View Nigel Benetton's profileDecember 1988
Pretty good
Women drivers must be one of the most criticised breeds on earth. If they drive too slowly men tear their hair out in despair, and if they drive too fast they are accused of being reckless and irresponsible....
December 1988
Securing old age
In this day and age, with inflation chipping away at retirement provisions, it is becoming increasingly necessary to make additional provision. More often than not, a company pension proves inadequate.
One...
December 1988
Party time
By now everyone is completely sick of hearing warnings about “drunken driving”. Unfortunately, people still aren’t sick enough to stop doing it.
As the Christmas tradition of festivity, parties and general...
December 1988
A fair chance
Legal cover for motorists is becoming an increasingly popularized phenomenon. No longer need drivers be convicted legal representation.
The thrust of the available policies is to provide an attorney and...
December 1988
Another view
Life assurers claim considerable success with their ombudsman. In view of the relatively few complaints they say it proves that the industry is behaving itself and the consumer is generally getting a good deal....
December 1988
Under scrutiny
The SA Co-ordinating Consumer Council is becoming increasingly concerned about the short term insurance industry, following a rapid increase in the numbers of complaints.
One particular insurer, according...
December 1988
Assurers have lost billions - more legal follies
This is part 2 of a summary of Dr Brian Benfield’s talk on the folly of life assurance legislation.
The Insurance Act of 1943
Ernst Arndt, professor of banking at the University of Pretoria,...
December 1988
Heading for the top
Martin Sweet is a name that is becoming increasingly well known amongst the assurance community. A sought after speaker at seminars and conferences, and a man with a sound academic background, there is no doubt that...
December 1988
Where is thy sting
The Margo Commission recommended - and this was accepted by the government in its White Paper, 1988 - that the present estate duty and donations tax be replaced by a uniform Capital Transfer Tax (CTT).
CTT...
December 1988
Risky business
One of the biggest concerns for reassurers is that their industry is shrinking. They depend mainly on the assurance industry for their business. But, due to a number of takeovers and mergers that have occurred amongst...
December 1988
For the consumer
AA Life has launched a new universal life policy that allows the policyholder to decrease or even skip premiums if he is in financial difficulty. Developed over the past three years, the company’s Living Benefits...
December 1988
Effective growth
The Heritage Group of Companies was only established on 1st March 1987 under the holding company Heritage Financial Holdings Limited.
Yet it has already expanded to include seven wholly owned subsidiary...
December 1988
Dilemmas and issues
South Africa presents a fairly typical example of the dilemma that faces a country caught in a time-warp as we move from an agrarian to an industrialised culture. The former offered its adherents the benefits of...
December 1988
Marriage needs
Marriage is not all a bed of roses and the struggle to make ends meet is often a major source of discord between the otherwise happy couple.
So obstacles in the form of unexpected cash burdens can only add...
December 1988
Spreading the financial burden
As we approach the 21st century, the time has definitely come to dispel old ideas and beliefs that only men need life assurance.
Often the motivation for assuring the life of the male is supported, not...
December 1988
Helping to learn
Short-term insurer, Santam, has announced a move aimed at assisting the short-term industry through the medium of education. Santam is to provide financial support, worth R15 000 per year, for a senior lectureship to...
December 1988
Good moves
The baby boom of the immediate post-war years means that more and more people will be reaching retirement age within the next 20 years. The benefits of advanced medical research also means the period of retirement is...
December 1988
Will it help?
Once again the possibility of an ombudsman for the short term insurance industry has been raised, and this time it looks like the proposal S will be adopted. Yet there is still doubt over the efficacy of such an...
December 1988
Innovative ideas
Protea Assurance offers an innovative and interesting feature within its Prospector 2000 Universal series. Called the Split Investment Link, and introduced into the series in July 1987, it allows for greater...
December 1988
Take the trouble
Comparisons between insurance policies often lead to animosity between insurers. However, such comparisons have their merits as they enable members of the public to see both the good and the bad points.
...
December 1988
Holding rates
Short-term insurance policyholders can hold their breath for a while: premiums are unlikely to increase in the near future as a result of the import surcharge.
But important advice to all holders of...
December 1988
Time is ripe
“Properly unit trusts provide certainty of to increasing investment by life assurance income. And in a period when company profits can be expected to decline, they offer considerable security in the unfolding economic...
December 1988
Do your best, guys!
If the SA insurance industry achieves some form of protection against overseas competition, will consumers end up paying higher premiums’? It depends on two things: how short term insurance companies wish to balance...
December 1988
A right gripe
Most life assurers, at one time or another, complain about a particular pension fund survey - usually when they don’t come out too well. On the other hand, those assurers ranked highest usually keep quiet....
December 1988
Assurers positive
Despite grim prospects looming ahead for the South African economy, life assurers remain positive about investment returns.
This is because, as they point out, they can afford to take a longer term view of...
December 1988
Election fever
The run up to the municipal elections on October 26 1988 brought a record number of explosions. And with it came a record number of claims for the SA Special Risks Insurance Association (SASRIA).
Owners of...
December 1988
On a high
On its seventieth anniversary Sanlam, one of South Africa’s leading assurers, has announced some highly commendable year-end results.
Premium income, for the twelve months ending September 30 1988, passed...
December 1988
Premiums low
“Despite the heavy reinsurance burden arising from claims over the last two years, reinsurance premiums have not increased, but have actually decreased,” says Rodney Schneeberger, chief executive of the South African...
