Renting out property has consistently made a lot of people a lot of money in the past, and if that concept appeals to you and if a good buy-to-let opportunity should present itself, grab it while you can.

Just don’t underestimate the importance to your financial viability planning of the Taxman’s cut of your earnings.

Of course professional advice on your specific tax circumstances is essential here, but it’s still important to understand the general concepts involved. What rental income must you declare? What expenses can you deduct for tax purposes? What about ring-fencing? What records must you keep? Read on for some insights…

We all know how important it is to record agreements in writing even when the law doesn’t specifically require us to do so. And it makes sense to ensure upfront that everything we have agreed on is fully and clearly recorded. Not doing so is a recipe for dispute, delay and expensive litigation. 

But what if something you agreed to verbally was for whatever reason left out of the written contract? Can you ever lead verbal evidence to confirm it? A recent Supreme Court of Appeal decision illustrates the legal and practical principles involved in the context of a case involving a fruit/wine farm, a borehole driller who successfully used his water-diving skills to locate water, and a dispute over whether or not the borehole’s yield had been guaranteed in the drilling agreement.

For most of us January signals the start of a whole new year, a chance to come back from a refreshing break re-energised and re-focused on all our future plans and dreams.

For some married couples however January has a much darker side. It’s not known as “Divorce Month” for nothing. The Festive Season’s peak potential for conflict and tension is now compounded by the annual “return to reality” with all its stresses and financial hangovers – fertile ground for unhappiness and divorce.

In this article we’ll highlight one particularly vital aspect of divorce – the serious long-term consequences of every decision a divorcing couple makes now, and the equally serious dangers of falling for the siren call of the “DIY Divorce” option.

"The email of the species is deadlier than the mail" (Stephen Fry)

Cyber-attacks in South Africa increased by 22% in 2019, and our exposure to serious online security breaches increases exponentially in line with our increasing use of email. 

The fact is that we are all of us under attack by cybercriminals who become cleverer by the day at identifying our email vulnerabilities and at exploiting them. Defend your business with the tips in “Email in the age of cybercrime” on the LexisDigest website. 

The whole article is a goldmine (particularly the “quick guide to email security” section) so share it now with your colleagues and your staff, and diarise monthly reminders!