Blended annuities

A volatile financial climate has seen many South African pensioners in living annuities looking to increase their withdrawals to cover current cash shortages. However, retirement income specialist Just advises strongly against this, recommending instead that they find ways to trim their spending, or else they run the risk of their money drying up sooner.

Life annuity rates have increased by 10-15% since the beginning of the year, which offsets the reduction in market values most people in or close to retirement have experienced in the recent market crash. In other words, you’re currently able to get a higher income from each Rand of your retirement capital if you invest it in a life annuity today than you were three months ago – in fact 10-15% higher. However, this window of opportunity won’t last forever.

Risk management in retirement is key to helping a pensioner sustain income for life – to cover their essential expenditure and to draw more in the early years when they are more active. The COVID-19 market crash is exposing some shortcomings of outdated risk management strategies that have relied purely on investment tools to tackle all risks in retirement. Many pensioners invested in old-style living annuities are seeing their drawdown rates rise and are consuming capital that won’t be there to benefit from any future market recovery.

CEO Deane Moore spoke to Michael Avery on CLASSIC BUSINESS about how retirees are facing the risk of not having a sustainable income for life in an environment where investment markets have crashed amid COVID-19, and retirement savings have been significantly reduced. He provides some practical solutions to protect their income for life. [Audio]

Just Product Actuary, Johann Swanepoel, featured in the April edition of MONEY MARKETING tackling the longstanding debate of which is best – a life annuity or a living annuity? At Just, we believe it is both, and a blend of the two is best.

The hybrid annuity balances retirees' need for income security with their desire to leave a legacy to loved ones.