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Ed's Note | More slam than dunk

I am not great with money and, while there is a person in my life — they know who they are — who may want to dial that up a notch to “terrible with money”, that particular pot is way too black to be throwing around such accusations. So yes, I may appreciate the things that money affords, but my management of it needs some deep spiritual work if I am to realise my early promise.

I cast my mind back to the mid-1990s, when my path to making and successfully managing mega-millions started well enough. Along with a group of university mates, I parlayed a love for kwaito, hip-hop, and R&B into a thriving party-promotion business that took care of pocket money and our unhealthy mutual drinking fund. This was at that famously lubricated campus an hour from Gqeberha — we had no choice but to conform.

I then went into formal employment as a humble scribe, but that entrepreneurial spirit stirred enough for me to pick up bits and pieces on the side along the way, to such an extent that the decade before I settled into this seat was spent mostly as a freelance writer/editor, an independent communications consultant, and culture maker. The mega-millions were still elusive, though, and what success I did enjoy was ploughed back into my various hustles — and school fees, lots of school fees. Had I the fiscal nous of say, Shaquille O’Neal, I may well have been swimming in the azure waters of the Maldives, instead of writing this note.

Had I the fiscal nous of say, Shaquille O’Neal, I may well have been swimming in the azure waters of the Maldives instead of writing this note

O’Neal — NBA legend, businessman, TikTok dancer, and occasional DJ, with a PhD in organisational learning and leadership — is good with money. In fact, he is sensational with the stuff. Eleven years after he retired from basketball a multi-millionaire from fees and endorsements, his current net worth is estimated at around $400-million. This is reportedly earned through his share in 150 car washes, nearly 200 fast-food restaurants, a movie theatre, a shopping centre, and a number of nightclubs.

While the world reels under the looming dark cloud of inflation — which, as you will learn as you flip through these pages, is somewhat of a recurring theme in this, The Money Issue — I suspect Shaq’s bank balance is doing just fine.

If, like “Shaq Diesel”, you have invested wisely, have money to burn, and are looking for options, then you have come to the right place. We have brand-spanking-new luxury destinations, fine food and drink, classic cars, elegant timepieces and jewels, and a fiscally sound reason to buy more art. You will also be delighted that your hard-earned money can still buy you not only property offshore but a covetable second passport to boot.

Enjoy the issue, while I watch TikToks of O’Neal dancing to amapiano tracks — I may yet learn some valuable lessons about money management.

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