If you are raising a child with special needs, there is so much you are asked to hold at once: the emotional, medical, schooling and practical day-to-day side, and somewhere in the middle, the financial side too. I know this both as Jade’s mom and as a financial planner. If I could sit across from another parent over a cup of coffee, I would not try to give them a perfect roadmap. There is no perfect roadmap. I would open up a few conversations that may help them feel more prepared, more supported, and able to make thoughtful choices over time. None of us can know exactly what our...

When Kate Turkington was a little girl growing up in England, she was given half a crown pocket money every week. She saved it all. Once a month, she would take the train into London and spend her savings on theatre tickets. Even as a child, Kate understood something that takes many of us years to work out: money has the most meaning when we use it for the things we value. For Kate, that was theatre, learning, curiosity and experience. If you don’t know Kate, she is one of South Africa’s best-known broadcasters and travel writers. Now nearly 92, very little has changed. Kate is...

A serious diagnosis can change your life in a single conversation. While the emotional impact is immediate, the financial weight can be equally devastating and, in many cases, entirely avoidable. Risk cover exists precisely to ensure that a health crisis does not also become a financial crisis. Why Risk Cover Feels Like a Grudge Purchase Risk cover can feel like money spent on something that may never happen. Given the choice, most people would rather use that money to pay off debt, save, invest, or simply have more in their pocket now. That instinct is not entirely wrong. There...

One of the most difficult money conversations many parents face is knowing how long to keep financially supporting their adult children. What begins as help through a difficult chapter can become part of family life. Before long, parents find themselves paying for rent, cars, debt, education fees, or helping adult children through financial challenges they are struggling to manage on their own. Some parents are supporting not just one generation, but several: adult children, grandchildren, and ageing parents. As parents, our instinct is to help, but that support can come at a cost....

Do you ever find yourself doing quiet mental calculations about your future? Adding up what you’ve saved. Estimating how many working years may still lie ahead. Wondering whether you started soon enough and what retirement will really mean for you. In your 50s, retirement is no longer a distant idea. It’s a date on the calendar. And when you look at your retirement investments, they may not quite match the life you imagined. It’s a familiar story. For years, contributions were something to increase “later”. Once school fees were done, university was paid for, and life felt less...

Midlife is often the moment we start connecting who we’ve been with who we’re becoming. It’s a time to draw on your wisdom, experience, and courage to recalibrate your money with what brings you meaning. Defining what “enough” means to you I always tell clients that enough is not a number. Enough is when your life and money are aligned with your biggest dreams, your vision for the future, and your idea of what a fulfilling and meaningful life looks like. Every person’s definition of enough is unique. Lynda Smith’s story reminds us of this beautifully. At fifty, she didn’t have...

One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is the wisdom to see money for what it truly is: a tool, not a measure of worth. Teenagers and young adults often view money as a ticket to independence, but without guidance, that independence can quickly turn into a cycle of debt, stress, and missed opportunities. Teach them to live within their means It’s easy to get carried away with a first paycheque: new clothes, nights out, gadgets. But overspending builds a lifestyle on debt. Encourage your children to track their spending and stick to a realistic budget. Saving with a goal...