Now I Understand Why Investing Is Not for the Faint of Heart

Since July 2025 I have been running an investing experiment using the Easy Equities Investing App.

I set out to invest R50.00 per month in two different exchange traded funds using a normal investing account and a Tax Free Savings Account.

The fixed monthly amount started in July 2025 with R50.00 in each account and with a 10% increase every year. Not all of the R55.00 goes into the ETF – around R0.25 goes to costs for the Normal Account and R0.24 for the TFSA.

The instruction to Easy Equites for these ETF’s is; “Immediately re-invest any dividends.”

To benchmark the performance I also track what the same amount invested in a Capitec Savings Account with a 5.75% per annum interest rate would yield.

These are all tracked on graphs here: https://myza.co.za/tfsa-v-taxed-investing-month-on-month-comparison/

Frankly when I look at the return on the ETF’s and Capitec the entrepreneur brain in me says; “If I had to use that as capital in my business then we could get a 4x return.” But, this is for a situation where if the money is needed to help create a pension fund for the future, so we stick it out.

Of all the ETF’s in my TFSA only two show any promise (today) – SATRIX MSCI World and Prescient Income Provider Feeder.

In terms of whether the Capitec investment at 5.75% would have been better – of the 17 months investing it would have been better in: July, August, October and November 2026 only.

Of course the danger is always of when one looks at the performance and when one invests. Last Friday was a bit of a downer for the JSE but many pundits are predicting a slow upward trend peaking in April 2027 so no big concerns yet.

The restraint using a TFSA is that one can only choose ETF’s which, by design, are conservative so are normally the shares that react most negatively to a downturn in the market. Like Unit Trusts of old the mindset of managers of these funds is mired in conservative growth. One can almost hear their masters saying; “Don’t rock the boat, stay invested, don’t speculate.”

CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.

Read More on MyPR.co.za

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE

Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.

Latest posts by Alan Straton (see all)

• Embroidery or Print? EMB Designs in Durban North Checks the Artwork and Runs a Sample Before a Full Staff, School or Club Order Is Stitched - 4 November 2026
• LaserTube Brings Fibre Laser Tube Cutting Machines to South African Fabricators, From Compact Shop Units to Bundle Loading Production Cells - 3 November 2026
• SubAlu Sublimates Photographs Onto Aluminium Panels in Randburg, From A4 Gifts and Square Prints to A1 Statement Pieces and Panoramas - 3 November 2026
• SA Heros Comics in Observatory Adds Grading Guidance and Archival Storage to Its Range of Local Superhero Comics and Collectables - 3 November 2026
• OpenCredit in Rosebank Explains in Plain Language What a Credit Score Shows, What a Full Credit Report Shows and Where Debt Review Fits In - 3 November 2026