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....
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....
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.
...
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...
“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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
“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...