Educated at Merchiston Prep, Newcastle High and Natal University, Alec Hogg (52) is a media entrepreneur who founded Moneyweb Holdings in 1997. The company’s shares are listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the business is today worth over R70m. It delivers business, investment and specialised news through websites including flagship moneyweb.co.za the international play Mineweb.com and the growing local community sites in partnership with Caxton under the Looklocal.co.za banner. The company’s other strategic partnership is with the SABC for whom it produces daily business shows on SAFM, RSG and Lotus FM.
A South African, Alec Hogg travels widely and often, with annual trips to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway AGM in Omaha, USA. He is married to Jeanette, who he met at school, and they spend the week in Johannesburg and on weekends escape to their 70 acre farm near Mooi River in the KZN Midlands called Graceland. His daughters Caitlin and Kendyll live in Ireland.
Hogg anchors the SAFM Market Update weeknights at 6pm. Apart from broadcasting and writing, he breeds racehorses and blogs about them at www.gracelandfarm.co.za. A compulsive reader and student of history, Alec Hogg serves as an executive director on the Moneyweb board and is passionate about investments, a field he has been immersed in for over three decades. Jeanette owns the Health Shoppe at the Rosebank Mall. A sculptor of some repute, when at home in Mooi River, she focuses on the Graceland Art Gallery and a community project, Nandi’s Gifts (see www.gracelandgallery.co.za).
Apart from their growing herd of thoroughbreds, the Hoggs have five dogs and an inherited cat. Graceland Farm is also home to thousands of birds including a resident Long Crested Eagle; hundreds of trout; a few Reedbuck, a family of porcupines and the occasional stray jackal.
Alec’s Blog
9 Comments
Alec – do you ever have visitors at broadcast time- I listen every night to the most professional show – only one to listen to on SAFM really?
My grandmother used to live at Heronsfield along the Giants Castle road and I think this is where you are. Her sister was Joyce Tatham of whom you may have heard.
Careful of those horses – they eat and eat and need lots of TLC. Lots of competition too-Mick Goss just over the hill from you!
Enjoy your life in God’s own country.
Hi Graeme,
Not many visitors at 6pm – especially not Jack Russell Terriers who have a nasty habit of biting through important wires during airtime; or deciding it’s time to alert the rest of the country of their existence with a couple of sharp barks. We are around 5km from Mooi River on the Giant’s Castle road….haven’t encountered Heronsfield but will look out for it. Everyone has heard of Joyce Tatham…..
Mick’s a close friend. Treats me more like a partner than a competitor….
Hi Alec
I taught at Treverton and retired a few years ago. One of my pupils there (he was head prefect the 80s) was Tim Wood who was in business with you. Any idea what he is doing now?
Thanks for your programme. I listen to it every day.
Hi Tony
If Tim is any reflection of the Treverton Old Boys then they will soon be ruling the world! He was employee number one at Moneyweb and a huge loss to the business when he won a Green Card in the US Lottery and emigrated. Last we spoke he is very happy in the US (sadly) and has certainly done very well in his business and personal life. The email address I have for Tim is tim@arboradix.com. I’m sure he’d love to hear from you.
Hi Alec,
Somehow I just lost my email to you (my own fault!) I enjoy listening and learning from you and the blog is great – good to hear about it today. I have 3 questions for you:
1. I’m in my mid 30′s and run my own small travel business. I was wondering based on time frames and current/future market estimations, do you feel now is a good time to get into buy to let property in the big cities?
2. What would you say are your 5 favourite SA shares that will deliver the best long term growth over the next 10 years and more? I’m not a trader, rather looking for solid companies to put my money into and then forget about it.
3. Are you ever in Cape Town? If so, I’d be excited to offer you an airport transfer or 2 (if you ever need one) in exchange for 30 minutes of your time for a coffee market chat. I really enjoy learning more and more about the markets. You can find out more about me on my work website (so you know I’m reputable and not some dodgy character wanting to kidnap you for ransom!) by substituting my name and the @ sign in my email address with www.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,
Mike
Hi Mike
You numbered them so here’s the responses in oder too:
1. Nope, I wouldn’t invest in buy-to-let. The high cost of transacting (count on at least 10% with agent’s commission, bond registration costs and transfer duties) make it a very unattractive option except in a booming property market. And it might be years before we see that again. Better to stick to shares.
2. Right now of the bigger stocks I like Barloworld, Bidvest and FirstRand because of their moats; Afrimat because of its moat (ie high barrier to entry for competitors) and Ptotech Khutele for a bit of space as it’s very clearly in the sights of Eqstra. Have blogged about all of these except Bidvest recently.
3. Thanks for the offer, but my Cape Town visits are too irregular to set aside a specific time. I will bear it in mind though and when time permits will drop you a mail. If you’re ever up our way – KZN Midlands – be happy to pour you a cuppa tea. My wife operates a wonderful art gallery (www.gracelandgallery.co.za) which is well worth a visit. I’ve been thinking about holding a few small investment seminars up our way later into 2012. Watch out for them. Maybe you’d find it worth investing the time and effort to attend.
thanks for the support.
Best
Alec
Good day Mr. Hogg, Im a great fan of your show and have been for over 5 years now. I have a Bophuthatswana Bearer Development Bond and don’t know what to do with it or if it has any kind of value, I have tried contacting the treasury and the North-West Department of Finance but they do not know what its all about, any assistance will be appreciated.
i would attend investment seminars in Graceland if they were aimed at young people like me, i.e. young professionals.
Hi Alec
You remember your former employee, who left under a cloud and was employed by the S.Times where he rubbished Moneyweb in an article for which the paper made a half hearted apology. He was allowed to continued writing for that paper. I campaigned on my blog and with a complaint to the Press Council to to stop this and he disappeared from the pages for a while and then reappeared with a much smaller byline. So I complained to the paper’s Ombudsman and he disappeared again. It remains to be seen if this will-o’-the-wisp will be back again one of these days because the S.Times seems to have one set of norms for those it exposes and another for those it employs.