University Education For R500/Month

Cheques and balances

Those of you who have stuck it out and put up with my ramblings over the last 4 years may remember an article I did back in 2016 which covered how we were planning on investing for our son’s University education.

The cost of Tertiary education is something that scares me almost as much as how fast University related expenses are escalating each year, and so I wanted to start putting money away towards this expense as soon as possible. So I set up an account pretty much the month he was born.

School Fees: Is The Upfront Discount Worth It?

As if they teach anything personal
finance at school...

Next year we will find ourselves at a parenting milestone which is both terrifying and really exciting! Stealthy Junior will officially be starting school.

It also means we win ourselves the grand prize of around 14 years worth of school fees to pay, starting January 2020.

Fun times for Junior, not so fun for our budget.

Oh Boy!

Double trouble. 

So, the exciting news out of Stealthville is that we are expecting our second child! Another boy – Stealthy Junior Version 2.0!

Because, you know, a full night sleep is totally overrated, cold coffee isn’t that bad, and who doesn’t enjoy watching the same episode of Paw Patrol for the 20th time J

Why I'm Not Giving My Son R6 Million

Puzzling times

Consider two toddlers who are given an identical age appropriate puzzle. The only difference is that one child is given the completed puzzle, whilst the other is given all the pieces. I think it is easy to guess what each child would do?

The child who is given the completed puzzle will more than likely break it within a few seconds of getting it, and he will probably have a lot of fun doing it.

Hacking Tertiary Education

B.Sc. Computer Science?

Tertiary Education is expensive – old news. And it is only going to get worse with tertiary inflation averaging around 9% per annum, and even brushing up against double digits in some years.

It is something that was on my mind from before Stealthy Junior was even born, and for that reason I started putting money away for his possible Tertiary education from pretty much the first month after he was born.

What's New In Stealthville?

New - like Ramaphosa's cabinet

There have been some developments on our ever changing, unpredictable and exciting road to financial freedom. The latest being that a few months back my wife and I took the decision that she should apply for the toughest, but probably most rewarding job known to mankind.

She submitted her application, and since it was obvious that she was the most qualified and, without a doubt, the best person for the job, it came as no surprise that she was accepted.

She put in her notice, and made the switch.

Eduflation, The Silent Killer

A very smart pig. 

It is extremely difficult to estimate the cost of educating a child in South Africa. I have seen some articles which have taken a stab at it, but in truth there is not much value in these estimates. Why? Because there isn’t a single number applicable to everyone.

There are just too many options and factors to consider as a child moves through the various levels of schooling - public or private, tertiary, boarding, choice of sports, uniforms, and stationary.

However there is one cost - a silent killer - related to education which could sink any family's budget – and that is education inflation, or, eduflation (I made another word).

The Cost Of Having a Baby

I find this picture totally
unrealistic - babies don't sleep!

A few of the readers have been asking me to do a post on what it cost us to have our baby. They/their partners are expecting, and I guess they want a gauge of what kind of financial damage they are in for...

So this post is my best shot at answering that - bearing in mind that all this happened around 9 months ago (enough time for another baby :)) so the memory is getting a little foggy...

How To Claim UIF For Maternity Leave

Mrs Stealthy and Stealthy Junior. 

Unfortunately this post is not for everyone. If you are done having kids, or never plan on having kids (like those childless hedonists over at Just One Lap :)) then you can skip this post and go back to whatever other website you were browsing before you got here (I am secretly hoping it was the Not Financial Advice website :)).

To everyone else who is pregnant, whose partners are pregnant, or who one day thinks they may start a family, hopefully you will find this post helpful.

So without further ado, I bring to you, a tale that is true, of UIF claims due (okay my poetry sucks, sorry!)

You Probably Work For My 6 Month Old Son

Slave Driver. 

So that must have got your attention!

But I am not making it up - if you are reading this blog post from somewhere in South Africa, then there is a reasonable chance that you could work for my 6 month old son.

How the hell could that even be possible you might ask? Well the answer lies in owning ETF's and shares, and the power that comes with it.

Investing For Stealthy Junior

A picture of our newborn son. Don't
worry I was horrified too - I mean, a ginger!

I am proud to announce that the Stealthy household has welcomed a new addition! Super exciting times!

Now before you all start shitting me out for being a bad father by writing blog posts instead of enjoying the first few days with my newborn son, I can explain... You see, thanks to the power of technology, I was able to write this post before my son was born and schedule it to go online a few days after. So right now I am probably changing my first diaper - I am predicting a greeny yellow colour. Eeew! Ok, wow! TMI! But seriously, I will let you know if I was right :-P

Which Is Cheaper To Raise - Sons or Daughters?

Battle of the sexes.

We recently found out the gender of our baby, due in September 2016 - we are having a Mr. This got me thinking... I wonder if boys are cheaper to raise than girls? There are certainly different needs that each gender requires as they grow up. I gave this some thought and decided to put my observations down... Now this is a tongue in cheek post, and I may be slightly bias, so please don't be offended...

So, which is more expensive, boys or girls?