Guides

South African wealth guides

No-BS explainers for South African wealth planning: what to do with money now, when you can stop working, and whether it could last. Planning information only, not financial or tax advice.

• How to compare TFSA vs RA for your next contribution

  Same-rand comparison of TFSA room, Section 11F headroom, current-year tax effect, and access, with a link to the free calculator.

• How Section 11F retirement deduction room works in South Africa

  Lesser-of tests for 2026/27: 27.5% rule, R430,000 cap, employer contributions, and how to estimate remaining deductible headroom.

• TFSA contribution limits for 2026/27

  Annual R46,000 and lifetime R500,000 limits, tax year dates, penalty rules, and what counts as a contribution.

• How to track TFSA room across multiple providers

  Why each provider only shows their slice, and how to see your combined annual and lifetime room before a 40% penalty.

• TFSA transfer vs withdrawal in South Africa

  Formal certificate transfer preserves contribution room; DIY withdraw-and-redeposit can burn lifetime room and trigger a 40% excess penalty.

• SARS interest exemption vs idle cash and TFSA room

  R23 800 / R34 500 local interest exemption, when idle cash is taxed at the margin, and why emergency cash in a TFSA can waste lifetime room.

• Unused annual TFSA contribution limits and forfeiture cost

  Unused annual TFSA limits are forfeited at tax-year end. Opportunity-cost examples, R46k / R500k rules, and sustainable pacing before end February.

• Emergency fund placement: liquidity tiers vs TFSA contribution limits

  Accessible cash tiers first, why TFSA withdrawals permanently consume contribution limits, notice-rate traps, and order of operations before tax wrappers.

• High-interest debt vs emergency cash: how much liquidity is enough?

  When high-APR unsecured debt sits beside a large staged emergency fund, size a minimum accessible buffer then release surplus toward the debt.

• Bonus and windfall order of operations for South African savers

  Pause-and-sequence a SA lump sum: high-cost debt and cash buffer, verified remaining TFSA contribution limits, retirement headroom, then next tax year. Not a blind TFSA+RA split.

• Employer-exit mortgage rate cliff: quantify, then compete and negotiate

  When a staff or employer preferential home-loan rate reverts on exit, quantify the instalment cliff, shop quotes, negotiate with your bank, then switch only if after-cost maths works.

• Budget 2026 CGT exclusions checklist: R50k, R3m primary residence, pipeline

  Verified Budget 2026 CGT checklist for SA natural persons: annual R50k, primary residence R3m, death R440k, small-business R2.7m, agreement-date timing, and the gain-to-tax pipeline.

• How much do I need to retire in South Africa?

  FIRE number from expenses and a withdrawal rate, plus why accessible vs locked RA wealth changes the date. Free calculator.

• How long will your money last in a South African retirement?

  Accessible vs locked, living-annuity 2.5–17.5%, two-pot is not a TFSA, and the 50–55 bridge. Not a US 4% law.

• Two-pot savings withdrawal tax in South Africa (2026/27)

  Marginal-rate tax on savings-component withdrawals, directive withholding vs assessment, and what to check before you apply.

• How to track net worth across EE, RA, TFSA and property

  Why no single provider shows your full ZAR net worth, what to track by tax bucket, and spreadsheet vs wealth-first tools.

• 22seven and Vault22 alternative for wealth tracking

  Honest comparison: budgeting vs net worth, bank sync vs manual entry, TFSA room, and who each tool is for.