Tag: retirement age

Retirement planning is one of the most important parts of your financial journey, but it is often neglected or postponed until close to retirement age. Starting to plan for retirement is easier when you are still young, and you have few financial responsibilities.

We have all heard the phrase: “It’s not about timing the market, but time in the market.” One of the most important lessons parents can teach their children is the value of money – how to really understand the dynamics around investing and how to make money work for them.

On 29 July 2022, National Treasury released the 2022 Draft Revenue Laws Amendment Bill for public comment until 29 August 2022 to introduce the 'two-pot' system for retirement savings that was flagged in the National Budget.

The number of people living into their late nineties and early hundreds is growing by the day. The notion that you have to retire at 65 is becoming outdated and, more importantly, impractical and even financially hazardous.

In the weeks prior to the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBSP), South Africans await more clarity from National Treasury on their proposal for limited pre-retirement withdrawals and the logistics required to make this happen.

South Africa’s retirement outcomes will improve radically if all retirement funding contributions are kept invested when fund members change jobs. Other quick wins include increasing the minimum government pension; delaying the government retirement age beyond 60 years; and refocusing the industry from saving a lump sum at retirement to providing a sustainable income in retirement.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many individuals to significantly adjust their lifestyles. The personal finances of most South Africans have been greatly impacted by job losses, salary cuts or no bonuses/increases, so much so that their livelihood have taken a significant knock.

Many people of retirement age still associate senior living communities with ‘jelly and custard’ nursing homes and a lack of freedom and independence. Luckily, retirement and senior living communities have come a long way from this antiquated misconception – with communities designed to meet the lifestyle needs of modern older people.

Proposed changes to the Pensions Funds Amendment Bill, currently before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance, which will allow retirement fund members to access a portion of their retirement savings in cash before retirement as a guarantee for a loan, should be viewed with caution.

An employer cannot unilaterally change an employee’s retirement age. Should the employer do so and terminate the employee’s employment, the dismissal may constitute an automatically unfair dismissal and amount to unfair discrimination.