fees Archives -

Are Passives really that cheap?

I got really excited recently when I noted the addition of some of the CoreShares funds to the list of funds on one of the LISP platforms that we use… And then I started doing some quotes to see what the effect the addition the CoreSharesTop50 would have on the fees on the client’s portfolio. …

The value of advice?

Much has been written about the value of financial advice. There are many people who believe that financial planners offer little value for the fees charged while there are others who believe that the value financial planners add is very significant. Research by Morningstar has revealed that the value of advice (they call it “gamma”) …

To pay a penalty or not?

A client of mine presented a potential dilemma to me. He has a living annuity through Liberty Life but also has the bulk of his living annuity funds on a LISP platform. He was wanting to move the Liberty one to the LISP and consolidate his investments on one platform*. Under normal circumstances there should …

Personal Finance?

The article in Personal Finance this weekend re the high costs of investments (http://www.iol.co.za/business/personal-finance/financial-planning/investments/costs-are-wiping-out-real-returns-1.1036412) really got up my nose. And not for the reasons you might think. The article did not frustrate me because it “exposed” the truth about investment costs but rather because it is too easy to be negative about these things and …

A total rant!

I need to get this off my chest (again)…been fighting with 3 of the bigger insurance companies re the level of disclosure on their products with respect to fees and more specifically the performance on their portfolios… Suffice to say it is a futile exercise – it appears that even in this highly regulated environment …

Commission free life cover…

As a follow up to the post on cutting out the middle man, I thought I would write about another case of “half-truths” from insurance companies. About 6 years ago, I was at a financial planning conference where the issue of fees and commissions was being discussed by a panel. One of the panel members …

Sometimes cutting out the middleman just leaves a gaping hole!

I recently received a marketing offer from 1lifedirect to take out some life cover directly through them, thereby cutting out the paperwork, expensive medicals, the broker and therefore the commission. All of this, they promised, would save me up to 22% on the premiums. Having seen their rather funny TV adverts and being the curious …

The Financial Coach

Are Passives really that cheap?

The value of advice?

To pay a penalty or not?

Personal Finance?

A total rant!

Commission free life cover…

Sometimes cutting out the middleman just leaves a gaping hole!