I heard an advert on the radio last night for Nedbank’s new “Park-it Limited Edition Investment account”…seems that if you give them R10000, they will give you up to 6.25%* interest per annum and after the first 14 days you can have access to your funds with 24 hour notice. There are at least 2 problems with this… “Up to” 6.25% (turns out you need to invest R1million to get this rate –...

Much was made about the RSA Retail Bond when it was launched and about how it would provide a safe and cheap investment with a reasonable returns to the “man-in-the-street”. Well, I have been trying to buy some of these for a “man-in-the-street” using the RSA Retail Bond website – what a nightmare. There is an application form online but no details where to submit it or how to pay the funds into an account. So...

With interest rates having fallen so far and the possibility of still more cuts on the horizon, anyone looking for interest income is pretty hamstrung at this stage. Money market rates are 7% per annum and many of the banks are offering “exceptional rates” for 1 year fixed deposits. They will even “enhance” this if you are over 55. For anyone who is prepared to be locked in for a while there is an even better option...