Tag: death benefits
Fund took the “back door” rather than investigate properly
Rather than conducting a proper investigation to trace who should be allocated a death benefit, a retirement fund decided to go “through the back door” and allocate the benefit to the deceased’s estate. This follows the decision of the South African Retirement Annuity Fund to pay a death benefit into the deceased’s estate following the death of its member.
Caution against rigid application of the law
It is sometimes said that the 'law is an ass' when one thinks the law is too rigid, unnecessary or ridiculous. The complainant sought payment of a surplus benefit following the death of her husband who was a member of the Auto Workers Provident Fund.
Don’t make costly assumptions about who gets your assets if you...
You’ve made the effort to get an executable will in place, but are you all sorted in terms of knowing who will get what? Not necessarily. Unfortunately, it’s not that clear cut. Many of us confuse how our assets will be distributed through our will, with the distribution of death benefits from our company sponsored retirement fund – often assuming that our death benefits fall within the scope of our will. But the two are treated very differently when we die.