Tag: Retirement Annuity Fund (RAF)

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.

The proposed "two pot" retirement system would allow people to have the best of both worlds – early access to a portion of their retirement funds, should it be necessary, while still preserving a significant portion for when they retire. The changes are set to take effect on 1 March 2024, but without further draft legislation being published in February, there are concerns that industry players will not have time to implement changes to meet this deadline.

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.

There are many reasons why South African tax residents undertake to cease tax residency through the financial emigration process. One of the reasons is that a successful financial emigration provides one with the rare opportunity to fully encash your policy funds.

Saving and investing consistently is essential when planning to build a large enough nest egg to retire comfortably. The latest 10X Retirement Reality Report showed that out of 15 million economically active South Africans, 67% have no retirement plans.

The President, on 15 January 2021, assented to the Taxation Laws Amendment Act No. 23 of 2020 (TLAA), which was subsequently promulgated on 20 January 2021. Despite the blow back last year on the proposed amendment to the withdrawal of retirement funding in SA based on emigration, this amendment has now been signed into law and will become effective on 1 March 2021.

1 March 2021 marks a watershed for retirement funds in South Africa. Most are focussed on the annuitisation rules that have been pending since 1 March 2015, otherwise known as 'T-day'. While these reforms are significant, retirement fund members need to understand them in the grand scheme of things.

Changes to retirement benefits for provident fund members, initially meant to come in five years ago and now scheduled for next March, will see tax uniformity for all who contribute towards retirement. These changes, in terms of the Taxation Laws Amendment Act, will also encourage greater savings, something South Africa desperately needs as it seeks to crawl its way out of an economic hole.

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.

An interview with Stephen Katzenellenbogen, Senior Executive, Private Wealth Manager, NFB Private Wealth Management, and Dr Ivor Blumenthal, CEO, ArkKonsult, discussing an article penned by Andrew Duvenage, Managing Director, NFB Private Wealth Management, apropos the ANC’s Economic Transformation Committee proposal outlining changes to Regulation 28 of the Pension Funds Act.