Seats for the Ready Set Retire conferences that will be held around South Africa in March are selling out fast – the Cape Town venue is already fully booked.
Ready Set Retire is the first stage of a campaign to enable you to plan properly for a financially secure retirement. The campaign has been put together by Personal Finance and South Africa’s biggest retirement fund administrator, Alexander Forbes.
Financial security in retirement is perhaps the most pressing issue facing employed people. And yet too many people leave planning for retirement until it’s too late to make adequate provision for retirement.
Some people assume that, just because they belong to a retirement fund, they will have an adequate pension. But this is not true. You need to start planning and saving for retirement from your very first pay-slip.
At the all-day Ready Set Retire conferences, experts will address the many factors that affect how you plan for retirement.
Ready Set Retire will be supported by a retirement club, which will meet six times a year to discuss different elements of retirement planning in depth.
DATES and VENUES
* Thursday, March 13: Durban– Elangeni Hotel
* Thursday, March 20: Johannesburg– Sandton Convention Centre
* Tuesday, March 25: Port Elizabeth– Radisson Hotel
Financial advisers will be available at all the venues to provide basic advice
COST and HOW TO BOOK
R200 a person; couples pay R150 a person
Book at a Computicket outlet or visit http://online.computicket.com and enter “Ready set retire conference” in the search field
Cost includes a copy of Personal Finance magazine and a memory stick containing all the presentations, as well as lunch and refreshments
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
The changing landscape of retirement planning. John Anderson, Alexander Forbes’s head of research and product development, will discuss the many factors that affect retirement planning, including longevity, the cost of medical care, government reforms to the retirement-funding system and how much capital you are likely to need in retirement.
Economic review. Gareth Johnson, head of retail sales and distribution at Investment Solutions, will walk you through the macro-economic landscape, explaining its relevance to your retirement.
Investments simplified. Johnson will explain how investments work and the importance of using different asset classes to earn the best risk-adjusted returns.
Tax and retirement. Jenny Gordon, head of retail legal support at Alexander Forbes Financial Planning and one of the top tax experts in the field of financial planning, will explain the changing face of tax in retirement planning and how you can structure your retirement plans to derive the best tax advantages.
Risk in retirement. Anderson will explain the risks that you may face in retirement so that you can plan to avoid or reduce their impact.
Products for retirement. Bruce Cameron, the now-retired founding editor of Personal Finance, will explain your retirement product choices, both before retirement and in retirement.
Psychology of retirement. Clinical and organisational psychologist Dr Dorianne Weil – better known as “Dr D” – will deal with the all-important psychology of retirement and how to adapt to a new lifestyle.