Nicholas Atkins - Financial Advisor

25/08/2026

When the future isn't planned for, it can become very expensive.

A recent Daily Investor article highlights a worrying reality in the Eastern Cape: the province’s expanded unemployment rate has climbed to 54.1%, meaning more people who can and want to work are unemployed than are currently working. Only around 1.3 million of the 4.7 million people aged 15–64 are employed.

These numbers are a reminder that we cannot always rely on the economy, our jobs or circumstances to work in our favour. Future-proof planning means preparing for the things we can’t predict — while we still have the ability to do something about them.

That’s where proper financial planning comes in. Your income today should be helping protect the life you want tomorrow.

If you want to start building a financial plan designed around your future, visit "nicthefa.co.za" (https://nicthefa.co.za/clients/ or get in touch:

📧 [email protected]
📱 061 547 7237

18/08/2026

South Africa’s banks are doing something that seems backwards… 👀

They’re closing ATMs — while opening more branches.

Absa’s latest results show its ATMs and cash devices fell by 2% to 5,016, while its physical network grew. Sales and service branches increased by a massive 41%.

Why?

Because the way we bank is changing.

Branch transactions dropped 36%, while digital revenue increased 15%. Absa is moving away from cash-heavy branches towards smaller, more flexible locations.

But here’s what I find interesting…

Physical branches aren’t disappearing. They’re changing.

Digital banking is great for transactions.

But when it comes to investing, wealth creation and making important decisions about your financial future…

human advice still matters.

Technology can give you information.

A good financial advisor helps you understand what it actually means for YOU.

📲 061 547 7237
📧 [email protected]

NicTheFA | Wealth Advisor

14/08/2026

When it comes to South African thought leaders, not many come close to Daniel Roodt. And economist and expert in market analysis- South African market.

Tax payers and rate payers are getting fed up with paying for services they never get and being penalized for simple mistakes if they step one foot wrong.

Quiet resistance is taking place. What does your long-term capital growth with minimum tax plan look like?
1. We all have to retire, if you dont plan properly, you won't be able to retire.
2. If you consult or have a business in your name, take the extra 5 mins a day to jot down your deductibles like supplies, petrol, wages, anything you can.

This does not constitute advice as every financial profiles is as unique as a fingerprint.
Book a meeting with me for your plan. It costs a coffee.
https://nicthefa.co.za/clients/
0615477237

COB | RE5 | BA PSYCH (WITS)

30/07/2026

Most Moderate investment funds that I've looked at from the big insurance companies have really suffered the first half of this year. South Africa's primary stock market - The JSE - had record years 2024 and 2025, but this year it seems to have had one of the worst first half of the year starts in over a decade.

PnP is on the path to a 8 year turn around plan.
Sasol is doing amazingly, but this follows years of very average performance in stock value
Some of our biggest nationally recognized construction companies entered business rescue.
Group Five, one of South Africa's largest companies, exited business rescue with flying colours, no debt and even a bump in stock for their shareholders.

Overall most moderate funds had negative returns in the 1st quarter and recovered slightly to make a whopping 0.3% - 1.2% on average for the last 6 months. In a high growth fund, this is fine because the longer you are invested for, the higher your returns are likely to be, but in a moderate fund, your fees are higher because the trade off is less loss.

In January this year I found a fund that really clicked for me. The fund managers have international fund access through an international trust, which has allowed them to leverage international gains, while remaining low risk - they have made a positive return of 4% over the last 6 months - this doesn't sound like much, but in terms of compounding month on month, year on year, less downtime means steady dependable growth calculations.

What is your portfolio performance looking like?

Can you retire? This is the key question facing South Africa's working class. Are you on track? Are you saving enough? can we make some space

25/07/2026

Thank you FNB for the latest report on Retirement Planning in South Africa.

Here's the skinny:
- More South African's under 60y have a retirement policy (Pension and Retirement annuity). This sits at 74% of surveyed adults, by FNB. Up from 60% last year.
While a great sign - simply having a Retirement Product is not proper financial Planning

- Under 60's say they look for the best price, another good sign and a difference in generation. Unfortunately sometimes value is lost when you shop by cost. Expensive products are sometimes costed that way because they deliver certainty over others.

- Lower income earners got more involved in their future finances. Their Retirement investments went up from 19% to 48%. Although this looks good on paper, I fear this is the DIY investing market like easy equities. I have seen horror posts on those groups. The lack of financial understanding really shows and they don't know what kind of investment they should be using or strategizing with. Some has created an unnecessary tax bill, but that's for another post.

- And now the heart break I see very often: Among those already retired, 29% were caught off guard by emergencies (anecdotally I would say it's more than this and this is due to lack of planning by a qualified advisor) 36% said retirement was going worse than expected. This is almost always due to bad planning and not understanding the benefit of saving now to grow money for longer.

Don't end up falling behind - crush debt, use those credit card payments to create wealth instead of draining it away. Share this with someone who could use guidance with their retirement and financials'


061 547 7237
https://nicthefa.co.za/can-you-retire/

19/07/2026

Latest collection from last week:

Eskom internal investigations, information gathered from De Ruyter's book and the Madlanga Commission have revealed the corruption going inside Eskom to the general public. Find out how this affects your investments below.

S.A.A. was destroyed by the Zuma era government according to Trevor Manuel. 'SAA was the top airline in Africa, operating long-haul routes to New York, London, Hong Kong, and South America.
However, during the Jacob Zuma Presidency, it collapsed. It began recording huge losses and relied on multi-billion-rand government bailouts to survive.' Find out how this affects your tax money below.

Australia to: Another Highly capable skilled South African has Left for greener pastures, continuing the increasing rate of the brain drain on South Africa.

*How Does this Affect your wallet?*
In terms of parastatals - these companies are part of helping the government run on more than just tax money, so when these state owned businesses fail, it's your tax money that is being siphoned away from fixing potholes, lights and building new highways for you to get to work quicker. When this happens, that tax money is split among mafias - and a cycle is set in place. This then gives government an excuse to tax you almost half your income initially and then to add tax onto your electricity and onto your fuel, and so on.

Investing - Your company or government pension is definitely in these parastatals. The PIC (Government's pension fund) has lost over R500m over the last few weeks. This is why GEPF pension calculation has changed the way it calculates how much you will get in retirement to basically be less. Netstar is traded on the JSE as Altron Limited - who own multiple companies alongside Netstar as part of their portfolio. Will Netstar still provide value for your JSE index funds? Perhaps, perhaps not. We will add this to our bet on Pick n Pay.

Invest smart - Diversify.
061 547 7237
https://nicthefa.co.za/

08/07/2026

When you’re left to handle everything, the burden is real.

Losing a loved one is heartbreaking, but the administrative and financial responsibilities that follow can feel crushing.

Property transfers become complex and expensive, businesses face disruptions and costly delays, while legal fees, executor costs, and taxes quickly add up. Without proper planning, surviving family members are left navigating mountains of paperwork, potential conflicts, and financial strain during their time of grief.

At Summit Financial Advisory Services, a juristic representative of The Legacy Planning Institute (Pty) Ltd, we ease this burden through professional estate planning. A well-structured Capital Legacy Will provides clear instructions and smooth asset distribution. We combine this with tailored life cover from leading providers like Sanlam, Liberty, and Discovery to ensure liquidity, along with funeral cover from LPI and others. Most importantly, Capital Legacy’s Fee Indemnification Plans (Legacy Protection Plan™) cover executor fees, conveyancing, and winding-up costs so your estate isn’t eroded by expenses.

Plan today to protect tomorrow. Visit my estate planning page at https://nicthefa.co.za/estate-planning/ and let’s create a comprehensive solution that brings clarity, saves costs, and safeguards your family’s future. Contact me today — together we’ll secure their legacy with confidence.

07/07/2026

When a parent is gone, life changes in an instant.

Losing a loved one is devastating enough, but the financial fallout can be overwhelming. Bank accounts are frozen, bills and debts continue relentlessly, and even a basic will may not provide the immediate liquidity your family needs.

Without proper planning, your estate faces executor fees, conveyancing costs, taxes, and potential forced asset sales, leaving your loved ones under immense stress and uncertainty at the worst possible time.

At Summit Financial Advisory Services, a juristic representative of The Legacy Planning Institute (Pty) Ltd, we help you protect what matters most.

Our solution starts with a professionally drafted Capital Legacy Will to ensure smooth asset transfer. We pair this with comprehensive life cover from trusted providers like Sanlam, Liberty, and Discovery to create liquidity outside the estate. Add funeral cover from LPI and others, plus Capital Legacy’s Fee Indemnification Plans (Legacy Protection Plan™) that cover executor fees, transfer costs, and more — so your estate pays nothing for winding up.

Plan today to protect tomorrow. Visit my estate planning page at https://nicthefa.co.za/estate-planning/ or contact me directly to build a tailored legacy that secures your family’s future with confidence. Let’s secure their tomorrow, together.

06/07/2026

Hey you,
What happens to your family financially the day after you're gone?

Most people have no idea.

Bank accounts can be frozen. Estate costs, legal fees and executor fees still need to be paid.

Having a will is important, but it doesn't guarantee your family will have access to the money needed to wind up your estate quickly and efficiently.

A professionally drafted will, together with estate liquidity planning, can help protect your loved ones from unnecessary delays, costs and stress.

The best estate plan isn't measured by what you leave behind. It's measured by how smoothly your family can move forward.
Calculate your Estate Fees for free: https://nicthefa.co.za/estate-planning/

24/06/2026

On Monday, I had the pleasure of being invited to the IndexMore Webinar from Satrix Investments, and it was quite an insightful investment webinar. They were talking about how they want index funds to push the market towards segmented slices of the markets, and to be the name in these index funds.

What stood out is that Satrix segments across many different industries with their index funds. S&P 500 is an indexed segment of the international market, as is the MSCI, then you get Satrix INDI - Industrial, Satrix Top40, etc. Everyone has these segments, but Satrix was talking about being the first, being the innovative and bringing them all to public participation.

Essentially, what this provides for is a new easier way to diversify across a portfolio, in terms of Index fund compilations. As an advisor, I would not be using this as a way to invest for the short term, or for anything other than a cowboy. But a forward marching income fund (I have my good ol's) combined with a equity heavy future focused growth fund like Satrix MSCI and the Satrix FINI among others, we might be able to serve clients that have less every month to avoid huge EAC's thanks to the cost of index funds

Food for thought. Find out how much your investment costs in tax: https://nicthefa.co.za/investment-calculator/