There is no risk-free path for monetary policy – Jerome Powell

“Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.” ― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea.

I never won a fight in the ring; I always won in preparation – Muhammed Ali

Pieter Koekemoer talks to the ‘cost’ of accessing the new ‘savings pot’ as part of the Two-pot Retirement System, effective September. While a welcome inclusion in the case of an emergency, its long-term impact may significantly diminish one's retirement savings and standard of living later in life.

And your annual tax incentives reminder.

Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. - A Knight’s Oath

Watch Pieter Koekemoer, Coronation’s Head of Personal Investments Business, as he explains why Retirement Annuities (RAs) offer even more attractive benefits going into the new year and how to avoid non-investment risks that can impact your financial security.

“Morality, it could be argued, represents the way that people would like the world to work, whereas economics represents how it actually does work.” – Stephen Dubner, journalist and co-author of Freakonomics

Over the years, I’ve come to view complaints as opportunities rather than obstacles. - Guy Winch, from The Squeaky Wheel

“A survival mindset requires optimism about the future, but also being paranoid about what will prevent you from getting to the future” - Morgan Housel

And your annual tax incentives reminder.

"Investing for the long term requires patience and dedication, but the rewards are worth the wait." – Quote by generative artificial intelligence engine GPT-3

Maintaining an equity bias and following diversification principles provide the foundation for building strong investment portfolios. - David F. Swensen, CIO, Yale and philanthropist

In the short run, the market is a voting machine, but in the long run, it is a weighing machine.

"Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity" – Bruce Lee, martial artist, actor, philosopher.

Key take-outs from the Budget announcement and your annual tax incentives reminder.

“The fact that some choice is good doesn’t necessarily mean that more choice is better.” – Barry Schwartz in The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less

“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” – Sun Tzu

“Give me accountability, I’ll give you peace.” – Abhijit Naskar, neuroscientist and author

“In the past, censorship worked by blocking the flow of information. In the twenty-first century, censorship works by flooding people with irrelevant information. In ancient times having power meant having access to data. Today having power means knowing what to ignore.” – Yuval Noah Harari

“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is. Knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.” – Mathematician John Allen Paulos

“Throughout human history, in any great endeavour requiring the common effort of many nations and men and women everywhere, we have learned – it is only through seriousness of purpose and persistence that we ultimately carry the day. We might liken it to riding a bicycle. You stay upright and move forward so long as you keep up the momentum.” – Ban Ki-moon

“Only a crisis – actual or perceived – produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depends on the ideas lying around.” – Economist Milton Friedman

“Sorrow is better than fear. Fear is a journey, a terrible journey, but sorrow is at least an arrival. When the storm threatens, a man is afraid for his house. But when the house is destroyed, there is something to do.” – Alan Paton, author and activist

“Trust is undeniably linked to doing what is right. Ethical drivers such as integrity, dependability and purpose drive the trust capital of business.” – 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer

It’s about how, not when

“A promise is a cloud; fulfilment is the rain.” – Arab Proverb

“It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

A good quarter for investors, but a tough one for South Africa

“He who indulges in empty fears earns himself real fears. We should always allow some time to elapse, for time discloses the truth.“ – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The element of surprise is common in a system where so many decisions depend on forecasts of the future.” – Iconoclastic economist Frank Knight, mid-20th century

“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need.” – The Rolling Stones

Enough already!