About MonMax
Marco & Brigette de Vries
Two South Africans who moved to the UK in our fifties, and did the arithmetic afterwards.
What the move cost
We left South Africa for the UK so our children could study and build their lives here. It was the right decision. It was also the most expensive one we've ever made.
We paid for it with our retirement savings, converted at an exchange rate that only ever seemed to move one way. Visas, the health surcharge, flights, a deposit and months of rent up front.
Marco spent 26 years in hospitality and technology sales in South Africa. Brigette was also in hospitality and being the best mom to our two adopted children. Starting again in the UK meant proving all of it from scratch.
- Visaspaid
- Immigration health surchargepaid
- Flightspaid
- Depositpaid
- Months of rent up frontpaid
Exchange ratenot in our favour
Worth it. Still worth adding up.
The arithmetic
Once we'd settled, we looked properly at the numbers. The UK State Pension needs 35 qualifying years, and we'd arrived with far fewer ahead of us. The money we'd left in South Africa couldn't simply be brought across. And retiring back home would freeze whatever UK pension we did build.
A salary alone wasn't going to close that gap. So we started looking for something we could build alongside our jobs, using what we already knew.
What we got wrong first
We signed up for plenty that didn't deliver: courses that were all theory, systems that promised automation and produced nothing. We spent money we couldn't really spare learning what to avoid.
What eventually worked for us was a method that starts with one question, "which problem are you already good at solving?", and tests the answer cheaply before building anything. That method comes from Launch You. We recommend two of their products, and we tell you plainly that we earn a commission on them.
Why MonMax exists
MonMax is what we wish we'd found in our first British winter: the rules explained straight, the arithmetic done honestly, and two things worth trying, with every price stated before you click.
It's for South Africans and Zimbabweans who moved in their fifties and carried a whole career with them. We believe that experience is the one asset the move didn't devalue.
How we work
- We name the commission on every page.
- We state every price before you click.
- We never show anyone's income as proof.
- We explain pension and tax rules and send you to GOV.UK or an adviser for decisions. We don't give advice.
- No countdown timers. No "limited spaces". Take as long as you need.
Free, and here's exactly what comes after.
Start where we did: with the arithmetic.
Everything on MonMax is education, not financial, tax or immigration advice, and not a promise of income. Read our Earnings Disclaimer and Privacy Policy.