Everything Counts | Episode 40: Debt management for young professionals

Loading player...
Starting your first real job with a decent pay check should feel exciting but what if it mostly feels confusing, stressful and a little scary? If you’ve made money mistakes before, missed payments or taken on debt you didn’t fully understand, you’re not alone… and you’re not out of options.

In this episode of Everything Counts, Motheo Khoaripe sits down with Investec’s Keshnie July, Lending Product Owner and Lehlogonolo Ramushu, Credit Risk Consultant, to talk about how young professionals can recover from financial missteps and start building a stronger, more intentional money future.

The conversation tackles what it really takes to bounce back after defaulting, overextending yourself or ignoring those dreaded payment reminders. From understanding your credit report, to budgeting realistically, facing debt head on and asking for help when you need it, this episode breaks down the practical steps that make recovery possible.

The episode also touches on separating needs from wants, avoiding impulse-driven debt, navigating “easy credit” offers and making smarter decisions before taking on new financial commitments. As the discussion shifts toward building wealth, the experts share simple, realistic strategies for saving, creating an emergency fund, paying off debt faster and laying the groundwork for long-term financial security.

If you’re a young professional trying to reset your money mindset, get out of debt or turn your first proper salary into something meaningful, this episode will help you move from survival mode to stability and eventually, to growth.

00:00 Introduction
01:00 Debt management: How to bounce back from money mistakes
02:00 How to build better money habits
03:47 Biggest financial mistakes that young adults make
04:50 Affordability assessment: What young professionals should ask before taking on more debt
06:19 What do you do when you run into financial problems?
08:47 Recovering from debt
10:25 Strategies for building wealth in the long term
10:50 The importance of building an emergency fund
11:20 The importance of having savings
12:10 Practical steps for young professionals starting their wealth journey
15:05 Compare savings accounts with good interest rates
15:20 Conclusion
26 Jan English South Africa Business · Investing

Other recent episodes

No Ordinary Wednesday | Mini-Budget 2026: More revenue, less borrowing?

Stronger revenue offers an opportunity to reduce borrowing. Will spending pressures limit the gains? Ahead of the 2026 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), Investec’s Annabel Bishop and Tertia Jacobs to examine the choices facing National Treasury. Higher precious metals prices offer the prospect of better-than-budgeted tax revenue. But weaker growth,…
11 Oct 26 min

Macro Monday Ep134: Fixed income investors are having a tough time

There’s been an almost universal rise in bond yields around the world over the past few months. According to Global Chief Investment Officer Chris Holdsworth, developed markets have seen the biggest rises, with France one of the hardest hit, as it grapples with a worsening fiscal situation.
5 Oct 9 min

Macro Monday ep 133 | US growth is running hot

The US economy is running hot, with the latest indicators pointing to 5% GDP growth, ahead of market forecasts for third-quarter growth of 2.8%. This comes despite high oil prices and rising inflation and has implications for the US dollar and the prospects of the US being able to grow…
28 Sep 8 min

No Ordinary Wednesday | South Africa’s race to get connected

South Africa’s digital infrastructure is expanding rapidly, from data centres and fibre networks to satellites. But can the country provide the power, capital and regulatory certainty needed to turn digital investment into lasting growth? On No Ordinary Wednesday, Jeremy Maggs speaks to Investec CIB’s Louise Pillay, a telecoms and media…
23 Sep 19 min

Investec Minds Ep 4: Chris Griffith on leading mining through crisis

In conversation with Head of Investec Equity Research Nkateko Mathonsi, former Gold Fields CEO Chris Griffith reflects on the high-stakes decisions that shaped his mining career, from investing through downturns to balancing business survival with its human cost. In this episode: 00:00: Introduction 01:08: A $1bn ambition for Africa 02:28:…
21 Sep 32 min