‘It’s my life, it’s now or never. I ain’t gonna live forever…’ The famous Bon Jovi words could well be used to describe retirement – and saving for it.

Most people don’t know where to start when contemplating something as big and hectic as retiring in decades’ time, but there are ample titbits of conventional wisdom from the financial planning industry. Let’s take a look at some, and their pitfalls.

For those who tell you not to worry so much and just invest in anything, no need to do much research, you need only say one word: Steinhoff.

It’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times, as Dickens might have said. At every conference and around every braai, South Africans are being told that everything’s going to the dogs.

Trusts as vehicles of wealth preservation have had some important regulatory changes over the past few years as authorities have attempted to shift them away from tax evasion and more towards a true, family-minded way to pass on assets.

In the wake of very lacklustre JSE performance and plenty of uncertainty, many investors have started considering thinking… alternatively.In a nutshellAlternative investments are different to the standard stock market approach; investing in assets outside the usual asset classes or in companies outside of the JSE-listed crowd.

Throughout the year there are clusters of holidays and long weekends when family comes to the fore. These moments are often an opportunity to step out of the frenetic hamster wheel of life, we now have long weekends and, for some, religious holidays to spend with those nearest and dearest to us. Which got us thinking – how much does your inner circle feature in your finances?