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R25 000 in South Africa is about the equivalent of $2500 USD. If you don't have any debt or need it right away, you should consider to start investing and look at investing in SA!From this article, 10 ways to invest R500 a month - Personal Finance Investments | IOL Business | IOL.co.za I am looking at numbers 3, 7, and 9 because they seem very reasonable for if you need the money at any point in time (highly liquid), or if you want a high return without looking at your account for several years. From the bottom of the article, "Remember, it is the cents that make the Rands. So by reviewing your budget and rather saving R500 a month than letting it disappear into your monthly living costs, you are creating a habit of saving."3. SAVINGS ACCOUNTSMost of us have a bank account for everyday transactions, so opening a separate savings account into which to transfer R500 a month is certainly an attractive option as far as convenience goes – except that most banks’ savings options fall far short of what is needed in the way of returns.* Standard Bank’s PureSave, Nedbank’s JustSave, FNB’s Simply Save and Absa’s Money Builder are simple, flexible savings accounts. You can deposit or withdraw money at any time, and they generally attract no charges if you are only depositing money and not using the account for day-to-day transactions. All have tiered interest rates according to how much is in the account, so you progress to higher rates as your savings increase: they are 0.25 to 2.3 percent (FNB), two to 2.75 percent (Standard), 1.35 to 3.90 percent (Nedbank) and 1.3 to 3.90 percent (Absa). None would give you an above-inflation return on an investment of R500 a month, so in effect you would be losing money.* One bank, Capitec, offers a daily savings account with substantially higher rates, which will give you a positive after-inflation return: six percent on amounts under R10 000 and 4.75 percent on R10 000 or more (the more money in your account, the lower the rate, unlike other banks). For all Capitec banking, you first need to open a Global One transaction facility, on which there is a R4.50 monthly administration fee. If you save R500 a month, for the first 19 months, while your balance was under R10 000, you would earn six percent, and you’d earn 4.75 percent thereafter, giving you a total of R33 590 (net of the monthly fee).* Standard Bank has an innovative savings product called ContractSave. You must deposit a minimum of R100 a month for a year, but thereafter it is as flexible as the bank’s PureSave option. There are no fees if your debit order is from a Standard Bank account. Interest is 3.5 percent on less than R10 000 and four percent on more than R10 000, and you get a bonus of between 0.5 and two percent a year, depending on how long you have been saving. Standard Bank’s online calculator shows you would have R34 695 after five years.8. UNIT TRUSTSUnit trust funds are an extremely flexible type of investment, allowing you to withdraw money or put in extra when you want to. Your choice is extremely wide – currently there are nearly 800 funds in South Africa available to individual investors, excluding offshore funds marketed here. These cover all asset classes, asset sub-classes (for example, resources shares or financial shares) and various mixtures of asset classes. However, not all funds are available to someone who wants to invest R500 a month; for many, the monthly minimum is higher. These are the types of unit trusts you can put your money in to:* Money market funds. Those that accept a minimum of R500 a month or less are Allan Gray, Community Growth, Coronation, Metropolitan and RMB. At the end of May 2011, annualised yields ranged from 5.16 to 5.67 percent (net of costs), according to ProfileData. TERs are low, ranging from 0.3 to 0.63 percent.* Equity funds. Domestic equity funds invest at least 75 percent of their portfolios in shares on the JSE, and many invest up to 95 percent. In the past they have provided the most attractive returns for long-term investors, but, because of the volatility of share markets, there is a relatively high chance of capital loss over the short term. If you are saving R500 a month, two factors count in your favour:* You are investing monthly, rather than investing a lump sum, and this tends to smooth out your returns (when the unit price drops, your monthly R500 buys you more units); and* Your savings are discretionary (meaning you don't want to constantly look at them), so that, in the case of the markets taking a dip just before your five years are up, you could probably afford to keep them in a while longer to “ride out the storm”.Over the past five years, to the end of the first quarter 2011, the 10 top-performing equity funds (including specialised equity funds, such as resources funds) achieved average annualised returns of 16.56 percent (according to ProfileData). TERs of the top 10 funds range from 1.15 to 2.65 percent.9. EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDSExchange traded funds (ETFs), a relatively new type of investment, are similar to unit trusts in that they invest in the financial markets and are as easy to access. If you go through the online platform Page on etfsa.co.za, which covers all exchange traded products in South Africa, the minimum monthly investment is R300.Only relatively few ETFs have been around for longer than five years. One of the most established, the Satrix 40, which tracks the FTSE/JSE Top 40 index, has had annualised growth of 12.17 percent over five years to the end of the first quarter of 2011. However, the more specialised Satrix Fini, which tracks the FTSE/JSE Financial index, has returned only 5.44 percent annually, on average, over the same period, in line with the relatively poor performance of financial shares, especially through the global credit crisis.The best-performing ETF over three years has been the Satrix Divi Plus, which tracks an index of shares that provide good dividends – annualised growth to the end of the first quarter of 2011 was 17.3 percent.All in all, make sure all of your debt is paid off first, and then consider researching more on different ways to invest in South Africa (seems like you have enough money to invest in almost anything), and go to a bank officer with your new found knowledge and ask him/her what the next steps should be! Let me know if you have any questions.

Investment Fund ManagerWho This Career is For?Investment Fund Managers need to be well versed in all financial matters regarding investments across the globe. They must be able to use a computer and have sound knowledge about different investments; especially the fund that they manage.Along with this, the candidates need to be able to make decisions on the spot and sometimes be involved in difficult decision making. Fund managers also need to be able to communicate well with potential and existing clients to gain their trust.Fund managers must also be able to see potential in new sectors of the economy when deciding where to invest. The ability to take a calculated risk is also mandatory in this field.Want to know more about it?It is the job of an investment fund manager to manage the investments of their clients, whether they are individuals or businesses. They are responsible for their clients €™s money and thus must be very careful that they only grow their investments, and not the other way around.Investment fund managers usually have a place in senior management, and make financial decisions that are very difficult to make money for their clients. It is their job to invest in different financial markets such as stocks, bonds, money market funds etc.Investment Fund Managers plan out an investment plan for their clients and depending upon the individual or business €™s needs, the fund manager will evaluate which investment options are best suited for that client. It is the goal of an investment fund manager to make their clients assets grow. They must meet the client to determine what investment strategy will fit their needs.If the current strategy is not working well and the client is losing money, then the investment fund manager will gauge whether he/she needs to move the clients €™s investment to other assets which will be more profitable. They need to make sure that the clients goals are met at the end of the year.Investment Fund managers can choose to approach the investment in a risky or a more cautious way after determining what the client wants. They must also update their clients to assure them that their investment is in good hands, and is making money.Investment fund managers must evaluate the risk associated with each investment before making a smart decision. They must also monitor the different investments and their progress every day. Moreover, fund managers must manage different departments such as operations and finance to make sure that everything is running smoothly.The minimum requirement that is needed for a career in this field is a Bachelors degree. Individuals can major in Finance, Economics, Accounting, Business Administration, Statistics, or any other related major.A Masters degree is a plus point to have, and can influence the salary offered to the employee.What are Salary Prospects?In the United States, the salary for an investment fund manager is approximately $130,100 per annum, while the hourly wage for these professionals is approximately $55 per hour. In the United Kingdom, a fund manager typically earns approximately £52,000 per annum.In India as well, the salary of an investment fund manager is very soaring. A fund manager will earn in the range of Rs. 5,000,00 – Rs. 9,000,00 per year.Those Investment fund managers with more experience who climb up the hierchy to become Chief Investment Officers usually earn anywhere from Rs. 1500,000 to Rs. 470,000 per annum.How is Life?Investment Fund Managers usually work very long hours in a week; usually 50-60., although this may vary depending upon the work load at that point. These managers spend their days in a comfortable office environment working on their computers or laptops.Investment Fund Managers also spend a large portion of their time making contacts, converting them into clients, and then maintaining their clients. Along with this, these managers may travel infrequently to visit large clients.What Perks come along with this career?There is a lot of interaction involved in this career with other businessmen and professionals. This ensures that the work of an Investment Fund Manager never becomes boring. Moreover, the salary of these managers is high, and keeps increasing every year.Investment Fund Managers also work in a comfortable work environment and are given many benefits as part of their salary packages.Which Downsides are there in this career?The downside of being an Investment Fund Manager is that there is a lot of risk involved in this career. One mistake or bad decision could lead to large losses for their clients, and ruining the reputation and trust that they had built.An Investment Fund Manager must also be heavily qualified to do this job and so this involves many years in school. There is also heavy competition in the market. Long hours on the job are also a downside worth considering.How is Competition?The job outlook for Investment Fund Managers is expected to grow by approximately 12% up to 2018. However, even though there is growth taking place, competition is increasing at an even higher rate. The greater number of qualifications a candidate holds, the better chances they have of getting hired.In India, the economy is expanding and thus resulting in a greater demand for Investment Fund Managers.Locations where this career is good?Investment fund managers should be located in areas with high populations so that they can have a larger pool of potential clients. Moreover, in business dominant regions, investment fund managers are more in demand, and people and businesses feel the need to save money in the form of investments. The best places to practice such a career in India are Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Surat, Pune, Jaipur and Bangalore.Career PathIt is essential to clear the Association of Mutual Funds of India certification test to become a personal investment adviser. A certified financial planner certification would be an exceptional qualification. To become a corporate investment adviser, graduation/post graduation with specialization in finance is a must

NPA - Impact on Balance SheetThe problem of NPAs in the Indian banking system is one of the foremost and the most formidable problems that had impact the entire banking system. Higher NPA ratio trembles the confidence of investors, depositors, lenders etc. It also causes poor recycling of funds, which in turn will have deleterious effect on the deployment of credit. The non-recovery of loans effects not only further availability of credit but also financial soundness of the banks.Profitability: NPAs put detrimental impact on the profitability as banks stop to earn income on one hand and attract higher provisioning compared to standard assets on the other hand. On an average, banks are providing around 25% to 30% additional provision on incremental NPAs which has direct bearing on the profitability of the banks.Asset (Credit) contraction: The increased NPAs put pressure on recycling of funds and reduces the ability of banks for lending more and thus results in lesser interest income. It contracts the money stock which may lead to economic slowdown.Liability Management: In the light of high NPAs, Banks tend to lower the interest rates on deposits on one hand and likely to levy higher interest rates on advances to sustain NIM. This may become hurdle in smooth financial intermediation process and hampers banks’ business as well as economic growth.Capital Adequacy: As per Basel norms, banks are required to maintain adequate capital on risk-weighted assets on an ongoing basis. Every increase in NPA level adds to risk weighted assets which warrant the banks to shore up their capital base further. Capital has a price tag ranging from 12% to 18% since it is a scarce resource.Shareholders’ confidence: Normally, shareholders are interested to enhance value of their investments through higher dividends and market capitalization which is possible only when the bank posts significant profits through improved business. The increased NPA level is likely to have adverse impact on the bank business as well as profitability thereby the shareholders do not receive a market return on their capital and sometimes it may erode their value of investments. As per extant guidelines, banks whose Net NPA level is 5% & above are required to take prior permission from RBI to declare dividend and also stipulate cap on dividend payout.Public confidence: Credibility of banking system is also affected greatly due to higher level NPAs because it shakes the confidence of general public in the soundness of the banking system. The increased NPAs may pose liquidity issues which is likely to lead run on bank by depositors. Thus, the increased incidence of NPAs not only affects the performance of the banks but also affect the economy as a whole.In a nutshell, the high incidence of NPA has cascading impact on all important financial ratios of the banks viz., Net Interest Margin, Return on Assets, Profitability, Dividend Payout, Provision coverage ratio, Credit contraction etc., which may likely to erode the value of all stakeholders including Shareholders, Depositors, Borrowers, Employees and public at large.Way forwardToday, the banking industry has been reeling under increased incidence of NPAs while the expectations of the stakeholders are on the rise, which is a cause of serious concern. There is an imminent need to address this issue focusing attention on demand and supply side.Prevention is better than cure. Proper evaluation of credit proposals definitely helps the banks in detecting the unviable projects at the first instance. Full information about unit, industry, its financial stake, management etc., should be collected.Lending being a focused segment, there is an urgent need to develop specialized skills in the area of appraisal, monitoring and recovery to ensure the quality of credit portfolio. The decentralized model that is being vogue in many banks need to shift towards adoption of centralized model for sanction and recovery of Retail / Corporate loans. Separate cell should be established at the bank level, which would have complete information about the industry and its prospects in future.Managing credit risk plays an important role and its effectiveness lies in an efficient recovery and exit strategy. Banks should be equipped with latest credit risk management techniques to protect the bank funds and minimize insolvency risks. Banks should explore the possibilities to develop credit derivatives markets to avoid these risks.Timely follow up is the key to keep the quality of assets intact and enables the banks to recover the interest/installments in time. To have better control on the assets created out of borrowings, banks need to watch the functioning of the units by paying frequent visits and this is to be done to all the units irrespective whether the account is performing or non-performing one.Selection of right borrowers, viable economic activity, adequate finance and timely disbursement, end use of funds and timely recovery of loans should be the focus areas for preventing or minimizing the incidence of fresh NPAs.The key challenge going forward for Indian banks is to expand credit portfolio and effectively manage NPAs while maintaining profitability. Asset quality continues to be the core function and also biggest challenge for the banks in the present dynamic environment. Though, management of asset quality is a balance sheet issue of individual banks, it has wider macro economic implications. In order to overcome the associated risks including externalities, there is an imminent need for the banks to have well structured and effective credit monitoring system in place coupled with appropriate business .Edit 1- 1000 plus Views And 5 UpvotesIf there is something Wrong in the Answer please let me know so that i can edit .