Sue Torr
The couple’s retirement horizon effectively spans from the day the older spouse retires to the day the younger spouse dies, and this can make retirement scenario planning and modelling somewhat challenging.
Running a single-income household, single mothers know and understand the importance of careful budgeting. With only one person generating an income and managing outflows, budgeting for a single mother is easier to centralise and manage.
Burying your head in the sand and hoping for the best is not a retirement funding strategy. If you’ve never had a retirement plan prepared and you don’t know whether you are putting away enough for retirement, this will undoubtedly
In terms of calculating estate duty, there is an abatement on the first R3.5 million of the value of the estate which is not subject to tax. If the deceased is the first-dying spouse, they may roll over any unused
Understanding your retrenchment benefits is of great importance. As a minimum, the employer is required to provide you with one week’s remuneration per completed year of service, plus any outstanding leave paid in full. That said, many reputable employers make
Another important factor when it comes to planning for complex family structures is the issue of retirement fund beneficiary nomination. In the case of retirement funds, bear in mind that your beneficiary nomination is merely a guide to the fund
If you intend setting up a trust, do not underestimate the importance of choosing appropriately skilled trustees to manage the trust assets, keeping in mind that the job a trustee is an onerous one that should not be taken lightly.
Once the assets are transferred into the trust, they no longer belong to the trust founder and the trustees are required to take over full control of the assets and ensure that they are managed to achieve the best outcomes
