Pension Funds Archives -

Are Passives really that cheap?

I got really excited recently when I noted the addition of some of the CoreShares funds to the list of funds on one of the LISP platforms that we use… And then I started doing some quotes to see what the effect the addition the CoreSharesTop50 would have on the fees on the client’s portfolio. …

Marcus Jooste’s school-boy error

Much has been written and much will still be written about the Steinhoff saga but after listening to some of the testimony and reading the bit below…there is only one conclusion that can be made and that is this: Ethics aside, Marcus Jooste’s biggest mistake was failure to diversify. It’s a classic school-boy error of …

It’s time to do the Mickey Blue (again)

I recently watched someone using a leaf blower to clear their pavement. As I watched, it struck me what a pointless exercise it was and it crossed my mind that the leaf blower must be one of the most senseless machines yet invented.

It’s time that treasury stopped being short-sighted when it comes to the wealthy!

A few years ago, during the National Budget Speech, government put a cap of R350k pa on retirement contributions. It appears that no one at treasury has given this much thought

It’s time we had different conversations with our clients…

I recently had an interesting discussion with a friend of mine (we don’t do her financial planning). The conversation turned to money

A case for higher offshore weighting within a living annuity?

There is this strange phenomenon in SA called Regulation 28 that is applied to retirement funds. It stipulates that retirement fund members may not have more than 75% of their funds in equities and no more than 25% of the fund invested offshore

8.5% per month in fees?

Am I reading this incorrectly or can it be that the monthly fee on this pension fund contribution is 8.5%? Can it be that R240 of every R2808 in contributions is being eaten up by costs? Every month? And this is before the fund fees? In 2017 with all the legislation that we have – …

The watched pot…

There’s an old saying about the watched pot never boiling, which simply means that if you wait anxiously for something to happen, it seems like it takes forever.

Remove all sharp objects…

I attended a presentation by one of the SA asset managers recently…it was a good job that there were no sharp knives around. It was real slit-your-wrists stuff! Their view is that SA is pretty much stuffed and that unless there is a significant change in ANC leadership that we are on the “low road” …

The value of advice?

Much has been written about the value of financial advice. There are many people who believe that financial planners offer little value for the fees charged while there are others who believe that the value financial planners add is very significant. Research by Morningstar has revealed that the value of advice (they call it “gamma”) …

The Financial Coach