This piece of information is closely related to the section on not taking a 13th cheque from your employer. When structuring your remuneration package, you may be entitled to receive a portion of your earnings in the form of a travel, or car allowance. This has certain tax benefits, as long as you are able …
In South Africa, interest rates are often subject to wide fluctuations with little warning. When rates decrease, the banks generally reduce your monthly instalment accordingly, and place the onus on you to contact them if you do not want this change to be made.
A popular practice amongst companies today is to allow staff to decide whether or not they would like a 13th cheque at the end of the year. The staff member can elect to receive his or her annual salary in 12 monthly payments, or reduce the amount paid each month in order to build up a reserve which is paid out as a bonus, or 13th cheque.
The problem, as discussed in the previous article, is the capitalisation of interest, over and over again EVERY MONTH FOR 20 YEARS! So what do we do about it? Well, the fact that interest is calculated daily can be used to our advantage.
The purpose of this series of articles is to provide bondholders in South Africa with practical and simple methods of reducing their bond terms, thereby saving money in the process. We will use practical examples to illustrate the effect that these methods can have in reducing your bond term.