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Make sure you fully understand what you are committing yourself to before you sign on the dotted line and make long-term commitments.
What was your first job?
Foreign exchange clerk at the Absa international division in 1993.
How much was your first pay cheque, and how did you spend it?
About R2,000 per month, with which I started saving by investing in unit trusts.
What is the one thing you wish somebody had told you when you were starting out?
That your first job might not be your dream job but that you can learn much from it, and that that will prepare you for what you are meant to do later in life.
If you could fix only one thing in South Africa, what would it be?
Ensure people are better prepared for retirement by getting appropriate advice beforehand and when it starts.
What’s the most interesting thing about you that people don’t know?
I have a bit of a creative side, which I try to blend into my work.
What’s the worst investment mistake you’ve made?
Getting caught up in the small-cap stocks bubble on the JSE in 1997/1998. It delivered 100% returns in a single year, but then corrected in a spectacular fashion. Fortunately, I was young enough to learn from my mistake and fully recover from it.
What’s the best investment you’ve ever made? And how much of it was due to luck?
Spending three and a half years writing my book, Your Ultimate Personal Finance Guide. The satisfaction and sense of gratitude I got from realising a life dream is immeasurable, and I hope the returns will be great for those it will help to make better money decisions.
What’s the best book you’ve read recently and why did you like it?
Stressproof by Richard Sutton. It guides executive management on how to create a culture in which individuals and teams can achieve their full potential in a post-Covid world that increasingly challenges the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of their employees.
What is the hardest life lesson you’ve learnt so far?
With the passing of my father in 2020 I realised that you are never truly prepared for a loved one to go even though you expect it.
What is something you would go back and tell your younger self that would impress them?
Start as early as possible, save as much as possible and allow time, the markets and compound growth to do the rest.
If you were President Cyril Ramaphosa, what would you change, or do, tomorrow?
I would protect the GNU with all I have and create an environment in which the private sector is willing to invest in the future of South Africa.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
BACKSTORY: Johan Gouws of PPS Wealth
The FM chats to Johan Gouws, head of PPS Wealth
Johan Gouws, head of PPS Wealth
What’s your one top tip for doing a deal?
Make sure you fully understand what you are committing yourself to before you sign on the dotted line and make long-term commitments.
What was your first job?
Foreign exchange clerk at the Absa international division in 1993.
How much was your first pay cheque, and how did you spend it?
About R2,000 per month, with which I started saving by investing in unit trusts.
What is the one thing you wish somebody had told you when you were starting out?
That your first job might not be your dream job but that you can learn much from it, and that that will prepare you for what you are meant to do later in life.
If you could fix only one thing in South Africa, what would it be?
Ensure people are better prepared for retirement by getting appropriate advice beforehand and when it starts.
What’s the most interesting thing about you that people don’t know?
I have a bit of a creative side, which I try to blend into my work.
What’s the worst investment mistake you’ve made?
Getting caught up in the small-cap stocks bubble on the JSE in 1997/1998. It delivered 100% returns in a single year, but then corrected in a spectacular fashion. Fortunately, I was young enough to learn from my mistake and fully recover from it.
What’s the best investment you’ve ever made? And how much of it was due to luck?
Spending three and a half years writing my book, Your Ultimate Personal Finance Guide. The satisfaction and sense of gratitude I got from realising a life dream is immeasurable, and I hope the returns will be great for those it will help to make better money decisions.
What’s the best book you’ve read recently and why did you like it?
Stressproof by Richard Sutton. It guides executive management on how to create a culture in which individuals and teams can achieve their full potential in a post-Covid world that increasingly challenges the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of their employees.
What is the hardest life lesson you’ve learnt so far?
With the passing of my father in 2020 I realised that you are never truly prepared for a loved one to go even though you expect it.
What is something you would go back and tell your younger self that would impress them?
Start as early as possible, save as much as possible and allow time, the markets and compound growth to do the rest.
If you were President Cyril Ramaphosa, what would you change, or do, tomorrow?
I would protect the GNU with all I have and create an environment in which the private sector is willing to invest in the future of South Africa.
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Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.