--- title: "Your life goals matter — find out how they shape your investments" description: "What are investments and what can they do for you on your journey to financial confidence? Kgabo Matshebula, Business Development Manager at Glacier by Sanlam, offers some answers, by looking at the purpose and goals of investing." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "Sponsored Content" author: "Glacier by Sanlam" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/glacier-by-sanlam/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-07-30-your-life-goals-matter-find-out-how-they-shape-your-investments/" published: "2026-07-30T19:50:26" updated: "2026-07-30T19:50:28" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 723 --- # Your life goals matter — find out how they shape your investments > What are investments and what can they do for you on your journey to financial confidence? Kgabo Matshebula, Business Development Manager at Glacier by Sanlam, offers some answers, by looking at the purpose and goals of investing. By Glacier by Sanlam · Published 30 July 2026, 21:50 SAST · Updated 30 July 2026, 21:50 SAST ## Content ### **As an investor, what is your purpose?** You might answer: “I want to be rich.” However, that answer is meaningless, open-ended and won’t help you. What is your actual goal? Is it saving for your child’s education? Is it to buy a property? Probing your very specific reasons for investing will help your adviser design a financial plan that includes a diversified investment portfolio that will meet your needs and goals. ### **What to know about goals** An effective goal is not the same as a wish or a dream. And, here’s what to know about goals: 1. **They are deeply personal and specific –**e.g. “I need my money to provide an education for my child at a good private school.” 2. **They have timeframes –**e.g. “I want to travel abroad on holiday, every two years.” 3. **They are realistic and achievable –**e.g. “When I retire, I want to have the kind of lifestyle thatallows me to continue to afford eating out at a different restaurant every week.” 4. **They are not broad or vague –**e.g. “I want to be rich.” 5. **They are not unrealistic –**e.g. “I want to be the richest person on the planet.” Determining when you will need to access your money (i.e. your need for liquidity) is critical, so it’s important to distinguish between goals with ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ deadlines. For example, your goal to travel abroad every two years has a soft deadline, as going on holiday is not a critical, life-impacting need. Your trip can be delayed. However, your goal to provide for your child’s education would be life-impacting and, therefore, has a hard deadline. ### **What is your relationship with your money? That’s a key question.** The relationship you have with your money is likely to be deeply emotional, and you probably don’t even know it. Recently, a family member (let’s call her Thandi) wanted to know if the R650 000 that she was keeping in her bank account for emergencies should be invested in a better savings product, and what solution I would recommend. After some probing, I established material facts about what thissavings fund meant to her, and how her relationship with this money had a direct impact on how it could or should be invested: - She is a single parent, and determined to give her child the best education money can buy. - Thandi loves to travel and dips into this fund every second or third year to go on holiday abroad. The value of her money has become a concern for her in light of the currency exchange rate. ### **What Thandi’s diversified portfolio might look like, taking into account her goals** **Tax-free savings account (R46 000)** Why this suits Thandi’s needs: - Tax efficient. - She can adjust her portfolio as her needs and risk appetite change. - Easy access to her money if needed. **Offshore investment (R164 000)** Why this suits Thandi’s needs: - Could help mitigate currency fluctuations that affect overseas travel. - Gives access to different markets and currencies. - Grows her savings through a range of foreign currency-denominated unit trust funds. **Endowment (R350 000)** Why this suits Thandi’s needs: - Helps her save for her son’s education. - May offer tax efficiency. - Could provide protection to limit losses during declining markets. **Discretionary investment (such as a money market investment) (R90 000)** Why this suits Thandi’s needs: - Preserves capital for the short to medium term. - Provides access to interest-bearing funds with relatively low risk. - Allows withdrawals at any time for emergencies or unexpected expenses. **Total capital invested: R650 000** The solutions align with Thandi’s goals and together combine to form a diversified portfolio that is efficient from a tax and risk management perspective, allowing for currency fluctuations and giving her access to funds when she needs it. All capital sums and solutions quoted in this article are for illustrative purposes only. Please consult an [authorised adviser](https://www.sanlam.co.za/brandshowreel/Pages/moneymeetups.aspx) for a holistic financial plan that includes a diversified investment portfolio.**DM** **About the author** Kgabo Matshebula is a business development manager and investment specialist at Glacier by Sanlam, focused helping financial intermediaries better serve their clients and build robust investment portfolios. *Glacier Financial Solutions (Pty) Ltd (Glacier), a licensed financial services provider (FSP 770) authorised to act as an administrative FSP.* *Sanlam Life Insurance Ltd is a licensed life insurer, financial services provider (FSP 2759) and registered credit provider (NCRCP43).*