Miss SA plans for her financial security
Ndavi Nokeri saves 80% of her monthly earnings
Miss South Africa 2022 Ndavi Nokeri can save 80% of her income partly because of the sponsorships she receives as the title holder.
“It is difficult to save 80% of your earnings, but it will pay off. A lot of things are sponsored [while she is Miss SA], and that helps me to save much more than I would under normal circumstances,” Nokeri told Sunday World during an interview.
By winning the Miss SA title, Nokeri received a R1-million cash prize and sponsorships of more than R3-million, including the use of a serviced apartment and a MercedesBenz C-class sedan for the year of her reign.
She applies the 80:20 rule regarding how much of her monthly earnings she saves and how much she spends. As a result, she aims to save 80% of her income and spend 20% of her earnings.
Nokeri says of the money she is earning right now, she puts 60% of it into a fixed deposit account, and 20% goes into her emergency savings fund, which has enough money to cover her costs for three months. After that, she uses the remaining 20% of her monthly earnings on everyday expenditures.
She said it was essential to put her savings in a place where she could not easily access them, such as a fixed deposit investment account.
The beauty queen won her title in August. She grew up in Limpopo and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in investment management from the University of Pretoria earlier this year. Before she won the Miss SA 2022 title, she worked as a consultant for an asset management firm in Cape Town. She is preparing to compete in the Miss Universe 2023 event, which takes place on 14 January 2023 in New Orleans in the US.
Another personal finance tip that Nokeri mentioned was that she shops for the best possible deal. “For a long time, I spent my money at an expensive retailer, but I realised other stores sell the same quality goods for a much lower price. So, making the switch gave me much more cash flow,” she said.
She said she compiled a monthly budget to help her manage her money correctly.
“A monthly budget is important, and the biggest part of it is groceries and fuel. During some months, I need to spend money on more things than other months, which is why my emergency savings are important so that I can dig into them if I must,” she added.
She has a credit card and handles it in a disciplined way. “I never want to spend money that I do not have, and therefore, if I do use my credit card, I immediately pay money into it as I do not want to find myself in debt,” she said.
Nokeri is debt-free, besides anything she might owe on her credit card. She has an Easy Equities account, which she uses to buy and sell shares. In addition, as part of her retirement planning, she has taken out an investment product with a local asset management firm.
Finally, Nokeri has life insurance and other insurance that includes coverage of risks related to her cellphone.
She compiles a budget to help her manage her money