Once A Week

  How to invest in a Real Estate Investment Trust   As I said in my last article about Real Estate Investing , Real Estate Investment Trust or REITs for short, are a great way to invest in Real Estate. Real estate has been a popular investment among many people over generations. The idea of owning a piece of something tangible excited people. However, this was often only something afforded to the affluent. However, that is no longer the case. Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay What is a Real Estate Investment Trust?   A REIT is a company that owns land/ buildings that generate income. They can also finance real estate and earn an income from the interest charged in some countries. These investment vehicles offer a way to invest in the property market with little money. Benefits of a REIT?   REITs are often managed by good investment companies that offer diversification that you would struggle to get on your own. Their expertise helps mak...

Should I invest in Crypto? Investing  in Crypto or cryptocurrency is a massive buzz word. But is it all talk or is there something to consider? What is Cryptocurrency? “A cryptocurrency is a digital or  virtual currency  that is secured by cryptography, which makes it nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend.” –  Investopedia Image by  xresch  from  Pixabay So Cryptocurrency is basically like a digital form of gold that is hard to fake or steal. It gets recorded on ledgers that are based on many servers making it almost impossible to lose records and hack. if you want a more in-depth read check out  Investopedia . Can I get a return on my investment? Well, seeing as you get people known as Bitcoin Millionaires, I can assume so. With outrageous growth in short spaces of time, Bitcoin and other Crypto Currencies have shone over the last few years providing a high return for many, but a high loss for others. Make sure you do your research by ...

How to use a Zero-Based Budget? Zero-Based Budgeting is the new way of budgeting. It takes into account worldly factors and allows more flexibility than the traditional budget. But What is it? And how can I use it in my own life? What is a Zero Based Budget? A zero-based budget us “Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is a method of budgeting in which all expenses must be justified for each new period.” by  Investopedia . It stops the assumption that last month or period will be the same as the future or coming period. Everything starts at zero and all expenses need to be justified and explained. This process forces managers to review every expense and justify it. Image by  Steve Buissinne  from  Pixabay Why should I use a Zero Based Budget? Zero-Based Budgeting can help you by  cutting costs  and to be knowledgeable about where your money is going. By assuming nothing and justifying all your expenses bi-yearly or quarterly, you can find wasteful spending a...

Should I get a Credit Card? Credit Cards can be great or can be catastrophic, depending on who you ask. They have many great aspects but the Debt aspect is what scares people away! Here are 3 questions I ask myself before getting a Credit Card: What are the Fees? Credit Card Fees like bank fees can be astronomically high or fairly reasonable. But lookout for hidden fees such as Late Payments, Credit Usage, Credit Limit Fee, dishonoring fee, lack of funds fee, international transaction fee and interest. These are fees listed on the report but often ignored. But they can hit you like a ton of bricks if you don't take note of them. That being said Free swiping along with other benefits can make a Credit Card more cost-effective than other accounts. What are the Benefits? One of the main reasons people take out Credit Cards is for the rewards or benefits. Be it Discovery Miles , Ucount , Greenback's, or EBucks ; these benefits can add up! From discount...

How to create your financial plan? "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail", the wise words of Benjamin Franklin. And this applies to your financial plan as well. But how do you create a financial plan? Write it down This may seem like an obvious one, but I myself have skipped it in past times. Writing down your goals and plans can significantly increase the odds of you keeping them. Because while you write, you think through your plan and iron out any creases. This will leave you feeling more confident. Automate The easiest way to save or repay is to automate the process. As diligent as we may be, the temptations of our world are real! So don't tempt fate, automate! With all major banks offering scheduled payments and debit orders. Automate your savings and your repayments to avoid having to think about or forget about it. Formulate your savings and repayment plan and then automate to make sure you stick to it. Do good research upfront! T...

How to save money in tough times The tough times are the last place you think about how to save money! Especially when you have lost your income or your income get reduced! There are then more important things to worry about, and you may even have to dip into your savings. And that is okay. But Saving is not just an action, its a habit. And I believe in saving even just a minimal amount to help you save. So here are some fun, creative ways to keep the habit going! Keep a cents jar All those 10c, 20c, and 50c can add up to more than just a few chappies. I managed to save R10 a month by doing this. Which may not sound like much but every bit helps and every cent saved is worth more in the future! Make it fun by customizing the coin jar, or find a piggy bank! I have a blue one I got free with a promotion a Dros years ago. Image by Devanath from Pixabay Have a swear jar Yes, the good old swear jar! You've seen it on so many TV shows, I couldn't lis...

Top Investment Tips to use right now to grow your wealth! Investing is imperative to building wealth and 2020 is the year of opportunities. With a global pandemic form new value, now is a better time than ever to invest in top-quality investments. These are my Investment tips. 1 Make an informed decision It sounds simple; however, I have seen many people becoming “Day traders” overnight! This is the best tip I could give for first-time investors! Make an informed derision. Success in investing is understanding what you are investing in and how you are investing in it. I personally have little to no knowledge of in-depth computer software, so I cannot judge a Software company on its new software due to my lack of expertise. I would need to look and invest in something I know and understand in order to succeed. Do some research on Warren Buffet's investment Tips and learn from his expertise! 2 Take into account Risk! Risk is a very controversial topic with many o...

What are Bonds? Should I invest in Bonds? Bonds, loans, debt. They have a reputation for being very safe with minimal returns. Is this true? What are Bonds? Should I invest in bonds? What is a bond? Bonds, loans, and debt are a type of investment where you buy the debt of a company, institution, municipality, or government. The return earned is on the rise in value of the bonds, as well as the yield/ interest rate paid. Think of it as you acting as the bank, you loan the money to Joe and he pays you back plus interest. Government Bonds are often considered the safest option as a government is very unlikely to default or not pay their debts. Companies or corporate bonds are often considered a higher risk as they could go bankrupt. What is the bond market? A bond market is similar to the stock exchange where bonds are traded. These markets bond markets are often available only to wealthy individuals and institutions. Where do I invest in Bonds? The Bond Market We know what the stock mark...

"No Guilt. No Excuses. No BS. Just a 6-Week Program That Works". This is our I will Teach you to be Rich Book Review. Ramit Sethi, who Forbes called a "Wealth Wizard", has one of the best New Day Finance books on the Market. Available both on HardCopy and on Audible! He covers exactly what our blog is about....simple, easy to understand, and it works! The main principles of this book are: How to get rid of Debt! The Method to setup low cost bank accounts The Strategy to Automate your finances How to Save lots of Money Every month! An easy and low maintenance investment strategy How to handle the financial stresses of life (Buying a car, Getting Married, Buying a house, Traveling, Having kids) The best negotiation strategy to get Salary Increase Ramits philosophy of "Buy all the Latte's you want" i.e. focus on the big stuff or stuff that matters is relatable to us in real day life! I will Teach You To Be Rich is an Easy to Re...

 "My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest." – Warren Buffet. Here we will show The Benefits of Compounding! From the man himself Warren Buffet! Warren Buffet is known as one of, if not the best investor of our time. He is one of the richest men in the world and has pledged $50bn to charity, mainly the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation. Now we don't all have the ability to live in America, we have no control over genes, but we can compound. What is compounding? Compounding interest is the interest made when you reinvest money earned from Interest. So if you have R100 invested in a savings account. You earn R5 interest, you can either take that interest out or reinvest it. Reinvesting that interest will cause you to earn interest on R105, not just R100. Causing you to earn more interest. Now this seems easy, but the real magic happens over times as shown in the table below, The Benefits of Comp...