I came across some scary statistics surrounding South Africans and their finances.
Did you know?
We now have 24.31 million credit consumers. This is 8-million more people than the total number of employed people in South Africa.
During 2017, over 48 000 summons for debt were issued, valued at more than R350 million.
Officially, 2 out of 5 consumers are credit stressed.
This excludes informal credit avenues like loan sharks.
30% of working South Africans have no formal retirement provision.
Only 6% of South Africans can retire comfortably.
Finances are stressful! And we seem to cause ourselves even more distress by avoiding the topic completely, making financial planning and budgeting non-existent.
For Valentine’s Day show yourself some love (#NoReason) and take a step backwards.
Start at the beginning by asking yourself what your financial goals are, and most importantly what are your financial values – and those of your family.
By having a better understanding of what is important to you, you’ll have a better idea of your spending habits, if you are heading in the right financial direction and if your goals are realistic.
Image source: Shutterstock
You’ll be less stressed, experience less conflict within your family and most importantly, you’ll start to make better financial decisions.