One of the most often asked questions I get asked by South Africans who are looking for life cover is, 'I want life cover with some financial return back in the end'.

This is a throwback to the endowments that we regularly got sold back in SA. These products do not come highly recommended in the UK, as they generally tend to be highly charged products which make a lot of commision for the adviser and fees for the insurance provider.

If you are taking out a mortgage for example, the current advice tends to be that you should consider a repayment mortgage, and take out a seperate life cover for the term of the mortgage. There are many good websites where you can find cheaper life cover.

If you have existing life cover, and your health has not changed, then you can allways look to rebroke your current life cover to get cheaper premiums (just think, a saving of £5.00 over 25 years adds up to £1500.) Just don't cancell your existing cover untill you have been accepted by the new company though.

One of the things that ex South Africans will generally get asked to complete is an AIDS questionare for obvious reasons.

Once again there are various websites that can assist you with this.

Please post your query here and we will try to assist, or guide you in the right direction.

The Financial Services authority has issued a set of guidelines to assist with avoiding these http://www.fsa.gov.uk/consumer/scams/index.html

As we develop this board, any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Did you find the links to be useless or usefull?
What else would you like to see on these boards?
Any other feedback!!!!

The following Financial Services Authority guide will assist you in making a decision. http://www.fsa.gov.uk/tables/

When taking out life cover along with your mortgage, you do not have to take it out with your mortgage provider as this will often work out to be more expensive. Rather shop around for life cover.

The first step in pension planning is to ascertain how much you will get from the state pension scheme. This link will give you some guidance as to how much you can expect to receive http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/atoz...recast.asp

Alternatively you can print off this form http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/reso...t-br19.asp and post it to the department of works and pensions and then they will do a forecast for you.

Then, in order to get some idea as to how much private/company pension provisioning you require, you can use the Financial Services authority pensions calculator for further assistance http://www.pensioncalculator.org.uk/pages/home.php

In many instances, be prepared for a shock

The Financial Services Authority has also issued a list of comparitive tables for the different Pension providers, these can be accessed here http://www.fsa.gov.uk/tables/

A simple recipe that marries well with fish or meat

Ingredients:

6 Large Celeriac, peeled and diced
300g Shallots, sliced
1no Celery, washed and sliced
500ml White wine
500ml Vegetable stock
1000ml Double Cream
250g Butter
Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:
Sweat the shallots in the melted butter. Add the sliced celery and wine. Reduce.
Add the diced celeriac and sweat some more. Add the vegetable stock and reduce.

Add the cream and 'poach' the celeriac for 90minutes over a low heat.
Strain and reserve to one side the juices as well as the celeriac.
Blend the cooked pulp until smooth, moisten with a little of the juices.
In another saucepan, reduce the liquid and add the reduction to the puree.
Mix in well and pass through a sieve.

When reheating, place a little cream and a knob of butter. Correct the seasoning if need be

I matriculated from Marist Brothers Rondebosch, but also went to Boston House College a few years later.

Something for the Capies to appreciate wherever you might be

This will be on LIMITED time release.. ie snooze you lose

Franschhoek Cape Seed loaf

1500g Whole-wheat flour
300g White Bread flour
250g Crushed wheat (which has been soaked)
250g Sunflower seed
100ml Vegetable oil
100g Golden Syrup
70g Fresh yeast
50g S-500 (Bread improver, optional)
50g Salt
25ml Vinegar
2000ml Water

Method:
Throw all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix together for approx 12 minutes.

Bake in bread tins @ 140c for approx 1 hour.

see recipe on Grant Hawthorne's website - Cape Seed loaf

I am busy with :

Wild Witchcraft: A guide to Natural, Herbal and Earth Magic by Marian Green.

It talks about how we can change our attitude to the wilderness of nature around us, and even the "Urban" nature... A shift in consciousness when dealing with Mother Earth. In this book she revives the knowledge that our ancestors had, adn puts us back in touch with The Earth Mother. It also has some really practical meditations, visualizations and simple spells to help us work in harmony with nature..

So what are you reading??