Do you often reach the end of your day and feel like, regardless of how busy you’ve been, you still don’t feel productive? It’s all too easy to begin our day in our emails and allow all the interruptions of ‘urgent messages’ to run our entire day. These digital distractions can seriously affect our productivity. The constant notifications and easy access to social media and other websites can lead to procrastination, reduced focus, and decreased efficiency. […]
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Five tips for investing this year
People have a wide range of feelings and perspectives regarding investing. Some view investing as a way to grow wealth and secure a financial future, while others may view it as too risky or complex. Some of us are confident in our investment knowledge and feel comfortable making decisions independently, while others prefer to seek guidance from financial advisors or investment professionals. Still, others may feel nervous about the stock market and prefer to put their […]
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Discovery Vitality 2023 summary
Vitality Health is a program that offers a range of benefits for its members, including discounts on gym memberships, healthy food, and sports gear, as well as rewards for reaching fitness goals. This article will provide an overview of the benefits, costs, and the value of being a Vitality Health member in 2023. Rates for 2023: Single Member: R 329.00 Member + 1: R 399.00 Member + 2 or more: R 465.00 Important to note: Only […]
Continue readingSuper Jan
The best way to possibly start the year January was an exceptional month, with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) experiencing growth of more than 7%. Despite the challenges posed by load shedding, rising food prices, high unemployment, and struggling small businesses, the JSE still performed well, reaching record levels of over 80,000 points and showing improved bond performance and interest rates. The reasons for the growth in the JSE can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, […]
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Think like an Insurer
Sun Tzu’s famous quote “If you know your enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles” can also be applied to being a responsible policyholder with your insurer. It is important to understand how insurers view claims and policyholders in order to maintain a positive relationship and avoid negative consequences such as higher yearly increases, higher excess on claims, and contract cancellation. To be a responsible policyholder, consider the following: […]
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Two ways to reduce anxiety
Our minds are extraordinary. The human brain has evolved to solve complex problems and successfully manage unexpected situations, and yet, coping is less about what is happening in the world and more about how our senses decipher the situation. Perception is everything; this is why coping mechanisms focus on managing, reframing, or avoiding how we perceive triggers and stressors. Suppose our inability to cope is hindering us from enjoying a full life, achieving our goals, or […]
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Small things achieve big results
Vincent van Gogh is quoted as saying: “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” This quote highlights the idea that even the smallest actions or details can contribute to the creation of something significant. Focusing on and taking care of the small things can achieve big results over time. Essentially, this is about being productive. In the moment, we might think that it’s just a small action or an insignificant choice, […]
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Reconnecting with your values
When life gets full and busy, it’s hard to remember why we do what we do, and it’s easy to become unhealthily disconnected from who and what we value. As Dr Susan David often says, finding your “why” can be as simple as reconnecting with your values and reframing your everyday activities in relation to those values. This is not so easy when we’re under pressure to perform and meet the expectations that have been placed […]
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And what are the voices saying?
There are times in the year when we see and engage with more people than usual – through end-of-year functions, annual celebrations, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, funerals and the like. It can be wonderful – but it can also be stressful. We are quickly reminded that these old friends, colleagues and distant family from far-off shores have opinions that challenge our own, and they’re all too willing to offer unsolicited advice. All these voices can be exhausting […]
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Investment year 2022 – What happened?
2022 – A year to forget A year ago we were still very optimistic about 2022. It is ironic that the international markets peaked on 1 January and have been trending almost exclusively in one direction ever since. What went wrong? In a word – EVERYTHING. Inflation, war, China’s zero-covid policy, and painful interest rates were some of the main culprits. This has wrecked the markets. A well constructed portfolio is diversified. In 2022, all assets […]
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