July 14, 2022

Sabir Bacus Senior Benefit Consultant         _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Beneficiary Nomination Form – The ‘guiding documentation’ upon the death of an employed member Employees are often confused about which forms to fill in, often believing that the form which they have already completed will be sufficient to cover all benefits.  Let’s unpack the types of membership which employees may hold, discuss the correct Beneficiary Nomination Forms (Form/s) applicable to them, and the legal intricacies associated with each. Members often assume the Form is a part of the retirement fund.  Retirement funds often include associated risk cover like life insurance benefits.  These associated life insurance benefits, which, when they become payable, are paid through the retirement fund – are colloquially referred to as approved benefits.  A retirement fund  Form is applicable to the accumulated assets within the fund, as well... Read More

The first half of the year has been marked by historic sell-off’s in global investment markets.   2022 has so far been the worst 6 months on record for developed markets (MSCI World) since 1970.  While local equities have held up comparatively well over this period, June’s performance has been the largest detraction since the March 2020 sell-off.  This illustrates the sheer scale of the market volatility and uncertainty which afflicts investors currently. Global developed equity markets retracted some -16.2% over the quarter and -20.5% for the year in USD terms, while emerging markets experienced an -11.5% and -17.6% sell-off over the same periods in USD terms. The negative returns derived from equity markets can be in part attributed to the increasingly hawkish stance of central banks and their concerns of deepening inflation along with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, elevated... Read More