microsoft 365. Features: - Comprehensive integration with Microsoft Office tools. - Real-time collaboration on documents. - Advanced search functions. - Robust security measures including data encryption and compliance features. - Data loss prevention and versioning. Pricing: - Plan 1: $5.00 (R88.90) user/month (annual commitment), offering 1 TB per user. - Plan 2: $10.00 (R177.80) user/month (annual commitment), offering unlimited cloud storage. - Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $20.00 (R222.30) user/month (annual commitment), including OneDrive, Office apps, and more. This bundled package offers more value compared to the first two plans. 2. Dropbox Business Dropbox Business provides flexible solutions catering to businesses of varying sizes. Features: - Smart Sync for easy access to all files without consuming device space. - Dropbox Paper as a collaborative workspace. - File recovery and version history. - Advanced sharing controls, including password protection and link expiration. - Two-factor authentication for enhanced security. - Dropbox Sign includes unlimited legally binding signature requests. Pricing: - Standard: $15.00 user/month (annual billing), offering 5 TB of storage. - Advanced: $24.00 user/month (annual billing), with unlimited storage. - Enterprise: Custom pricing and capabilities for larger businesses. 3. IDrive Business IDrive Business provides comprehensive cloud storage, file sharing, and backup, including solutions for server and NAS device backups. Features: - Continuous Data Protection for real-time backup of frequently used files. - IDrive Express for quick backup and data retrieval. - Disk Clone for backing up entire drives, including the operating system and settings. - Versioning capabilities. - Compliance with regulatory standards. Pricing: - Personal: 5 TB, one user, $79.50 per year. - Team: 5 TB, five users, five computers, $99.50 per year. Options up to 25 computers, 35 users, 35 TB, $699.50 per year. - Business: Unlimited users, multiple computers; 250 GB: $99.50 per year; options up to 5 TB, $1,499.50 per year. 4. Google Drive for Business (Workspace) Google Drive for Business, part of Google Workspace, is a popular choice, especially for those already using Google’s ecosystem of products. Features: - Integration with Google Workspace apps like Docs, Sheets, Slides, and more. - Real-time collaboration and editing on documents. - Powerful search function, using Google’s search technology. - Access controls and permissions for secure sharing. - Team Drive for shared workspace. Pricing: - Business Starter: $6 user/month, 1 year commitment, offering 30 GB of storage. - Business Standard: $12 user/month, offering 2 TB of storage. - Business Plus: $18 user/month, offering 5 TB of storage. The ideal cloud storage and file sharing solution will depend on your business needs, including team size, data volume, type of work, and compatibility with other tools and software. All of these platforms offer a unique set of features and pricing structures, making it important to compare and decide which service best suits your business. Factors like security, ease of use, storage limits, and integration with other applications should be considered while choosing a cloud storage solution. ![]() More and more South Africans are experiencing financial problems leading them to try to cut costs and thus leading them to cancel their medical aid. As Daberistic we advise you that you do not have to stay without cover and there are other affordable solutions that will give you peace of mind. We share below about Health Insurance. What is Health insurance? Is a type of insurance coverage that pays for medical, surgical, and sometimes dental expenses incurred by the insured. Health insurance can reimburse the insured for expenses incurred from illness or injury, or pay the care provider directly. The benefit could either be a fixed sum of money per day or a maximum lump sum of money which is paid if a specified health event takes place (e.g. a specific health condition develops). Health insurance policies usually only pay out if certain specific health-related events happen and do not pay your medical expenses as a medical aid scheme would. Unique Principles 1. Limitations and prohibitions: A hospitalisation policy may not cover medical expenses. A health policy, other than a Gap cover policy, may not require the policyholder or insured person to be a member of a medical aid scheme. 2. Waiting period: A hospitalisation policy, gap cover policy and HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria testing and treatment policy may provide for a – general waiting period of up to 3 months; and A condition-specific waiting period of up to 12 months. An insurer may not impose a condition-specific waiting period on a policyholder’s health insurance policy if that policyholder, for at least 90 days before entering into a health policy with the insurer, had a health policy with materially similar benefits and had completed the condition-specific waiting period in respect of that health policy. Where a waiting period of a policyholder under a previous health policy had not expired at the time that that policyholder enters into a new health policy with materially similar benefits, the insurer may only impose a waiting period equalling the unexpired part of the waiting period in respect of that previous policy. 3. Disclosure requirements: A hospitalisation policy, gap cover policy and HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria testing and treatment policy may not create the impression that it is a substitute for medical aid scheme membership. A hospitalisation policy may not create the impression that it covers you for medical expenses. Three areas where Medical Aid Schemes and Health Insurance differ: If you would like to apply for health insurance, contact Jo in our Health department tel: (011)658-1333 email: [email protected]
Source: CMS ![]() At the conclusion of its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) in May, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) increased its repo rate by 50 bps to 8.25%, underlining its inflation-fighting credentials. Although consumer inflation is expected to slow from its current level of 6.8%, the bank has lifted its year-ahead headline CPI forecast for Q2 2024 to 5.3% from 5.0% previously. It also indicated that the inflation risk is skewed to the upside. This leaves the door open for possible future interest rate hikes. Two of the most significant risks to the interest rate outlook are rand moves and decisions taken in upcoming US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meetings. Recent developments in the currency market are especially important. Rand depreciation can feed through into significant so-called second-round effects when the initial impact of higher import prices on inflation becomes amplified by higher production costs and/or wage demands. It is concerning that the bank warns: “Given upside inflation risks, larger domestic and external financing needs, and load shedding, further currency weakness appears likely”. The bank responds to the inflationary impact of rand weakness, rather than movements in the exchange rate itself. However, the situation is worrying, especially since load shedding is driving up the cost of doing business, while food price inflation is expected to remain high. In this environment, second-round impacts could be significant. At the same time, US Federal Reserve decisions are important, as demonstrated by the tightening of global financial conditions. This is partly responsible for softer foreign capital inflows into SA. Although stresses in the US banking system are likely to persuade the FOMC to keep interest rates on hold when it meets in June 2023, the ongoing tightness of the labour market and the relative stickiness of core CPI may result in another US interest rate hike in July 2023. SA has not fared well against this backdrop. As illustrated this month, the underlying problem is a balance of payments constraint. Net foreign capital inflows, deterred by low prospective returns, policy uncertainty and lack of infrastructure, have been insufficient to fund the current account deficit. This implies macroeconomic policy must be tightened. SA’s pressing socio-economic problems and the failure of specific state-owned companies have precluded aggressive fiscal policy tightening. This has shifted the responsibility onto the SARB to do the “heavy lifting”. It is by no means certain that SA has reached the top of the interest rate hiking cycle. Much will depend on developments in the rand and its potential inflation implications, while the SARB is also keen to see elevated inflation expectations moderate. However, the currency has depreciated significantly, while the interest rate hiking cycle is far advanced. At some point, this is likely to have the desired effect. As 2023 progresses, the focus may shift from interest rate worries to economic growth worries. Historically, the interest rate hiking cycle has typically ended once it is clear inflation has peaked and is heading decisively towards the intended target. Based on current information, we believe SA is approaching that point. Source: By Arthur Kamp, chief economist at Sanlam Investments Innovations and Challenges New tools for investing—such as online trading platforms, cryptocurrency, sustainability, private markets, and separately managed accounts with personalized direct indexing—have energized the investing landscape, garnering interest from both the technology and finance industries. With this new excitement, however, many may have failed to consider how investors are managing this onslaught of new investing tools and to what degree these new capabilities promote investor success. In other words, we need to understand the relationship between investors, their long-term financial goals, and new investing tools. |
AuthorKevin Yeh Archives
January 2025
Categories
All
|