Hi everyone,

I’m 29M, working in fintech with 3 years of experience, and I earn about R60k a month. I want to start investing properly and would appreciate your advice on my next steps.

Where I am now

• TFSA (EasyEquities ETF): ~R15k
• Discovery Bank 32-day notice account: ~R100k (emergency fund)
• TymeBank (GoTyme) fixed deposit: ~R250k
• FNB transactional account: ~R50k (daily spending)
• Sygnia provident preservation fund: ~R55k (moved from my previous employer)
  • My current employer does not offer a retirement fund, only a medical aid subsidy.
• No debt

Monthly expenses (per month)

• Fuel: ~R3k
• Groceries and food: ~R5k
• Contribution to my parents: ~R6k (I live with them because of high rent prices)

My plan

1. Fill my TFSA to the R46k annual limit by moving R31k from my savings.
2. Start investing offshore in global stocks.
3. Opening up credit suite to build credit scores(?)

My questions

1. Does filling the TFSA first make sense?
2. Is it better to leave my investments with a bank like FNB, or to invest on my own?
3. I came across Interactive Brokers as a DIY option for offshore investing. Do I need a special account, and can I use the FNB dollar account I opened for travelling overseas for conferences?
4. Before opening up a retirement annuity (RA), I was thinking of rather maximising my TFSA first and then think of RA for the tax benefit? If so, which providers do you recommend?
5. I don’t have a credit card because I only buy what I can afford. Friends and colleagues say I should get one to build my credit score. Is it worth it? FNB looks cheaper with eBucks, while Discovery has better health benefits but higher fees. Which would you recommend?
6. Is my current setup good for the long term, and what should I prioritise next?

Thanks so much for reading, showing interest! Thanks in advance too!

For context: I’m 37 with no assets or savings…so…I’m also dealing with R450K of high interest debt.
I’ve reduced my fixed expenses to 45% of my salary and the rest will be going towards debt payments. I’ve just started using the debt snowball method but I’m slowly becoming disillusioned. The small wins felt great but the remaining debt feels insurmountable and Claude keeps saying it will still take 16 months as if I’ve barely moved the needle.
I would like to start saving and investing sooner rather than later to build a decent cushion by the time I’m 50-ish, which is when I hope to leave my decent income job for a non profit which will pay barely a quater of what I’m making now. All i have currently is GEPF presently valued at R490K.

The only thing i own is a 2017 jeep wrangler that I’ve had since then. It was useful when i lived in an area that required 4x4 to get around but she’s been a pavement princess for the past 5 years. I plan to move back to a rural area where it may be useful again but that wont be for at least another 2-3 years. Now she sees some 4W trails a couple of times a year at best. She’s been surprisingly reliable for a box on wheels and this year marks the first major repairs I’ve had to do for old age beyond regular services: replacing worn bushings, ball bearings, steering stabiliser and breaks. She’s as good as new, and I’m R90k down for it but I love it even more now… Not to mention the regular minimum R4K per month for petrol. It’s inconceivable for me to reconcile even considering selling her but I’m at a point where i start to get palpitations when i think about my debt and lack of savings.

My petrol budget alone would cover the cost of a decent replacement, but i would probably need to trade that in again in a couple years time when i move?
Do i sell the wrangler (currently valued at around R400K) and settle my debt and buy an affordable EV on credit? Or do i get an EV as an additional car to bring down petrol costs once I’ve paid down my debt? Or should i just be patient like Claude keeps telling me and live happily ever after with my first love (I don’t have kids)? Or do i start playing lotto while scouting for a rich spouse?
Help?

I’m currently applying for Schengen VISA for a short trip and required to provide my last 3 months bank statement for proof of funds.

Problem is the savings account I’ve been using has only been generating statements every quarterly and the latest available statement is dated 31 August 2026.

Has anyone dealt with this before? Or know whether a stamped interim bank statement from FNB will be sufficient?

Hi all.
Second time posting here for some advice.

My wife and I (30) recently sold our rental apartment in Somerset west in order to purchase our new home in Gqeberha.
Here are the straight numbers:

New property - R999k @ 9.23%

Proceeds from sale : R499k ✅

Already spent some as follows;
- cleared Wesbank car debt - R35k (11 year old car, still running well and i do all maintenance)
- installed solar (taking bill from 2k to R100 per month) - R92k
- cleared credit card debt - R10k

Remaining funds:

Total direct savings - R475k
Investments (unit trust) - R48k
Retirement fund controlled by work - R40k + new fund they moved over to R20k

What I am trying to decide is should I pay into my access bond. Bring down the monthly contributions?
We have a 18month old and are considering a second.
Also in a very fortunate position where we can afford for my wife to be at home with the child while she finishes her studies.

Please ask more questions if needed.
I have not been in a position to have this much money on hand.

I appreciate this community.

Edit:
Only debt currently is the Bond itself, which is at the full 999k, first payment was done beginning of October.

Hi everyone, I'm new here and am looking for advice regarding TFSA.

I currently have a TFSA with EE, and one with Old Mutual. The returns on the OM account haven't been great and their fees are high, so I'm wanting to transfer my funds to another FSP.

Should I transfer the fees to my EE TFSA and have only one TFSA account with EE or should I transfer the OM funds to another? I've been looking at Sygnia but have read people say their fees are too high for passive investments.

Is Fynbos a reliable place to put my TFSA for long term investment? I am a teacher and will rely heavily on my TFSA when the time comes to retire.

Thanks in advance!

Good day, I am a young professional that decided to try and get a new car with my wife. I was lucky enough to get a good financial offer from Wesbank and agreed to the debicheck for an amount from them, upon signing the contract with the dealership I picked up that they were going to charge an additional 90 000 compared to the initial offer of purchase they gave me for additional fees specifically: interior maintenance, exterior maintenance, paint, tyre and wear and tear, tinting and films. I’ve brought this up twice with them and they’re refusing to remove it and are claiming that they will be giving us a discount for these new items, the discount is 6000. Giving this behaviour with both the initial offer of purchase and quotation and the new one I feel that they have been dishonest and want to rescind it and fix it, the problem is I have completed the debicheck with Wesbank, is there a way for me to get assistance from Wesbank to have this reversed? I don’t mind going with this bank for the car that I need, I just am not happy to spend an entire 90 000 more for a car that was not a part of the initial agreement, any help would be appreciated (note. This is not the fees that have to be charged such as the licensing etc)

Hi all.

I'm 24 and I inherited a 2015 Hilux last year which I'm super grateful for but I'm contemplating selling it as diesel just keeps rising.

It's valued at R214 000

I drive about 20 000km annually

I'm thinking spending R30k on a marketplace vehicle

I'm returning to schooling so my income is limited to hospitality part time work.

I've got a lot of mixed feelings about it right now.

Pros:

- It's like a couch on wheels

- It's reliable

- I spent quite a bit to make it road worthy as it was a farm bakkie with a vague service history

- It's great end of year trip car

- It could probably last a lifetime

Cons:

- Diesel prices won't stop climbing

- Driving around is like therapy to me and for the last few months I've struggled to justify going for a night drive with these prices

- Since I'll be spending a few years improving my education it'll be a pavement princess for most of the time

- Insurance costs

I'm thinking of selling it and maxing my annual TFSA and then putting most of the rest into investments.

I've got a bike as well so I'll still be able to get around nearby areas. Yes I could also just store the bakkie and drive the bike around since it's summer, but I'm planning ahead for the next rainy winter as well so I might end up needing to buy a low cost petrol car off marketplace or just survive off Uber.

Would really appreciate some useful feedback.

Hey everyone 👋

A friend is currently completing his research project for an MBA masters dissertation and requires some responses for his survey to achieve the required sample set. The survey takes no more than 10 minutes to complete.

The study looks at how grocery retail loyalty programmes (like WRewards, Smart Shopper, Xtra Savings, etc) influences customer commitment and shopping behaviour.

You qualify if you:

• Live in South Africa

• Are an active member of a grocery retailer loyalty programme

• Shop at your primary grocery retailer both in-store and online / via app

Participation is voluntary and anonymous. No personal identifying information is collected.

Survey link: Google Forms | MBA Research Survey

Thank you so much for supporting academic research. Your contribution would mean a lot!

Hi all.

So I made the "classic" mistake of buying myself a brand new car and I feel absolutely no joy at all!

I bought a brand new Suzuki Fronx GLX, April 2026, for about R 350 000 and put down a R 140 000 deposit. Locked in for 5 years and a R 4 000 premium.

At this time, I still owe about R190 000. I work a hybrid job where I visit the office 2 times a week. Other than that I use the car for normal personal commutes (shopping, travel etc.).

The car mileage sits at 6 500 km (I am certain after 1 year it will be about 15 000 km).

This brand new car just gives me a lot of stress. When I park at the shopping centre, I look for the farthest parking spot to prevent any person from stopping next to me. I keep looking for scratches and get upset when I find one. I do not find any joy of owning a brand new car.

Would I be silly to sell the car and get a second hand car, something like a Honda Jazz (2015 - 2021)? I hope I can get a good amount to pay it off and have a little bit left to put into the second hand car.

I might need to finance the rest of the second hand car, but this will decrease my debt by a few years.

I understand this was an awful financial decision and I can see this was a complete waste of money.

Any advice will be appreciated.

Hi everyone, I need advice on buying my first house, I practically know the answer but want confirmation.

My partner (27M) and I (26F) earn a combined salary of R37 370 net. We are seriously looking at buying apartments / townhouses around the 800k range. Our pre-approval is 1.3 Million but I feel like the banks must be smoking crack to come up with that figure

Our monthly expenses (to afford the home) are listed below:

Microsoft Cloud, Apple & Google Storage R137

Car Insurance R769,00

Wifi R896,00

Phone contracts R620,00

Cleaner R350,00

Bank fees combined R390,00

Electricity R700,00

TFSA R4 000,00

Emergency Fund R2 000,00

Medical aid R1 562,00

Groceries R6 000,00

Miscellaneous R500,00

Chronic medication R1 500,00

Petrol R2 000,00

Gym Fees R650,00

Total expenses: R22 074,00

The places I have viewed so far come to roughly 12-13k per month, with all levies, rates, sewage, Pickitup etc. included

This would leave us with a R2296 buffer, and I have not even included insurance (bond / life). It feels heart-attack inducing, that buffer is far too small for my comfort. Bearing in mind owning the home comes with extra maintenance, my partner and I would not even be saving for holidays or birthdays.

He grew up less fortunate than I and has not had the experiences I have. It seems a house would put us straight into “house-poor” territory, with no leeway for enjoying life.

However, emotionally we dream of our own home – we are tired of renting, we talk about ‘our house one day’ all the time. We are also homebodies, and our own space and privacy would make us happier than any holiday could in my opinion.

I am terrified of making the wrong choice and ruining my life so young. We are currently renting at R9000 per month, the jump from 9k to 13k just for housing (instead of maxing out our TFSA etc.) seems too much

Help me with this head VS heart situation?

For extra info: we have no debt, combined credit card limits of 60k with 0% utilisation, however our emergency savings is less than 3 months expenses currently (we are building this up while house-hunting)

Our savings are higher at the moment while we are renting. For the purpose of affording the monthly bond payments and levies, I have lowered our savings amounts in the above expenses to more accurately reflect what the future budget would look like.

I have listened to the "Homeownership is the new broke" Fat Wallet episode, which is detering me. But we are also looking for a 'forever home' - and the thought of paying off a bond and not having that huge monthly expense one day is very enticing.

So I've given a fair bit of advise here in the past but now I'm in need of some. I know all the basics of being financially responsible but here goes.

I started a new construction project around 2 years ago. Lots of bank issues with contracts and HOA/municipality has delayed the project by some time. Time that I did not budget for. The house is in a fairly affluent area. My loan application was for X amount. Now due to everyone dragging their feet prices of everything has increased by 10 to 20%. So now the house is going to cost X+20%. Which is more than what my planned loan amount was. The bank for some reason awarded me a higher amount than what my loan application was.

Now my question to you is; I feel I have 3 options here. 1) Take the higher amount that the babk is offering and be out of pocket a bit. 2) Keep the original amount and take some cash from emergency fund to cover that, I will be able to replenish that over a few months. 3) Change a lot of finishes in the house to a much lower spec. This will obviously lower the long-term value of the property. This will also not cover 100% of the additional expenses.

Financially I can pay the original loan amount in 7.5 years. If I take my emergency fund to cover some costs I can pay it off in around 8/8.3 and use that 6 months in the beginning to refill my fund. If I take the higher amount it will be around 8.5/9 years to pay it back.

Which option would be the best and why? Apologies for the long essay but this is the easiest way to give all information.

Howzit PersonalFinanceZA, I need some advice.

Some background: Earlier this year, I basically won the career lottery. Right place, right time, and I managed to land myself a pretty fantastic job at 23. I work as a Business Analyst at a publicly listed company, earning around R47,700 per month after tax.

Before this job, I earned less than peanuts. I had no credit card, loans, student debt, or any credit history whatsoever.

Fast forward to today, I’ve been at the company for about 9 months. I still have no debt, but I’ve since opened a credit card to start building a credit history. I pay it off regularly, have never missed a payment, and my credit utilisation is currently around 1%.

I still live with my parents, which allows me to save roughly R25,000 per month. I’ve managed to build up around R175,000 in savings, although I’d prefer not to spend all of that on a car as I want to maintain a healthy emergency fund.

Now, here’s my dilemma.

I don’t own a car. My dad has been kind enough to let me use his car to commute to work, since he works fully remotely. However, I’d really like to get my own car and give him his back.

After looking around, I’ve settled on a new Suzuki Swift GLX CVT. Nothing particularly fancy, just something economical, reliable and comfortable for my fairly long commute.

I applied for vehicle finance through the dealership, and MFC has provisionally approved my application, pending employment verification.

The interest rate they’ve offered me is 17.35%.

And I proceeded to shit myself…

I understand that I’m young and have a relatively thin credit history, but considering my income, lack of debt, savings and affordability, I was hoping for something considerably better.

I’ve reached out to my banker to see whether I can get a more reasonable offer, but I’m not particularly optimistic. I’ve decided that I won’t accept anything above 14%, and even that feels quite steep.

So now I’m at a crossroads.

I could buy a second-hand car cash, but I know very little about cars mechanically. I’ve heard enough horror stories about used vehicles that I’m hesitant to spend a significant amount of my savings on something that could become a financial headache. I understand that buying new isn’t necessarily the best financial decision either, especially with depreciation.

Alternatively, I could continue using my dad’s car for a few more months, save more money, and potentially buy something outright or put down a substantial deposit.

My original plan was to finance the car without a deposit, build my savings back up to where I’m comfortable, and then make a large lump-sum payment towards the loan to reduce the outstanding balance and interest costs. I have absolutely no intention of taking a balloon payment.

So my questions are:

Is 17.35% a normal interest rate for someone in my position, or am I being taken for a ride?
Would you recommend buying a reliable second-hand car cash instead of financing a new one?
Would it make more sense to wait another few months, save aggressively and put down a much larger deposit?
What would you do in my position?

I’m very aware that I’m fortunate to be earning what I do at my age, and I don’t want to squander opportunity by making poor financial decisions early in my career.

I’d really appreciate some perspective, particularly from people who’ve been in a similar position or have more experience with vehicle finance.

I’m teaching in China for the next three years. Earning R50 000 after tax and able to save and invest R40 000 of that. Still an SA tax resident but exempt from taxes due to my income falling under 1.25 million and the amount of time spent abroad. After using R20 000 per month for the first few months to build my emergency fund from R100 000 to R200 000, maxing out my TFSA, and setting aside R20 000 a month for generosity/tithing, car, future rent, and travel when I return to SA, what’s the best way to invest the remaining R20 000 after building my emergency fund and maxing out my TFSA on Easy Equities? All into 10x total world on the Easy Equities Zar account or split between that and VOO in the EE USD account? Or Irish domiciled S&P500 ETF on Shyft? As I understand, investing in an RA while abroad and not benefiting from the tax write off isn’t advised. I saw two CFP’s for advice and they tried to convince me to just hand everything over to them. I’m of the mind that if I don’t have an interest in stock picking and just want to invest in broad market ETF’s I can probably manage myself for now until I return to SA or my networth exceeds a certain amount. Thanks in advance guys 💕

Hi everyone,

I'm currently sitting in FNB to collect my aspire credit card. I want to build a credit score, right now my fnb app says I have a okay credit score.

I was thinking of just buying R300 worth of food or something, then pay it off on the 25th every month. My limit is R2000.

The weird thing is that it states R1400 on my credit account even though I didn't put anything in into the account yet nor have I used it for anything.

Hi all,

It seems I have messed up :( This is my first time doing this and I read wrong.

I was transferring money to Interactive brokers from Capitec.

I accidently chose ZAR, instead of USD as the the deposit method.

It then gave me a Swift code, which Capitec picked up as the Interactive brokers GBP account.

So Capitec converted the ZAR to GBP and I transferred it, which I thought was right because you can't send ZAR out.

Interactive brokers is expecting ZAR as the deposit? But I sent GBP.

What should I do?

I just moved back to SA after living abroad for a while. I was a creative freelancer hand making and selling mainly through ecomm. I never had issues with liability, customs etc. Each shipment was a max value of +/- R9000.

Now I'm struggling to figure out the best set up for my business here. I've spoken to a few accountants who think a PTY is the best step, especially as I will need an export licence. But when I speak to people I know with similar business set ups, they advise me to start as simple as possible, especially as I will probably not earn much for a while as I get my business going again in a new country.

I'm wondering if anyone can give me their advice or personal experience here. I understand that there are benefits to a PTY but as I earn such a little amount I feel like the expense of keeping on top of it will be a drain on my income.

Hi All,

I'm looking for recommendations for a RELIABLE and RESPONSIBLE tax advisor (or advisors).

Location isn't a dealbreaker, though my family member is based in the Vaal/JHB area.

We need advice on three things (they don't necessarily need to be handled by the same person):

Cross-border tax implications: I am based in the UK and need advice on moving money out of SA to the UK ( I have not financially emigrated)

2.

Business tax advice: For a family member who remains in SA.

3.

Inheritance tax advice: specifically regarding an investment annuity in SA.

(Both for myself as well as family member)

If you have any recommendations for practitioners or firms who specialize in cross-border tax (SA/UK) or general local tax/inheritance, please let me know. I would prefer genuine recommendations of genuine people working hard. I'd prefer not to use places that try rip you off while leading you badly.

Thanks in advance and have a lekker day!

As in the title, should I ask my bank? Should I ask the dealer to give me a financing option with no early resettlement?

I bank with FNB are there any particular banks to ask?

I have no active credit lines. My credit score is 673

The budget would be in the rough 350k range. I can put 100k down without worrying about the rest of my finances. I could probably pay the entire amount now but I'd be less comfortable in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

Thanks

Hi everyone,
I'm based in South Africa and want to transfer money from my Shyft USD wallet to another person's Wise USD account.
Wise provides the following account details:
Account holder name

Account type

ABA routing number for ACH/direct deposits

Account number

US address specified for international SWIFT transfers

SWIFT/BIC code

In Shyft, I select Add Beneficiary, International Transfer, choose USD as the payment currency, Someone Else as the beneficiary type, and United States as the beneficiary country.

The beneficiary form asks for the account holder's name, ABA routing number, account number and address details.

However, the ABA field specifically says to use the domestic ACH/direct deposit routing number, not the wire routing number. There is no field for a SWIFT/BIC code.

I'm unsure whether this beneficiary setup is suitable for transferring USD internationally to Wise.

Has anyone successfully transferred USD from Shyft to a Wise USD account?
Did you use the ACH routing number in the ABA field?

Did the payment arrive successfully in Wise?

Were any additional bank or intermediary details required?

Were there any unexpected fees or issues?

I'd particularly appreciate responses from South Africans who have actually used Shyft to fund a Wise USD account.
Thanks!

I am a 31 year old male living and working in China. I have about R170k saved up in a FNB 32day account that I am closing at the end of October. I do not have a pension or anything for retirement at the moment. The only option for saving for retirement I can think of is investing in a Unit trust or annuity. I have tried reading up on that subject and found Allen Gray to be an attractive option. I was planning to invest the R170k as a lump sum and make monthly payments of R5000 a month with a 7% increase yearly to account for inflation. But I honestly dont know if that is a good decision.

I would appreciate some feedback or advice. Or if anyone can introduce a financial advisor, if that is allowed.

Thanks

I got an SMS telling me that ABSA have now partnered with Clicks for rewards and that I can "get up to 30% cash back". I do my pharmacy shopping mostly at Clicks, and out of curiosity I went to investigate.

I am on tier 1 of the rewards program. How do I upgrade to tier 2? (I am on private banking) I am only 5 points away from tier 2.

1. Get a home loan
2. Get vehicle finance
3. Get a personal loan
4. Put an overdraft on my cheque account
5. "Have 3 or more home loan or vehicle finance products"
6. Invest R1m+ with Absa
7. Buy their insurance
8. Get them to manage your will and estate (which from my understanding the worst thing you can do after not having a will, is having a bank be the executor of yours)

This makes me think about how Dave Ramsey is of the opinion that a "credit score is just a marketing tactic to get people to take out debt" which should probably be taken with a pinch of salt. But I have never taken on debt for the sake of having a good credit score. I am 28, debt free.

I refuse to take out debt to qualify for *maybe* a 10% cash back at Clicks where I spend at the very most R1000 at a time.

I just wonder if these models actually work for banks? Surely they do else they would not exist?

I'd be particularly interested to hear from anyone working in banking or financial services who understands the economics behind these programmes.

Does anyone actually take out products specifically to climb rewards tiers, or do most people simply benefit from products they would have had anyway?

I received an EAC of 1.25% from 10X for their 10X Your Future Fund RA. Is this reasonable?

My property is co-owned, and it is my primary residence. Is it possible to take out a mortgage bond over the property where only one co-owner is liable for repaying the loan? The other co-owner is younger and not yet employed, so they don’t want the burden of the debt in any way. What is this type of arrangement called, and which banks or financial institutions offer it, if it is something that is offered? Not worried about the co-owner agreeing to the bond or future profit splits, this question is more in the realm of standing surety for the bond, and if that can be avoided by the other co-owner.