Lifestyle Living Options Appeal to Successful South Africans Including the Legendary Gary Player
We all dream different dreams, so it is inspiring to discover the wide range of choice when it comes to lifestyle living options in South Africa, particularly in the Western Cape.Further inspiration comes from discovering what direction successful South Africans take when it comes to choosing their particular lifestyle living dreams. With 2010 World Cup Soccer looming, it is interesting to look at what some lifestyle living options in this great rainbow nation are, 16 years after the celebrated Nelson Mandela became the first black president of the country.There is absolutely no doubt that some of the more popular lifestyle estates in South Africa appeal to golfers, especially those from Europe who happily escape their winter in favour of teeing up in the South African sunshine. There are also local golfers including Ernie Els and international golfing legend Gary Player, who have both been involved in designing golf courses for lifestyle estates in South Africa, the southern-most country in Africa. This adds instant appeal to many of those who see South Africa as a potential investment country for property options.Considered by many to be the most successful professional South African golfer of all time – and a highly acclaimed designer of golf courses worldwide – in a recent quote, Gary Player said that people like him, whether South Africans or internationals, were increasingly choosing to live their dreams of a safe, healthy, gracious lifestyle. His own track-record is proof, as he has invested in property throughout South Africa, including, reportedly, the Founder Estates at world-famous Boschendal Wine Estate in the Western Cape.This demonstrates that active-production wine lifestyle estates are also incredibly popular in South Africa, such as Benguela Cove in the Overberg. Most estates allocate annual wine-quotas to residents whereas others offer some kind of investment shareholding.Considering an investment in a country retreat whether it offers great golf, superb wine, or simply pristine nature depends entirely on your own lifestyle choices which tend, however, to be largely emotional. For a busy executive, surviving a demanding week in the city is eased by comforting thoughts of relaxing on your private country patio on Friday evening with a glass of wine, enjoying a stunning sunset as the braai crackles nearby.Turning a lifelong dream into a reality is a frequent retirement goal – moving to the quiet countryside for fishing, golfing, hiking or simply having the solitude and surroundings to capture the beautiful vistas on canvas or write that great novel. Technology and the Internet have opened new opportunities for “knowledge workers” to relocate their families out of the faceless city to small rural towns where schools, friendships and life provide deeper personal satisfaction and the cost of living is significantly lower.Whether your rural home is intended to be full-time or part-time, as a discerning property buyer with an eye on the value of your investment you would be smart to heed the old advice of “location, location, location” as the three most important things to consider when buying into country lifestyle living. You want to look for reasonable accessibility to life-supporting services like medical care, internet access, shopping and security. Next are the lifestyle choices: privacy, seclusion, gorgeous views, pristine nature and possibility for outdoor activities like golf, hiking, ocean sports and more.Once you have identified your own personal choice, you will be ready to start your search for a property that offers you lifestyle living at its very best. That is exactly what I did!
A Look at Finance Controller Jobs
In our series of finance recruitment articles, we will be looking at various finance job roles. The first in the series is the role of a Finance Controller.Finance Controllers work directly with Finance Directors to manage the day to day finance matters of a company. This senior role is seen as the stepping stone to becoming a Finance Director and involves tasks such as creating finance strategies, working with cash flow, creating accounts, creating and checking financial targets, working with management, monitoring departments and many others.Finance Controllers use their knowledge to help make decisions when their company is looking at potential acquisitions and will be part of most major finance and business decisions.Candidates for Finance Controller jobs will be expected to have a background in accountancy and once in the role will be in charge of managing teams of Ledger Clerks who will deal with the more administrative and accountancy aspects of the department.The day to day aspects will see you working traditional hours, although you will be expected to put in extra hours where necessary. Like many high responsibility management roles, much of your time will be spent within meetings and travelling between offices to provide your services.When businesses or finance recruiters are looking for candidates for Finance Controller positions, they will be looking for someone who is good at presenting finance data as they will be spending a lot of time doing this to various people in meetings. Other skills that will be looked for are motivation, ability to multitask, attention to detail, good decision making skills and obviously a good understanding of the financial world.Previous experience in finance and management accounting will be expected for the role of a Finance Controller. You will also be expected to have a qualification from one of the accountancy bodies in the UK (ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA, ICAEW, ICAI, ICAS).Finance Controllers often move on to become Finance Directors, and some even become Managing Directors or Chief Executive Officers, so there are some great career prospects that come with this role.As with most jobs in the finance sector, salaries are at the higher end, trainees can earn up to £25,000 and qualified finance controllers can earn up to £45,000 a year. As your experience and time grows in the role, your salary can increase to between £50,000 and £100,000.For more information on finance controller jobs you should talk to a professional finance recruitment company.