Yes, you should invest offshore. But, timing and the where and how is worth investigating. The biggest mistake is making an emotional “knee -jerk” decision. This often leads to taking on inappropriate risk and at the worst time, often after the horse has bolted. It’s important to make a rational decision and to take your money offshore for the right reasons.

A few critical questions to consider before investing offshore include: what percentage of assets, direct or indirect, where, what product, which investments, what asset allocation, taxation effects, estate planning /duty implications, timing?

We answer these questions with our 18 frequently asked questions.

Over the last three years, the JSE All Share Index has moved sideways as it continues to fluctuate within a 10% band, wearing investors’ patience thin. Unfortunately, volatility is implicit in investing and over the long-term, this volatility often provides good buying opportunities. However, if one finds it difficult to remain calm in these volatile / low-return periods, an investment in a more stable income fund will provide an 8% to 9% return, but at the risk of missing higher returns when the market recovers.

The surprise announcement of an “economic recession” and the recent collapse of the Rand raises many questions. But mostly, how does this affect my investments? We’ve drawn from a recent Old Mutual Wealth article that supports our views as we provide insights into these issues and explain the effects.

The investment adage goes “Buy low and sell high” – easier said than done – as often greed leads us to do the opposite. We buy that which keeps going higher as we can’t bear to miss out on making money, and at some point, that same investment starts declining and we sell at a lower point as we start to panic and lose money. Today we review a well-known, but unusual fund which is positioned completely differently from any other of the other +1000 local unit trusts and is at a potential “low point”. Maybe now is a good time to buy?

Land Reform is a very emotional subject and understandably so. It is top of mind for most South Africans and is negatively affecting the perceptions of the international and local investors. We summarise our views on this important subject with some input from top fund managers in the country.