Retirement Insights | 3 min read

Your retirement investments after COVID-19

In last week’s article we pointed out that investors have more control over their finances than they think.  With the right advice and solutions, there is much that they can do to improve their current – as well as future – situation.

This week we look at the impact of COVID-19 on those saving for a secure retirement, as well as how those who are currently in the process of retiring are affected. Werner Vlok, Business Development Manager Glacier by Sanlam, looks at some of the ways retirees can improve their current situation. 

The lead-up to retirement

While we always advocate not panicking, we acknowledge that those who are on the verge of – or in the process of – retiring, have immediate and valid concerns and not enough time before retiring to make up the losses they’ve suffered. 

Our first suggestion would be to delay retirement if you can.  If this is not possible, perhaps your skill-set allows you to offer a service that will bring in an income for a while longer – without putting any of your savings at risk to set up a business that may, or may not, succeed.  Doing this will not only give your capital time to recover, but will also mean that you’ll be drawing an income from your capital for a shorter period of time. If drawing an income is the only option, try to keep the income for the first couple of years as low as possible to protect capital.

For more on this topic, read our article Retiring in a storm.

If you have a few years to go until retirement, continuing contributions to a retirement annuity (RA) is a smart move.  Markets are showing signs of recovery and investors feel more comfortable investing now than they did a few months ago. By continually contributing through the ups and downs of the market you also get the benefit of rand cost averaging.  Not only will you continue building your capital base and reaping the benefits of compounded interest on your savings, but you will also continue to enjoy the tax deductions offered by an RA. Remember that your retirement benefit saved in a retirement fund is protected from creditors and estate duty is not payable on the benefit either.  Glacier’s Retirement Annuity can be accessed from R500 per month (for new investments submitted via the Glacier Investment Hub).

Investments and income after retirement

Retirees with a living annuity currently have the opportunity to take advantage of the relief offered by National Treasury, to end-September.  We urge retirees to remember though, that an increase in the income taken will have an affect on the long-term sustainability of the income as you’ll be drawing this higher income from a lower capital amount.  The higher income will also potentially attract higher tax.  However, if at all possible, reducing the income taken will give your capital time to recover.

For more information on the temporary relief measures, click here.

Rather than trying to reduce the income taken, a better option may be to combine traditional income solutions to include a guaranteed, as well as a market-linked, portion.  We’ve seen interest rates on bonds increase, making the guaranteed portion more attractive.

Read more on our FlexiGuarantee Life Annuity.

Advice could make all the difference

When it comes to retirement income solutions, we acknowledge that the number of different solutions, and combinations thereof, as well as rules and legislation pertaining to the investments – can be bewildering to an investor.  We therefore urge you to speak to a licensed financial adviser before making any critical financial decisions, especially when it comes to retirement income.  Some product selections can be reversed, others not.  In some instances, it is possible to generate a higher income for yourself by combining solutions.  Your adviser will be able to customise your income stream in retirement to your specific needs.

Add an annual meeting with your adviser to your list of financial non-negotiables.

Glacier Financial Solutions (Pty) Ltd and Sanlam Life Insurance Ltd are licensed financial services providers.
The Personal Portfolios Retirement Annuity Fund is administered by Glacier Financial Solutions (Pty) Ltd.
The FlexiGuarantee Life Annuity is brought to you by Glacier and underwritten by Sanlam Life Insurance Limited.

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