Abstract
M.Comm.
Many people work for their money but do not know how to make their money work for
them. The subject of investment is foreign and even daunting to many people that can
potentially benefit from investing their money wisely.
While earning money is something most people are actively focussed on through the
application of their skills, talents and gained knowledge, not many people are so focused
on or adept at the management of their money after they earned it.
Such individuals include professionals like engineers, lawyers, doctors, accountants as
well as managers, entrepreneurs or tradesmen. In actual fact it includes all people that
have not been specifically trained or exposed to the selection and management of
investments.
It is for this reason that a decision framework to aid such non specialist investors in their
investment decisions have been conceptualised. This study will demystify general
considerations related to investments and investment management and to open the field of
investment management to non specialist investors by providing them with an investment
selection decision framework.
The study conducted thorough research into the different investment types available as
well as the considerations that go with the subject of investment and investment
management. The research findings clarify why people need to invest their money, the
options that exist to choose from, the distinguishing features and considerations of
investments options, how to gain access to different investment options and also who the
stakeholders in the investment industry are.
The decision support framework combines the learnings from the research into a simple to
use tool whereby potential investors are guided through structured questions to derive at a
list of investment types that most likely will meet their investment needs and preferences.