South Africa enjoys a vibrant investment market place with sophisticated wealth creation solutions. The legislative control is improving rapidly and moving into line with Europe in terms of consumer protection levels and best advice principles.   Solutions include:   Traditional Endowments - these can be utilized for tax efficiency but generally are restrictive in terms of access and term as well as incurring higher fees. Trading in second hand endowments is also an option, however many investors chose to do this via a pooled investment scheme for greater access and spread of risk. Unit Trusts – access to most major investment houses including PSG, Framinglington, and Allan Gray. All told in excess of over 320. These are flexible, open-ended investment or savings vehicles that tend to attract much more competitive charging. Link Investment Service Providers (LISPS) – Simply an administrative vehicle through which to invest and the subsequent ability to move your funds between different unit trusts. Structured Products – These can include investments such as guaranteed products and capital safe solutions. Deposit Style Accounts – Interest rates differ from 6% to 9.3% (April 2004). One can simply place funds in a traditional style deposit account with a bank, however better rates are normally accessed through a money market account or fund. These are similar to deposit accounts in terms of accessibility etc. There rates alter from week to week and month to month – therefore the afore mentioned LISP is an excellent way to invest into them as it allows you/your advisor to move the money to best current rates at any time.  Stock Broking – This is done via a stockbroker, as opposed to a bank as in Europe. Other than this the buying of stocks and shares is similar. General Hints and Tips Ensure you always use a Certified Financial Planner who is registered with the Financial Service Board. Avoid investments that restrict you to terms, set premiums and access penalties. Look at the administrative capabilities of the provider as well as there financial strength. Ensure the charges are comparable with the amount of work involved and also provide some incentive for the advisor to service you correctly. For example avoid high up-front charges. Spread your investment risk between currencies and asset classes. All recommendations should be received in written format at least explaining the reasons for an  advisors choice of provider, product, investment amount, risk level and charges. Ensure the advisor has expert knowledge of both the overseas offshore environment as well as within South Africa.