For the vast majority of South African’s the chances of retiring financially free are as good as their chances of winning the lottery unless they take control of their own financial future ans start saving today. These may sound like harsh words but the fact is that with a savings rate at less than 1.5% of GDP the burden of looking after an ageing population will fall squarely on the shoulders of Government or most likely on our children.
Retirement requires planning, careful planning and a disciplined approach that has a clear goal. That goal is to provide you with sufficient income to cater for your daily expenses, will guard against inflation and cater for any unexpected expenses, medical costs and of course a few well deserved vacations.
Well managed and planned retirement saving should start from the very first Rand that you earn for the impact on your retirement to be meaningful and will lessen the financial pressure to save for retirement later on in your career. Retirement planning is a long term strategy quite simply because the amount of money you will need to live comfortably without any income apart from investment income for 20 years or more is a vast sum of money that for more than 99% of the population will simply not be available.
When we begin to factor the effects of inflation on our retirement savings the picture changes quite dramatically should inflation increase above 6% and for this reason, every oppotunity to utilise the tax benefits offered to those who save should be taken advantage of. This reduces your taxable income, increases your savings and provides a larger retirement saving to see you through retirement.
Are you counting on a risky investment to provide you with an asset that you hope will provide you a lump sum, are you hoping your properties will give you a return sufficient to provide you with an income in your retirement? What are you thinking? Get solid investment advice, evaluate your current investments and prepare for retirement, the last thing you want to do is rely on a state pension.
If you are unsure of the status or value of your current retirement savings or need to start saving for your retirement, complete the form and we will give you free retirement advice. Do not leave your future to chance, get unbiased advice right away.
