Kishanth Ramsoorooj - Independent Broker

27/02/2026

Budget 2026, what it means for your portfolio?
Save, save, and save some more. That was the clear message from Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in his 2026 Budget announcement.

With new tax breaks, higher tax-free investment limits, and incentives for retirement savings, South Africans have fresh opportunities to grow their wealth. SABI Independent Broker, Kish Ramsoorooj shares practical insights on how to navigate these changes, maximise savings, and strategically plan for the year ahead.

Saving is the cornerstone of financial planning, and 2026 will see some significant improvement to our ability to put money aside:
•The tax-free annual investment limit will be increased from R36,000 to R46,000 per year.
•The annual cap on retirement-fund deductions will be raised from R350,000 to R430,000, allowing individuals to invest more each year.
•The single discretionary allowance for investments offshore has increased from R1m to R2m per annum.
•The Minister has also offered further relief by adjusting personal income tax brackets and rebates fully in line with inflation.
•Medical aid tax credits have been revised.

The adjustment of tax brackets puts immediate money back into the pockets of low to middle income earners and this can make a real difference to household cash flow.

This may seem modest monthly, but over a year it can create additional capacity, whether to reduce debt, increase savings, or strengthen emergency reserves. Used wisely, this relief can make a tangible difference to household financial resilience in any situation.

The past two years has seen no inflation-linked adjustment to personal-tax thresholds, and this has been labelled as a stealth tax. This means that people receiving salary raises in line with inflation were in many cases getting less money in their pockets at the end of day because their raises pushed them into higher tax brackets.

Maximise tax benefits
The ability to increase your tax-free savings is significant; this is an opportunity to review financial strategies proactively. With increased tax-free limits, investors should consider whether they are utilising these vehicles to their full potential.

Even small incremental increases in contributions, when compounded over time, can materially improve savings outcomes. This all means having cash in hand when you need it most.

The annual cap on retirement-fund deductions has also been increased, allowing savers to put even more money aside for retirement in a tax-efficient way. Many people can increase their contributions, accelerate their retirement planning while simultaneously reduce their current tax burden.

This dual benefit is not something to overlook. The increased annual cap means that many individuals who previously reached their tax-deduction ceiling now have room to invest more efficiently.

Single Discretionary allowance
Direct offshore investing in foreign currency is a cornerstone of any well rounded financial plan. Investing offshore in a foreign currency protects capital against local currency devaluation, diversifies risk across global markets, and provides access to industries not available locally. It serves as a hedge against domestic economic and political instability, allowing investors to preserve purchasing power and capitalize on stronger, international growth opportunities. The good news is that the increase of the reserve bank’s single discretionary allowance from R1m to R2m will also increase opportunity for offshore investment.

The takeaway
This budget is positioned as a confidence-and-relief budget: government claims it has reached a point where debt peaks and begins to fall, while also scrapping planned tax hikes, giving inflation relief to individuals, boosting incentives to save, and delivering a meaningful administrative change for SMEs via the R2.3m VAT threshold.

In a year where fiscal prudence and personal financial discipline are more important than ever, this Budget provides the tools, but it remains up to each individual to use them strategically along with their financial advisor to maximise these benefits in their personal portfolio.

Remember to speak to your financial planning professional for the best advice suited to your unique situation.

19/02/2026

Karl Leinberger is Chief Investment Officer and has 25 years of investment industry experience, enjoy this short 6 minute video on him making his case for remaining offshore in the present economy.

Coronation Fund Managers are here to help with your personal investment goals. Our Investment professionals are dedicated to putting retail clients first.

21/10/2025

Plan for the everyday while estate is wound up.

Credit to Daily Maverick for the article.

10/09/2025

Currency News:

When trading is as range bound as it has been over the past few months, it is difficult to pick a side. Dollar bullish or bearish? Backing the Rand or not? This becomes even more complex when psychological big figures never seem to be breached, or at least not sustainably.

When tariffs took effect at the beginning of August, sentiment was low for emerging markets and flows were naturally directed towards the US Dollar, with ZAR/USD reaching 18.35 at the start of August. This was not due to any renewed confidence in the Greenback, but rather the same old ‘safe haven’ move we have become accustomed to. The Dollar, however, has been underperforming recently, with the Dollar Index starting at 100 and declining throughout the month.

As investors realised that global trade continues and focus could shift to other markets, panic subsided, and capital once again flowed towards emerging markets. As a result, the Rand regained some footing and, in August, tested the 17.50 level for the third and fourth time this year, yet remained unable to hold below this level consistently.

Looking at the detail, the first such move in August came shortly after the release of US inflation figures, which, while not showing significant cooling, were good enough to assure market participants that they could begin to expect interest rates to come down in the near future. Following that, the Rand remained below this level across two trading days when Fed Chair Jerome Powell delivered his final Jackson Hole speech, reassuring participants that rates would be cut this year and stressing the balancing act the Fed currently faces between inflation and the labour market.

In the month ahead, we anticipate the Fed’s upcoming interest rate decision, following a significant downward revision of 919,000 jobs from previously reported US employment figures, both of which do not bode well for Dollar strength. Expectations have now shifted to a 100% probability of a cut this year, a stark contrast to just a few months ago when rate cuts were potentially off the table for the remainder of 2025.

In the absence of major local drivers to move the Rand decisively stronger or weaker, global geopolitical and economic events continue to create small ripples, with the Rand, for the most part, following the Dollar’s lead.

credit to: currencypartners.co.za for the newsletter.

22/08/2025

A simple and well explained article by Sandy McGregor of Allan Gray.

The South African Reserve Bank believes we must take advantage of the current lower levels of inflation and has announced that it will now interpret its mandate as targeting 3%. This has been met with mixed responses. Sandy McGregor provides some context on the origins of inflation targeting and explains why a lower target has many positive benefits and could get the South African economy going again.

The South African Reserve Bank believes we must take advantage of the current lower levels of inflation and has announced that it will now interpret its mandate as targeting 3%. This has been met with mixed responses. Sandy McGregor provides some context on the origins of inflation targeting and exp...

06/06/2025

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-27-false-news-alert-no-there-is-no-change-to-the-retirement-age-in-south-africa/

National Treasury has dismissed the claims contained in an article gaining traction through WhatsApp forwards and Facebook reposts.

12/05/2025

This article by Moonstone highlights the impending dangers that two pot withdrawals have created for the client at retirement and the over indebtedness of the working class in general.

Remember if you draw it out now, will there be enough to draw out later?

Three-quarters of withdrawals in the new tax year are repeat claims Posted on 8 May 20258 May 2025 by Moonstone Information Refinery — Leave a comment Many of the retirement fund members who requested savings benefit withdrawals in March and April, the first two months of the new tax year, were di...

15/04/2025

Liberation Day becomes Obliteration Week.

Global stock markets are currently experiencing one of the fastest downturns in history, with major indices across Asia, Europe and the United States (US) falling, wiping $9.5 trillion off the MSCI All-Country World Index since 2 April. The speed and breadth of US President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements caught markets off guard, leading to stop-loss triggers, forced deleveraging and panic selling. The Nasdaq Index in the US has already entered bear market territory on a drop of over 20% from its recent high, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced its largest drop since the Covid-19 pandemic.

To put the numbers in perspective, however, markets dropped by 57% during the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and by 33% with the Covid 19 announcement.

Several interconnected factors contributed to the "Liberation Day" crash, which started on 2 April, 2025. The primary trigger for the sell off was investor uncertainty over President Trump’s escalation of global trade tensions. His administration implemented sweeping tariffs on imports from just about every country and is expected to raise the average tariff rate to approximately 19% in 2025 from 3% previously. These tariffs have sparked fears of a global trade war and a potential recession in the United States, the world's largest economy. China has already retaliated with 34% tariffs on US goods, further exacerbating the situation and leading to concerns about reduced global demand and disrupted supply chains. The EU has held back on unveiling its real anti-coercion tool – retaliatory tariffs on services, not just goods.

Perversely, current fundamentals, such as a still-resilient labour market, suggest the US economy is not collapsing, and cool heads in non-US governments could lead to reduced tariffs and a quick recovery. According to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, more than 50 countries have reached out for trade talks – Taiwan has offered to cut all tariffs on US imports, India has said it is open to cutting tariffs on more than half of its US imports, the EU has committed to negotiations and UK PM Keir Starmer has highlighted the need for a "cool-headed" approach. Japan was the first to open the door for actual negotiations, with its stock market up 6% this morning on the news.

However, markets were not just spooked by the US’s announcement of its biggest tariff hike in history, but by the fact it was not voted for by Congress; it was decided by one man, President Trump, via an executive order issued under emergency powers. There is no precedent for developed countries to negotiate trade policies in this manner. In anticipation of increased volatility around tariffs, we have been proactively managing risk by reducing our equity weighting since the start of the year, and we further reduced our holdings last week after the tariffs announcement.

During times of heightened market volatility – like the present – it is important to remember that market corrections are a normal part of economic cycles and, while risks remain high and the outlook is very obscured by tariff uncertainty, analysts foresee potential for market recovery. JP Morgan analysts estimate the S&P 500 will trade between 5 200 and 6 000 over the next year, while Goldman Sachs is forecasting a range of 5 300 to 5 900 – compared to Friday’s close of 5 074. Markets will trade to the top of that level as countries negotiate lower tariffs and will fall as countries retaliate.

While it is tempting to sell in a panic, more people selling drags down the markets and only serves to lock in losses. History and sound financial advice remind us that investing is a long-term game and that market cycles come and go. A diversified portfolio and a long-term perspective should mitigate short-term volatility, turning today’s uncertainty into tomorrow’s opportunity. We remain cautious and underweight risk but are looking for opportunities to reinvest. As always, our primary portfolio-management focus is on the management of risk and ensuring that our decision-making remains true to the process we have so successfully implemented on behalf of our clients for fifteen years.

Source: Investor Note issued by Sygnia Financial Services

19/03/2025

The question begs, is your independent broker/financial planner talking to you about hedge funds and are they authorised to advise you in this space?

Retail hedge funds surge as industry hits record growth Posted on 17 March 202517 March 2025 by Moonstone Information Refinery — Leave a comment In a historic year for South Africa’s hedge fund industry, regulated hedge funds have achieved record-breaking asset growth and double-digit net inflow...

09/09/2024

Posted 9:38:01 AM. Company DescriptionWealth X Investments is a niche insurance brokerage specialising in long term…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.

04/09/2024

SARS had already processed 2,424 tax directives by Tuesday morning, requesting R103-million worth of withdrawals from retirement funds...

Consumers are plundering their own savings and self inflicting pain...

SARS processed almost 2,500 tax withdrawal directives on the first day alone, while some fund administrators battled with system crashes as members flooded them with withdrawal requests.

02/09/2024

Tempting as it may seem, you are simply robbing your future self of financial freedom!

The two-pot retirement withdrawal may seem like a lifeline but it could end up costing you more at a vulnerable age.