Newsletters 2009

Click on the link to read the newsletter of the day

February 2009

Underinsured? It’s your funeral - 03 February 2009
Thursday rate cut is a given - 04 February 2009
Trevor prepares for Budget Speech 13 - 05 Februry 2009
Mutual & Federal’s investment income shocker - 10 February 2009
Business as usual as Manuel presents the 2009 Budget - 12 February 2009
Consistent cash flows bolster Collective Investment Schemes - Featured Article - 13 February 2009
A sarcastic “Thank You” to Home Affairs - Stokes Stage - 13 February 2009
Forum counters CMS health broker remuneration proposal - Straight Talk - 13 February 2009
FAIS Ombud gets tough on chance takers - 16 February 2009
Ghavalas plea bargain proves crime does pay - 17 February 2009
Can South Africa move to preferred risk? - 18 February 2009
Don’t confuse dread disease with disability income - 19 February 2009
Financial services giant ignores recession talk - 23 February 2009
Pension fund challenge settled out of court - 24 February 2009
No miraculous rebound for house prices - 26 February 2009
It looks like an uncontested Mugabe victory to me! - Stokes Stage - 27 February 2009
On risk, recession and insolvencies - Straight Talk - 27 February 2009
Showing Anglo the finger! Santam pays a final dividend - Featured Article - 27 February 2009

March 2009
A snapshot of the short-term insurance industry - 02 March 2009
Health Care in South Africa 2009 - 03 March 2009
Old Mutual must learn that South Africans bank for life - 05 March 2009
FAIS Ombud denies leave to appeal its ‘good citizen warranty’ ruling - 09 March 2009
South Africa’s financial education vacuum - 10 March 2009
It takes creative genius to spruce up life insurance results these days - 11 March 2009
Safe as houses – think again! - Straight Talk - 13 March 2009
A triple dose of craziness - Stokes Stage - 13 March 2009
Metropolitan hit by market turbulence in 2008 - Featured Article - 13 March 2009
The Long-Term Insurance Ombudsman on insurance exclusions - 16 March 2009
It pays to stick with your pension fund - 17 March 2009
A win-win for insurer and insured - 18 March 2009
More Fidentia fallout 24 months down the line! - 23 March 2009
Forget the gloom and invest for the boom times! - 24 March 2009
Old Mutual hits the long road to recovery - 25 March 2009
Staff retention issue slows delivery at Short-term Insurance Ombudsman - 26 March 2009
Insurers cough up R118m as Short-term Ombudsman cracks the whip! - Featured Article - 27 March 2009
Government sends Dalai Lama packing; gives Castro an award - Stokes Stage - 27 March 2009
Short-term insurers cannot rely on the materiality defence - Straight Talk - 27 March 2009
A word means what it means – even if you’re an insurer - 31 March 2009

April 2009
Interest rate cuts boost consumer confidence - 01 April 2009
Long Term Insurance Ombudsman towards greater transparency - 02 April 2009
Tax collection down as economy contracts - 06 April 2009
UK regulators back down on commission plan - 07 April 2009
On the FSB – the FIA – and Super 14 Rugby - 08 April 2009
Taking the fight to insurance fraudsters - 09 April 2009
Financial adviser not responsible for clients ill discipline - 14 April 2009
Yet more retirement funding blues - 15 April 2009
Beware of liability when buying or selling a short term book - 16 April 2009
Oh what a wicked web we weave!” A comment on Elections 2009 - Stokes Stage - 17 April 2009
What’s in the bag? Shoppers pass judgement on South Africa Inc - Straight Talk - 17 April 2009
On super-ombudsman and issues of short-term complaint transparency - Featured Article - 17 April 2009
Is the micro-business turnover tax a blessing or a clever SARS sham? - 20 April 2009
More on Fidentia after the elections - 21 April 2009
Two thirds of Fidentia fraudsters find a home in jail - 23 April 2009
FAIS Ombudsman punishes FSP for fraud and poor advice - 28 April 2009
The most valuable investment lesson you will ever learn - 30 April 2009

May 2009
100 Points may not be enough - 04 May 2009
It pays to check your bank statements regularly - 05 May 2009
Consumers celebrate as insurance ombudsman rules in their favour - 06 May 2009
The gold miners’ curse - Stokes Stage - 08 May 2009
A giant victory for insurance product transparency - Straight Talk - 08 May 2009
Has the economic bailout worked? - Straight Talk - 08 May 2009
Few Aces as President Zuma re-shuffles the deck - 11 May 2009
Insurers hint at a treacherous 2009 - 13 May 2009
The changing FAIS Requirement landscape - 14 May 2009
SAIA adds driver behaviour to crime prevention focus - 18 May 2009
The quiet before the storm - 19 May 2009
Global financial crisis uncovers Defined Benefit time bomb - 20 May 2009
The real gap in the medical schemes industry - 21 May 2009
We pay the piper; but we don’t call the tune! - Stokes Stage - 21 May 2009
Another attempt at deciphering the financial system meltdown - Straight Talk - 21 May 2009
We can keep South Africa in the Premier League - Featured Article - 21 May 2009
The real gap in the medical schemes industry - 21 May 2009
Top brands take the honours at FIA 2009 Awards - 22 May 2009
When in doubt let the Ombudsman decide - 25 May 2009
Will the Competitions Commission tackle food retailers - 26 May 2009
Metropolitan soldiers on as technical recession bites - 27 May 2009
Trapped between sticky prices and a flat-lining economy - 28 May 2009

June 2009
Will government fast track national health insurance - 01 June 2009
House prices suffer despite deep interest rate cuts - 02 June 2009
Gullible investors cannot resist inflated returns - 03 June 2009
The financial services industry version of David versus Goliath - 04 June 2009
Despite the silence Retirement Reform is still on the agenda - Featured Article - 06 June 2009
A head-in-sand approach to the healthcare crisis - Stokes Stage - 06 June 2009
Diversification keeps Sanlam in the game - Straight Talk - 06 June 2009
So you want to be a whistle-blower - 08 June 2009
Improve returns with active asset allocation funds - 09 June 2009
The evolution of financial services regulation - 10 June 2009
The pensioners’ struggle: inflation, investment returns and longevity - 11 June 2009
Greed gets the better of South African investors - again - 15 June 2009
The feared S-Reference gets the punt - 17 June 2009
Falling house prices deploy a parachute - 18 June 2009
Two hammer blows to a quick economic recovery - Straight Talk - 19 June 2009
Fraud in South Africa – the crime without the time - Stokes Stage - 19 June 2009
Government is more transparent than you think - Featured Article - 19 June 2009
Curators win more money for Fidentia victims - 23 June 2009
Impressive turnaround at Spectramed - 24 June 2009
The evolution of personal income tax - 25 June 2009
Has the bear crawled back into hibernation - 29 June 2009
Another step to professionalism in the insurance industry - 30 June 2009

July 2009
The state of the South African insurance industry - 02 July 2009
Insurance product development – all about upgrades and variations - Featured Article - 03 July 2009
It’s time for advertising standard bodies to grow a pair - Stokes Stage - 03 July 2009
Test the depth before diving back into equities!- Straight Talk - 03 July 2009
No growth without jobs - 06 July 2009
Life insurers feel the pinch as recession tightens - 07 July 2009
No spark from latest house price statistics- 08 July 2009
An unwarranted attack on inflation targeting - 09 July 2009
Unit trust funds on the front foot again - 13 July 2009
Declining morality a big challenge to insurers - 16 July 2009
Will the equity market rally extend beyond the second quarter? - Featured Article - 17 July 2009
South Africa – the land of the free lunch - Stokes Stage - 17 July 2009
Another chapter in the offshore debate - Straight Talk - 17 July 2009
Using hedge funds as a pension diversifier- 20 July 2009
Does regulation mitigate hedge fund risk? - 22 July 2009
Lessons from the 2009 Benchmark employee benefits survey - 23 July 2009
A new business model for independent financial advisers - 27 July 2009
The cash return holiday is over - 28 July 2009
The retrenchment reality - 30 July 2009
The devil is in the earnings estimates- Featured Article - 31 July 2009
What do shack dwellers know about bling-bling? - Stokes Stage - 31 July 2009
Exploding the house price recovery myth - Straight Talk - 31 July 2009

August 2009
Short-term insurer positioned for a better second half - 03 August 2009
Unpacking residential property from a ‘distress in the market’ perspective - 04 August 2009
The motor industry, half full or half empty? - 05 August 2009
Taking the fight to the direct insurers - 06 August 2009
Long-term insurer takes massive revenue hit - 11 August 2009
On whales, turtles and risk governance - 12 August 2009
Ongoing recession trashes retail sales - 13 August 2009
Winding the clocks two decades forward - Featured Article - 14 August 2009
Waking up to South Africa’s education crisis - Stokes Stage - 14 August 2009
Are ETFs perfect for asset allocation? - Straight Talk - 14 August 2009
Declaring war on medical schemes - 17 August 2009
Equities let off some steam - 18 August 2009
So you want to sue a corporate giant? - 19 August 2009
The dawn of a new corporate era - 20 August 2009
Don’t expect fireworks through the economic recovery - 24 August 2009
The consequences of high inflation - 25 August 2009
Short-term industry must shift focus to market penetration! - 26 August 2009
Leading short-term insurer reports 220% earnings surprise - 27 August 2009
South African banks brace for a slow recovery - Featured Article - 28 August 2009
Had enough of the employment equity debate? - Stokes Stage - 28 August 2009
Does free healthcare guarantee equal access? - Straight Talk - 28 August 2009
Lying about your credit history could be a costly mistake - 31 August 2009

September 2009
Can financial intermediaries really claim independence? - 01 September 2009
A mid year look at the short-term insurance industry - 02 September 2009
House price recovery or another false dawn - 03 September 2009
Local businesses drive profit at Discovery - 09 September 2009
Private medical schemes make little headway in 2008 - 10 September 2009
Shedding light on Eskom’s aluminium blunder - Stokes Stage - 11 September 2009
Council for Medical Schemes wins Resolution court battle - Straight Talk - 11 September 2009
The four questions pension fund managers must ask - Featured Article - 11 September 2009
Car dealer runs foul of the FAIS Act - 14 September 2009
Has the economic storm lifted? - 15 September 2009
Emotion wreaks havoc with investment return - 16 September 2009
Tough economy weighs on FirstRand results - 17 September 2009
When economists get it wrong - 21 September 2009
Short-term insurance focus for 2010 - 22 September 2009
An early start to your 2010 networking programme - 23 September 2009
Is this a market recovery or a false start? - Featured Article - 25 September 2009
South Africa’s own judgement day - Stokes Stage - 25 September 2009
Have we won the battle against inflation? - Straight Talk - 25 September 2009
Is moderate risk appropriate at 90? - 28 September 2009
Naming and shaming in the pension fund space - 29 September 2009
Blending National Health Insurance with pending legislation - 30 September 2009

October 2009
MTN deal announcement unseats the rand - 01 October 2009
Long-term insurance statistics confirm slowdown - 06 October 2009
The future of the South African insurance industry - 07 October 2009
Forget silver linings! Gold is comfortable above $1 000 per ounce - 08 October 2009
The path to universal health coverage in South Africa - Featured Article - 09 October 2009
What is this ‘entitlement’ everyone is talking about? - Stokes Stage - 09 October 2009
Eight consumer protection rights - Straight Talk - 09 October 2009
Is the recovery overdone? - 13 October 2009
FAIS Ombudsman sides with complainant - 14 October 2009
Asset managers expect better times - 15 October 2009
Medical schemes out of reach for low income earners - 19 October 2009
Strange bedfellows – foreign currency trading and low risk - 20 October 2009
Retirees face a fixed income nightmare - 21 October 2009
Better banking services for pensioners - 22 October 2009
Adjusting client portfolios for the “new normal” - Featured Article - 23 October 2009
Bungling regulators contribute to consumer misery - Stokes Stage - 23 October 2009
The class of 1999 take an offshore caning - Straight Talk - 23 October 2009
A record year for FAIS Ombud complaints - 26 October 2009
Real house prices could slide through 2010 too - 27 October 2009
Recognising excellence in the financial advisor space - 28 October 2009

November 2009
Education will expand the insurance market - 02 November 2009
Slow growth puts defensive shares back in the picture - 04 November 2009
The three pillars of economic recovery - 05 November 2009
The recovery hinges on employment - Featured Article - 09 November 2009
Fiddling while South Africa burns - Stokes Stage - 09 November 2009
On part-time insurance salesman and ‘automatic’ policies - Straight Talk - 09 November 2009
Income acceleration always ends in misery - 09 November 2009
Build your FAIS-compliant practise on trust - 10 November 2009
South Africa Inc applies capitalism with conscience - 11 November 2009
Quality over quantity as insurers fight market volatility - 16 November 2009
On investor psychology and fund allocation - 17 November 2009
Time to get serious about road fatalities - 18 November 2009
More of the same from the new Reserve Bank governor - 19 November 2009
Three pillars for economic success - Featured Article - 20 November 2009
A is for Accountability! - Stokes Stage - 20 November 2009
Australian insurance brokers are closer than you think - Straight Talk - 20 November 2009
FAIS Ombud lambastes short-term insurance industry - 23 November 2009
An end to technical recession - 25 November 2009
Be careful when and where you swipe! - 26 November 2009
Tackling the greatest equity return myth! - 30 November 2009

December 2009
Would you follow an anonymous call to arms? - 01 December 2009
The ‘big four’ financial services industry trends- 02 December 2009
What makes you a professional? - 03 December 2009
Sniffing out value on the JSE - Straight Talk - 05 December 2009
Is the Reserve Bank using the right tool to fight inflation? - Featured Article - 05 December 2009
Minister vs. Minister - Stokes Stage - 05 December 2009
Collective investments schemes run foul of regulator - 8 December 2009
Is house price growth accelerating? - 09 December 2009