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Investing

How to start investing

Pay the expensive debt, keep an emergency fund, then use a low-cost fund you understand. A platform is not the investment.

Reviewed 28 October 2026 by the WiT Money editorial team. This is general information, not a recommendation from a named adviser.

Investing is buying assets that can fall, in exchange for a chance they grow faster than cash over a long period. It is a poor place for next month's rent. The first investments for many households are not a share tip. They are an emergency fund, then a tax-free account or a retirement contribution, then a broad fund.

WiT Money does not tell you which fund to buy. We can tell you the order of questions: when you need the money, what the fee is, what the fund holds, and which tax wrapper you are using.

Before you invest

High-interest credit-card debt is a negative return you can remove with certainty. An emergency fund in an account you can reach beats a fund you might have to sell in a bad month. Neither step is exciting. Both stop the investment being undone.

The wrapper

A tax-free investment has an annual limit of R46 000 from 1 March 2026 and a lifetime limit of R500 000. A retirement annuity may be deductible and is locked up. A taxable account is flexible and taxable. Use the wrapper that matches the job. Do not exceed the tax-free limit. The penalty is 40%.

The fund

A broad ETF or index unit trust is understandable: you own a market, you pay a fee, you wait. A single share, a forex account or a coin is a different activity. If you cannot explain what you own, do not add more money to it.

Questions readers ask

How much do I need to start?

Many platforms take a debit order that is smaller than a tank of petrol. The amount matters less than whether you can leave it there. Check the provider's minimum on their own site. We do not publish minimums we have not verified.

What return should I expect?

Do not expect a number from this page. Use the calculator with a cautious assumption and with a worse one. If the plan only works on the optimistic number, it is not a plan.

Related

Sources

Page updated 28 October 2026. A source date is the day WiT Money checked that page, not a promise the institution has not changed it since.