For more than 35 years I’ve been on the road across Southern Africa, watching landscapes quietly change people. This year I started turning those days into a 12‑volume book series: A Year in Motion – 365 Days in Southern AfricaOne book per month. One chapter per day. Each chapter a single, real moment. Some chapters follow journeys with guests; others come from days alone on the road. All are real. No fiction. Just the country as I’ve seen it from the front seat, the stoep, t

Three signs you’re going to win in this market (even if you don’t feel like it yet): 1. You hate “that’s just how it works” You push back on rules, question assumptions and don’t accept lazy answers. In real estate, these are the people who find off‑market deals, better structures and funding routes others miss. 2. You move fast when it matters You don’t wait for perfect conditions or for rates to be exactly where you want them. The investors I’ve watched build real portfolio

For more than three decades I’ve watched Southern Africa do something no resort or theme park ever can: stretch children’s courage, widen their perspective and give families a shared story that doesn’t wear off when the plane lands. This is why we created Small Footprints. Big Africa at Visitors to Africa – not as a “family package”, but as a privately designed Narrative Safari of Southern Africa built around each child and each family. If you advise families (or are part of

If you’re trying to grow a UK property portfolio and the high‑street has capped you, it’s worth knowing how differently private banks think. Take Coutts – often called the King’s Bank. Typical terms you’ll see on UK residential investment deals (subject to profile and credit committee): Lending up to £9,999,999 Rates from around 4.69% p.a. with a 0.5% product fee Up to 90% LTV on the right assets and structure Income multiples around 5–6x earnings On that basis, a £100,000 in

Property remains one of the most reliable ways to build long-term wealth in the UK. While markets, interest rates and headlines change, one thing doesn’t: people will always need somewhere to live. This beginner’s guide to buy-to-let property investment in the UK (2026/2027) walks you step-by-step through: Why property is such a powerful wealth-building tool Why the UK is one of the best places on earth to own investment property The main types of investment property Common s

Having done £200m+ in transactions over the last 15 years, one thing keeps coming back to me: in property, negotiation isn’t an occasional skill – it’s the job. At 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 we’re negotiating every day – with contractors, agents, land sellers, lenders – and the compounding effect of that shows up directly in the outcomes. Two principles I lean on in every deal: 1. 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: The most important negotiation is the one you have w

I see the current market like musical chairs. While interest rates are high, the music is playing and most people are frozen.Meanwhile, those who can raise capital – or already have it – are quietly taking the best chairs out of the room. When the music stops (when rates come down), I believe prices will move fast. Look at the setup: Wage inflation ~29% Rents up c.32%, pushing more people towards buying One of the weakest periods of new housing supply in decades Major lenders

Introduction Inflation erodes cash. If you want to protect and grow wealth in a world where prices keep rising, property is the practical, multi‑engine hedge: rental income, capital appreciation and leverage working together to preserve and amplify purchasing power. Why Property Works as an Inflation Hedge Dual engines — rents and capital growth. Property delivers immediate rental income and long-term capital appreciation. Replacement-cost inflation (materials, labour, land)

Because your mortgage is not really priced off the base rate. It’s priced off: SONIA (the overnight rate banks lend to each other at), and 𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔 𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗽 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 (what the market thinks SONIA will average over 2, 5, 10 years), plus what 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 and 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 can earn elsewhere. 𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗔 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗽𝘂𝘁. Banks agree overnight lending rates between themselves. SONIA is the average of all those d