Smart About Money

What Smart About Money does

Smart About Money (SmartAboutMoney.co.za) is a consumer financial education platform operated by the Savings and Investment Association - South Africa NPC, trading as the Association for Savings and Investments South Africa (ASISA). The platform provides free educational content, interactive calculators, and video resources covering savings, investing, insurance, retirement planning, debt management, tax, estate planning, and small business finance for South African consumers across all life stages. It is headquartered in Cape Town with a small team of approximately seven employees, including an editor, editorial adviser, and webmaster/digital communications coordinator.

The underlying technology is a web-based content management system hosting a suite of nine interactive financial calculators (financial health check, budget planner, debt repayment, savings goals, compound interest growth, fund classification, tax-deductible retirement contributions, living annuity drawdown, and retirement savings projections) alongside SEO-optimized editorial articles and a YouTube video channel. Content is reviewed by ASISA's senior policy advisers and approved by an editorial committee comprising representatives from ASISA, the ASISA Academy, and the ASISA Foundation.

The business model is non-commercial: the platform does not sell financial products, display advertising, or charge subscriptions. It is collectively funded by over 90 ASISA member companies spanning asset managers, unit trust companies, life assurance companies, investment platforms, and reinsurers. Distribution is entirely direct-to-consumer via the website, email newsletter, and YouTube, with no intermediaries. The customer base is the broad South African consuming public rather than enterprise buyers, and the platform functions as an industry-funded public-good rather than a revenue-generating enterprise.

Name

Smart About Money

Legal name

Savings and Investment Association - South Africa NPC trading as Association for Savings and Investments SA

Website

https://smartaboutmoney.co.za

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smart About Money is a free, non-profit consumer financial education website operated by ASISA in South Africa, offering articles, interactive calculators, and videos on savings, investing, insurance, retirement, debt, tax, and small business finance for everyday South Africans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Financial Education

akta.pro primary industry

Financial & Consumer Literacy (Banking, Credit, Contracts) (EDAAAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Budgeting & Cash-Flow Management (FSAGADAA), Expense Tracking & Financial Dashboards (FSAGADAB), Net Worth & Personal Balance Sheet Tracking (FSAGADAF)

Keywords

• Financial education
• Consumer financial literacy
• Personal finance calculators
• Retirement planning tools
• Financial planning resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Industry Association Funding: Smart About Money is an initiative of ASISA (Association for Savings and Investments South Africa) and is collectively funded by ASISA members including asset managers, unit trust companies, life assurance companies, and investment platforms. The platform does not generate revenue through advertising or product sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Smart About Money is a free consumer financial education platform that provides educational content and interactive financial calculators to South African consumers. Its offerings include nine specialized calculators covering budgeting, debt repayment, savings goals, retirement planning, tax optimization, and fund classification, supported by comprehensive written articles and educational videos on savings, investing, insurance, retirement, debt management, tax, and small business finance. The platform does not sell any financial products or display advertising, and is funded collectively by ASISA member companies.

Product overview

Smart About Money is a consumer financial education website operated by the Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA). The platform offers a unified suite of educational content and interactive financial planning tools organized across multiple life stages and financial topics. The core offering includes nine specialized calculators (covering budgeting, debt repayment, savings goals, retirement planning, and tax optimization) complemented by extensive written and video educational content spanning insurance, investment products, retirement planning, estate planning, tax, and small business finance. The platform does not sell financial products or advertising, positioning it purely as an educational resource funded by ASISA member companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Health Check Tool An interactive tool that assesses an individual's overall financial situation and helps determine whether they are managing their money effectively or avoiding financial management. Designed for South African consumers seeking to evaluate their financial wellbeing.
• Budget Planner Tool A planning tool that helps users allocate their income wisely to cover all living costs, insurance, and contributions to savings. Designed for South African consumers seeking to manage their household budgets.
• Debt Repayment Calculator A calculator that determines how much interest and how many months of repayments users could save on their debt by paying off slightly more each month. Designed for South African consumers seeking to manage and reduce their debt.
• Savings Goal Calculator A calculator that helps users determine how much they need to save to achieve their specific financial goals. Designed for South African consumers planning savings targets.
• Savings Growth Calculator A calculator that works out how much current savings will amount to with the help of compound interest over time. Designed for South African consumers seeking to understand the long-term impact of compound interest.
• Fund Classification Tool A lookup tool that allows users to understand how their fund can invest or how funds in a specific category can invest. Designed for South African retail investors seeking clarity on fund mandates.
• Tax Deductible Retirement Fund Contributions Calculator A calculator that helps users determine how much more they can contribute to their retirement fund in order to save on tax. Designed for South African taxpayers seeking to optimize retirement contributions.
• Living Annuity Drawdown Calculator A calculator to test if savings invested in a living annuity will support the income or drawdown rate desired in retirement. Designed for South African retirees managing living annuity income.
• Retirement Savings Calculator A calculator that works out what retirement savings will be worth by retirement and estimates how long those savings can provide the desired pension. Designed for South African consumers planning for retirement.
• Financial Education Articles and Content Comprehensive educational material covering topics including financial planning, good money habits, debt management, insurance, saving and investing, retirement, estate planning, small business, and tax. Designed for South African consumers across all life stages.
• Video Educational Content Short video content providing quick entry into financial topics for users who want to learn through visual media. Distributed through the Smart About Money YouTube channel and watch-and-learn page. Designed for South African consumers preferring visual learning.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Association for Savings and Investments South Africa (ASISA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerASISA is the parent organization and sole funder of Smart About Money. ASISA is a non-profit company (NPC) that represents the South African savings and investment industry. The association provides funding, content oversight through its editorial committee, and credibility through industry backing. Smart About Money operates as an initiative under ASISA's direction.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• TaxTim: South African tax-focused digital platform offering SARS eFiling assistance and consumer tax education. Comparable as a SA-based consumer financial education platform with a narrower topical focus (tax vs. full personal finance).
• Just Money: South African financial product comparison and education platform. Comparable as a SA-based consumer-facing financial education resource, though differentiated by product comparison features Smart About Money deliberately avoids.

Direct peers

• MyMoney.gov: US federal government's financial education website coordinating resources from 20+ federal agencies on budgeting, saving, investing, and retirement — another trusted, government-backed financial literacy portal comparable in mission and non-commercial positioning.
• Investopedia: Leading global consumer financial education site offering comprehensive articles, calculators, and tutorials on personal finance, investing, and financial products. Comparable as a content-first, free-access financial education resource targeting retail consumers.
• National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE): US-based private non-profit foundation dedicated to financial education research and public resource provision. Directly comparable non-profit financial education mission, though lacks Smart About Money's industry-association funding model.
• MoneyHelper (UK): UK government-backed free financial guidance service providing calculators, educational content, and tools across debt, savings, retirement, and pensions. Closest structural peer — publicly funded, non-commercial, comprehensive consumer financial education platform.
• MoneySmart (ASIC, Australia): Australian Securities and Investments Commission-backed consumer financial education platform offering free tools, calculators, and unbiased guidance on saving, investing, debt, and retirement. Directly comparable as a regulator/industry-backed free public education resource serving retail consumers.

Emerging players

• NerdWallet: US consumer financial education and product comparison platform offering articles, calculators, and tools across credit cards, banking, investing, and loans. Comparable as a content + calculators + product education platform, though at much larger scale and with product referrals/absent in Smart About Money.
• The Motley Fool: Global consumer financial education and investment advice publisher offering free educational content, premium services, and calculators. Comparable as a content-led financial education platform with broader commercial monetization than Smart About Money's non-profit model.

Broad incumbents

• Old Mutual Financial Education: ASISA member company that publishes its own consumer financial education content as part of broader life insurance and investment offerings. Comparable as a SA financial-services player publishing consumer education, though commercially oriented vs. Smart About Money's non-commercial stance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCv9NRHrciWeou_2OvbGTe_A
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smart-about-money

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smart About Money