
You vowed that 2022 would be the year you finally got serious about saving money. You promised yourself that this would be the year you finally got proactive about investing money in order to secure your financial future and possibly generate some wealth. But here we are, 2022 is well underway, and you still haven’t gotten around to doing much.
The good news is that it’s never too late to start investing more seriously, and getting started doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are some of the best – and wisest – investment strategies and opportunities available in 2022.
Take Care of Your Rainy Day Fund First
Have you set aside money for a rainy day? A sum of money that every financial expert on the planet will tell you you need to get you through a short-term emergency and save you from taking out high-interest loans or maxing out high-interest credit cards to stay afloat.
Unfortunately, you are not alone if you responded no. Nearly 40% of South African adults are thought to be in the same situation. Even AFTER a pandemic has turned the world, and a lot of people’s finances, upside down. So, before you invest a penny speculatively, be sure you have such a fund in place and that it is sufficient to cover three months’ worth of lost income, for example.
This is money you should keep out of sight as much as possible. Put it in an interest-bearing savings account and then act as if it doesn’t exist.
The main reason why people don’t have a rainy day fund is that they don’t see how they can afford to start one. Most people, on the other hand, discover that if they sit down and make a fair accounting of how they are currently spending their hard-earned money, they can easily decrease costs and not even suffer too much as a result.

Budgeting isn’t your strong suit? The 50/20/30 rule is a good place to start. US Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who is also a financial guru, popularized the concept, and it entails splitting your earnings into three categories: 50% for living expenditures, 20% for saving and investment, and 30% for personal needs (AKA fun stuff)
It’s a system that’s worked for a lot of people, especially the younger generation, because it’s not as strict as other budgeting systems, and allows for that discretionary spending on wants without making you feel too guilty about it.
Put money into a tax-advantaged retirement account.
This is the move you should make if you only make one meaningful investment move in 2022. It makes no difference how old you are. At some point in the future you ARE going to retire, and the better prepared for that time you are financially, the more enjoyable your ‘golden years’ will be.
It’s now easier than ever to do so, too. The government recognizes that far too many South Africans are currently unprepared for retirement, and over the last few years, it has made it possible for people of all income levels and ages to benefit from some excellent tax-advantaged retirement plans that can help them enjoy the financially secure retirement that we all desire.
Try your luck on the stock market.
Senator Warren’s budget proposal’s 20% savings and investment percentage isn’t fixed in stone. Why not switch things up a little and try your hand at real stock market investing with as little as 4-5 percent of your 30 percent personal expense category?
You don’t have to be a high-flyer or a James Bond type to invest in stocks, contrary to popular belief. Yes, investing in the stock market is riskier than bonds and traditional retirement savings, but it offers a bigger potential return, and if you’re simply using money that would otherwise be spent on dinner or a second holiday, losing some of it won’t be catastrophic.
There are all kinds of options open to South Africans when it comes to investments. Domestically, the South African tech sector is thriving, and investing offshore has been in easy reach of the average investor in SA for some years now, and there are even tax-advantaged ways to do so.
If this seems interesting – and perhaps even thrilling – to you, the best advice we can give is to set up an appointment to speak with a financial advisor. They are the ideal people to assist you in understanding the fundamentals of investing and getting you started in the most efficient manner possible.
Investing in New Things Carefully

Maybe you’ve heard all of this advice before, and think that considering a more ‘exciting’ investment strategy in 2022 might be for you. For example, what about cryptocurrencies? or NFTs? No doubt you’ve heard a lot about those recently.
As exciting as they may be, as investments go, unregulated offerings like crypto and NFTs are particularly risky. And while the likes of Elon Musk might not worry too much about losing a lot of cash overnight (sometimes as the result of something he tweeted himself) few small investors can afford to do so.
If you have money that you are VERY comfortable losing, gambling on crypto or NFTs – because right now that really is what it amounts to – could be exciting, and, in some future reality, potentially even profitable. But not worth risking your financial future over.
In 2022, focus on getting your conventional savings and investment plans in place and then, should you want to skip the pizza and Netflix and invest a minimal amount in crypto or other similar opportunities, you could think about doing so. However, given the upheaval we’ve all lived through for the last few years – and are still living through – as a result of the global pandemic make 2022 the year you save and invest wisely, so that no matter what the future holds you’ll be better prepared – financially at least – to face it.