Annuity types

Although Goldilocks was presumably quite a way from retirement age, her story does highlight that a one-size-fits-all solution in most circumstances is an exception. This is especially true when it comes to finding a retirement product. You should look for a solution (or a combination of solutions) that is ‘just right’ for your personal circumstances.

Soon-to-be-retirees have many options to consider to ensure their retirement and discretionary savings work best for them in retirement. If you have diligently saved for retirement, you don’t pay income tax on contributions paid into a retirement fund or retirement annuity, nor on the investment build up within these retirement vehicles. But when you retire and start taking the money out, it will be taxed as income.

Despite the perception that life annuities are complex retirement products, they present a practical solution to protect against investment market volatility and increased longevity. This article looks to answer some of the questions retirees still have about life annuities.

People are still concerned about the risk that they will live longer than they have anticipated and outlast their savings, says a MONEYWEB article featuring insights from Just SA CEO Deane Moore. 

The article covers content shared at the recent 50plus-skills webinar on mental, physical and nutritional health for the 50+ community, proudly sponsored by Just SA. We also shared some results from our 2020 Just Retirement Insights, together with some practical steps to take to secure at least a portion of your retirement income.

MONEY MARKETING focused on the benefits of a with-profit annuity in their February digital magazine (page 28). Since its launch in 2015, Just has focused on enhancing the features, transparency and performance of with-profit annuities in South Africa for the benefit of pensioners and advisers. With-profit life annuities offer retirees an income for life, which will never reduce regardless of what happens to investment markets or how long a retiree lives.

According to the WALL STREET JOURNAL, if you want to maximise how much you can safely spend in retirement, some economists say, sell some of your bonds and buy lifetime income annuities. [Subscription required]

Research shows that one of the most important needs in retirement is to generate an income to cover expenses for life. Consider a solution that mitigates the risk of running out of money much earlier than planned.

With guaranteed or life annuities regaining traction with investors, there is still a misconception that they are a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Product Actuary Twane Wessels explains how annuities have evolved. 

Bjorn Ladewig, Longevity Actuary chats to Michael Avery on Classic Business about how your approach to retirement should be the same regardless of market conditions. Bjorn provides an explanation on some of the practical solutions available to protect your retirement income for life, and maintain some flexibility [audio].

The Money Show’s Bruce Whitfield interviewed Bruce Cameron, retired editor of Personal Finance about his new co-authored book “Secure Your Retirement”. The book unpacks the challenges facing pensioners, and explains how to avoid the pitfalls that cause pensioners to run out of money [audio].