Money Matters

October 2025

Planning Beyond the Present

South Africa has officially been removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, marking the start of a renewed chapter for us all. This progress enhances confidence in South Africa’s financial systems and contributes to a more predictable, growth-supportive environment.

In this context of progress and reform, JP Landman’s article on Project Vulindlela offers timely insight into how structural and economic transformation continues to unfold across key sectors of our economy.

We also attach an article that may resonate on a more personal note. Increasingly, families are facing the emotional and financial strain of dementia and diminished capacity. In this piece, we revisit the legal realities surrounding Powers of Attorney, curatorship, and financial control, and outline practical steps to safeguard both dignity and stability when decision-making becomes difficult.

At Stone Wealth Management, we believe clarity and preparation are the most powerful safeguards for life’s unexpected turns.

On a recent roadshow around the country, I asked business audiences about Project Vulindlela. To my surprise, very few had heard of it. That is astonishing but also perturbing: it is South Africa’s most significant economic reform initiative since the launch of GEAR in 1996.

Over the years, we have seen many economic plans — ASGISA, the New Growth Path, the 9-point plan, even the National Development Plan and recently the ANC’s 10-point plan — but none have advanced as far with actual implementation as Vulindlela.

In matters of contracts, investments, and finances, contractual capacity is lost as soon as an individual no longer appreciates the nature and consequences of what they are signing. This loss of capacity places enormous pressure on the primary caregiver and makes managing financial and administrative affairs extremely difficult, particularly where the person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia has always been the one handling the household finances.

Below are some of the most common questions we receive at Stone Wealth Management regarding mental incapacity and its impact on financial affairs.