Health
Understanding Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medication on Your Health Plan
Over the counter (OTC) medication refers to medicines you can buy directly from a pharmacy without needing a doctor’s prescription. These include everyday items such as pain relievers, allergy tablets, cough syrups, or vitamins. On many South African health plans, OTC benefits are designed to help members manage minor health issues conveniently and cost-effectively.
Your health plan may provide a set allowance for OTC purchases each year. This means you can claim for approved medicines at the pharmacy counter, provided they fall within the plan’s guidelines. OTC benefits are best used for short-term, common conditions like headaches, colds, or mild digestive problems. For more serious or ongoing health concerns, a doctor’s consultation and prescribed treatment will still be necessary.
By using your OTC benefit wisely, you can save on out-of-pocket expenses and keep your medical savings account for larger healthcare needs. It’s a practical way to access everyday medicines while ensuring your overall health plan works efficiently for you.
Short Term
Cyber Is the New Catastrophe
With AI taking centre stage in our digital world, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to separate fact from fraud. Every SMS, email, or link now raises the same question: Is this real — or a scam? And rightly so.
The reality is that cybercrime has evolved rapidly. What once required technical expertise can now be executed easily by someone sitting anonymously behind a screen, using increasingly sophisticated AI driven tools.
The insurance market anticipated this evolution long ago — and the numbers prove why it matters.
Cyber risk has accelerated sharply, with global cyberattacks increasing by around 30% year on year and cyber insurance claims rising by almost 40% over the past two years. As generative AI capabilities grow, this risk is expected to increase even further.
While cyber cover is essential for most SMEs, individuals are equally exposed. Everyday online activity — banking, shopping, social media and email — opens gateways for criminals to actively exploit.
What Is Covered?
Individual Cyber Cover
• Funds protection
• Data and system restoration costs
• Online shopping cover
• Cyberbullying protection
• Cyber liability
• Identity theft recovery costs
• Cyber extortion cover
SME Cyber Cover
• Loss of income following system failures or involuntary shutdowns
• Contingent and third-party cover, including outsourced IT service providers
• Theft of funds
• Cyber event response and recovery following an attack
• Post incident improvements
• Operational technology inclusion to ensure IT system adequacy
Your information may be intangible — but the financial and emotional losses from a cyber-attack are very real.
Let us give you REAL cover, REAL support, and REAL peace of mind.
Wealth
Inflation and Your Investment Returns
Inflation is often called the “silent thief” of wealth because it erodes the purchasing power of money over time. Even when your investments grow and may give you a sense of satisfaction, rising prices can reduce the real value of those returns. For example, if your savings in the bank or investment portfolio grow by 6% annually but inflation averages 4%, then your actual real return is closer to 2%. Over decades, this difference compounds significantly, impacting your ability to meet long-term goals such as retirement or education funding.
Clients should remember that inflation doesn’t affect all investments equally. Cash and fixed-income assets are most vulnerable, while equities and real assets like property often provide better protection. Diversification and a focus on growth-oriented investments can help offset inflation’s impact. The key is to think beyond nominal returns and consider how your portfolio performs in “real” terms. By planning with inflation in mind, you can preserve and grow your wealth more effectively over time.
Tax
Crypto Asset Reporting Framework: What It Means for You
From 2 March 2026, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) rolled out new global reporting standards for digital and cross‑border wealth. This change, known as the Crypto Asset Reporting Framework, will integrate crypto transactions and offshore financial data into the same international system that already tracks traditional banking activity.
In practice, this means crypto‑asset service providers must collect and share detailed information about users and their transactions with SARS in a standardised format. With an estimated 6 million taxpayers trading crypto, SARS has noted widespread non‑disclosure in 2025 tax submissions.
So, do you need to pay tax on crypto? Yes. Normal income tax rules apply. Any gains or losses from crypto must be declared as part of your taxable income. Failure to do so could result in penalties and interest.
Crypto income can be taxed as revenue under “gross income,” or as capital gains under the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) framework, depending on the nature of the transaction. Expenses directly linked to crypto trading may be deductible, and base cost adjustments are allowed under CGT rules.
Examples include:
- Mining crypto through verifying transactions.
- Buying or selling crypto via exchanges or private deals.
- Bartering goods or services for crypto.
In short: if you hold or trade crypto, SARS expects full disclosure.
Contact us should you need any assistance with your tax returns.