South Africa’s retirement system has assets, but not enough reach
According to the 2026 Marsh CFA Institute Global Pension Index, South Africa ranks 51st out of 55 retirement systems.
#retirementsavings
Financial security on paper means little when benefits fail
The Deputy Pension Funds Adjudicator and the FAIS Ombud warn that financial protection depends on more than products and paperwork.
Fewer workers, longer retirements: the demographic squeeze on pension systems
The number of potential workers for every older person in more developed regions is projected to fall from 4.3 to 2.7 over the next 30 years.
Your future self is counting on you
World Financial Planning Day is a timely reminder to reflect on your retirement plan, with MBSE’s Julette Wentzel asking whether your future self will thank you for today’s decisions.
Retirement fund fees: Is cheaper really better?
The developing FSCA value-for-money approach puts costs alongside investment performance, service quality, governance, and member outcomes.
FSCA explores value-for-money framework for retirement funds
The regulator is looking to international models as it seeks a more consistent way to assess member outcomes, costs, and investment performance.
Are trustees looking at the real cost of retirement-fund fees?
Initial cost comparisons can obscure how fees linked to assets, salaries, or membership grow over time, potentially producing sharply different outcomes.
Mental well-being linked to two-pot withdrawals
Discovery’s research points to a complex relationship between mental well-being, financial behaviour, and retirement savings withdrawals.
Living annuity inflows hit R104.5bn as assets top R900bn in 2025
ASISA’s member statistics show substantial market growth, while the average drawdown rate remained broadly stable at 6.6%.
Debt and retirement pressures drive new product thinking
With household debt absorbing income and retirement outcomes remaining poor, Discovery has introduced a benefit aimed at addressing both pressures.
Unclaimed benefits | Support for central tracing, not central control
Retirement funds back efforts to make unclaimed benefits easier to find but say transferring billions in retirement assets into a central fund goes too far.
What a weekly workout can teach us about retirement
Exercising regularly is only the starting point for Discovery’s argument that everyday behaviours can have a lasting effect on earnings, debt, and retirement security.
Adviser usage falls, according to latest Old Mutual Monitor
Fewer respondents are using advisers as AI tools gain traction, and many remain unsure where to turn for financial guidance.
Why retirement advice isn’t changing behaviour
Access to education and information has expanded, but the challenge is turning member engagement into better financial decisions and outcomes.
Preserved, but scattered: the new retirement savings challenge
As members leave compulsory preserved savings behind when changing jobs, fragmentation across funds may make it harder to manage fees, investments, and progress towards retirement.
What the two-pot system reveals about financial resilience
Former FSCA Deputy Commissioner Astrid Ludin argues that the reform has become an unexpected indicator of South Africans’ vulnerability to financial shocks.
What happens when clients stop behaving their age?
Sanlam’s latest Benchmark suggests economic shocks, disrupted careers, and health risks are reshaping how clients across age groups make financial decisions.
