Editor's Thoughts.

Someone asked me at the Batseta Conference how I can still be this excited about pension funds. Because it’s moments like my meeting with David Hurford (Fairheads Benefit Services) that make me deeply appreciate the difference we make to South African families and communities.

David and I were prepping for the upcoming webinar on Beneficiary Funds – 17 June, 9am. I can see you rolling your proverbial mental eyes and barely managing to stifle a yawn … beneficiary funds, same old same old.

NOT.

What if the two-pot system challenges trustees’ long held practice that “if we can’t find a reason not to, we must pay the money as a lump sum to the guardian”? But here’s the challenge: if we protect members from blowing their own retirement money, why don’t we offer the same protection to their children and other dependants when death benefits are paid out? Sure, a once‑off lump sum into a guardian’s account can be a lifeline, but it can also disappear fast under pressure.

And why do we think that it’s the PFA who told us that “beneficiary funds are a last resort for when guardians are financially irresponsible or unable”? Was it, though? Register here for this Fairheads webinar as we challenge long held beliefs and inform your thinking in this new era.

Also in today’s articles, Sino Booi (Momentum) and Sebastien Alexanderson (National Debt Advisors) remind just exactly the kind of financial pressure South Africans are under.

So ...

When you think about it, and the difference you can make in other people's lives, you should be excited about pension funds too.

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