View Nigel Benetton's profileJuly 2008
Property impost
Transfer duty is a form of government tax that was introduced as long ago as the 17th century and is still relevant to most property transactions today. It is not to be confused with transfer fees or costs, but is...
July 2008
Please, not another guru
I can’t believe Alan Greenspan when he says we need to increase interest rates to control inflation. What does he know? He’s the previous US Federal Reserve Bank chief who enjoyed celebrity status, not because he was...
July 2008
A basket case
The SA Reserve Bank is facing increasing criticism about its inflation targeting program in that it is raising interest rates to quell inflation that is actually not consumer or demand driven.
“This is a...
July 2008
Switching over
Simon Pearse, CEO of Marriott, believes that so-called ‘mega-cap’ stocks are the next big thing for offshore investors. “I believe that this sector has a good five years to run.” Specifically, Pearse points to large...
July 2008
Age and fertility
Between 2006 and 2050, the projected percentage of worldwide population above the age of 60 will grow from 11% to 22% – a dramatic increase. Aging populations and low fertility rates have brought a challenge to more...
July 2008
The risky side of cash
In all the turbulence swirling around investors today, cash has become a popular choice for investors. But cash can be a risky asset if it is not managed correctly.
Cash is often considered to be a safe...
July 2008
FIA award
Santam was acknowledged as Personal and Commercial insurer of the Year by the Financial Intermediaries Association of Southern Africa (FIA) at its late May 2008 awards ceremony.
The company was recognised...
July 2008
Loose link
Two judgments dealing with cessions are of relevance and interest to insurers and brokers.
Stannic v Samib Underwriting Managers (Pty) Limited 2003 JDR 0373 (SCA) dealt with a claim by the financier,...
July 2008
Who’s at fault?
The traveller’s worst nightmare – airline ticket in hand, ready to check-in, luggage packed and alas to be told that the flight will not take place due to a cancellation of the service by the airline. This comes as a...
July 2008
Growth to continue
Bancassurance continues to be an integral part of the banks’ business in South Africa, following strong growth in 2006 and 2007. Despite current economic trends and the implementation of the National Credit Act (NCA)...
July 2008
Research method
Multi-faceted research programme, face to face interviews with:
• 58 funds (representing 110 300 active members, R25bn assets)
• 22 decision makers in Umbrella Fund arrangements (representing 7 612...
July 2008
Preserving the future
Old Mutual Corporate recently announced the findings of its 2008 Retirement Funds Survey. It aims to track trends in the market, and to review fund management and governance, investment and risk management, and member...
July 2008
Time to reconcile
The Office of the Pension Funds Adjudicator (OPFA) says it is faced with a massive backlog of cases now in excess of 10 000 open files. Some cases dating back to four years ago. To get round this the PFA wants to...
July 2008
For the consumer
Consumers who prefer dealing with companies specialising exclusively in the provision of funeral policies – so-called ‘assistance business companies’ - will in future be able to buy funeral insurance for benefits of...
July 2008
Inflation warning
The news is not only bad on the subject of inflation and the depreciating rand, its also bad for those short-term insurance customers who fail to keep their insured values in line with new replacement values....
July 2008
Easing the burden
Edward Gibbens, Executive Head of Broker Distribution at Santam says many policyholders are unaware of how small adjustments to their lives, like installing a tracking system in their vehicle or a security gate at...
July 2008
What goes up must come down
Pertinent to the recent interest rate hike, which has brought the prime lending rate to 15.5%, Kevin Lancaster, CEO of Betterbond, sheds some light on the subject of interest rate hikes, assuring that there is a...
July 2008
Hang on to your bricks and mortar
I really don’t think you should fret too much about the housing market. After all, a home is the only investment you can live in. Any loss of foregone interest on the equity investment, and any perceived interim...
July 2008
Warranted confusion
Advance repair payments, or ‘risk management fees’ as they are sometimes called, are paid in terms of a motor vehicle warranty. And while a useful risk management measure used by insurers to control claims costs,...
July 2008
New wave of opportunity
The Actuarial Society 2008 Life Seminar in Johannesburg late May was an opportunity to hear the views from the life industry on the impact that the new commission dispensation may have on its business and its...
July 2008
Altogether now
Two new ‘Super Associations’ are coming together shortly. This should eliminate around ten divergent representative bodies from the financial services arena.
The Boards of the Financial Intermediary...
July 2008
ALMIghty
The JSE has listed a mini FTSE/JSE Top 40 futures contract the beginning of June. This will allow retail clients to invest in a future or option on the future on the ALSI Top 40 Index. This contract will be known as the ALMI.
“The...
July 2008
Managing risk
To support brokers in their efforts to increase their commercial business, Santam is currently in the process of developing specific products for growth industries as well as systems that will offer brokers additional...
Vol. 21.6 July 2008
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