When not to heed the headlines
By David Crosoer, Head of Research at PPS Investments Concerns about the strength of the ...
Investors urged not to abandon stocks
The past two weeks have not been pleasant for equity investors across the globe and ...
Rand falls victim to Greek tragedy
By Malcolm Charles, fixed income portfolio manager, Investec Asset Management Greece, which continues to grapple ...
Meeting Philippa Wild, Head of Technical Marketing for Discovery Insure
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Q: How did you get involved in the world of financial services?
A: I studied actuarial science because I found it very interesting. I remember looking at second year university exam questions and was so excited as I finally found a subject that in my opinion dealt with real life business problems. Once I completed my studies I was lucky enough to get a job in the financial services sector. I quickly found my passion in short term insurance and haven’t looked back since.
Q: What is technical marketing?
A: Technical marketing produces material that assists our distribution force with selling our products. We conduct several analyses and comparisons that illustrate the strength of Discovery’s unique product offerings
Q: When we think of actuaries in SA we think of them in Long term and health insurance – is the role of the actuary under appreciated in short-term insurance?
A: Not anymore. The number of short term insurance actuaries is growing significantly and you will find that most short term insurance companies already use actuarial expertise in one way or the other either by employing actuaries themselves or relying on the skills of consultant actuaries.
Q: What costs more for the short-term insurer and insured – crime or state of roads and drivers?
A: State of the roads and drivers. Most short term insurance claims come from vehicle accidents. A large portion of these are attributable to driver behaviour, which is why at Discovery Insure we have developed a unique incentive programme aimed at improving driver behaviour. The better you drive the greater your rewards. In addition, driving well reduces the number of accidents which in turn keeps you and your family safe.
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Why BRICS is good for SA
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Last week I attended an Investment Solutions presentation where Daniel Silke shared his views. Silke is a political analyst, author, futurist, and an excellent speaker. Silke covered many topics and subjects – but his views on BRICS bear second and third thought. At the end of last year I was not overly favourable of the [...]
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Employee benefits to encourage savings
While details around Government’s retirement reform initiative have yet to be finalised, it appears that the debate around the issue is resulting in an increased focus among employers and employees on the need to save for retirement. That is the view of Hugh Hacking, Head of Retirement Fund Solutions at Old Mutual Corporate, who says [...]
Latest price hikes to hit household savings rates
Struggling consumers can expect to be hit hard in the next few months by a hike in the petrol price, which over the last two months has increased just short of one rand, the implementation of e-tolling, an electricity tariff increase of 16% and higher Metrorail fares. According to Henry van Deventer, financial planning coach [...]
Hidden credit crisis stalks SA families
A hidden credit crisis is silently building up as South African families develop a growing appetite for sometimes substantial loans in the form of unsecured bank lending. The warning comes from Deborah Solomon, a registered debt counsellor and founder of The Debt Counselling Industry portal, theDCI.co.za. The website, the only one of its kind in [...]
Business owners encouraged to manage risks in tough economic climate
Cost-effective risk mitigation plans increase chance of success beyond 2012 In the midst of a sluggish global and local economy, faced with escalating fuel costs, soaring electricity prices, and a report last month announcing that 440 000 companies closed their doors over the past five years, it is little wonder that many business owners are [...]
FISA elects new council
The Fiduciary Institute of South Africa (FISA) has elected a new Council following the introduction of a new constitution on 2 December 2011. The new Council members are: National Chairperson: Angélique Visser Deputy Chairperson: Graham McPherson Secretary: Aaron Roup Eastern Cape Regional Councillor: Wanda Visser Free State Regional Councillor: Gudrun Boshoff Gauteng Regional Councillor: Cheryl [...]
Tax provision for the transfer of residences out of companies and trusts not without its quirks
Recent amendments to the Income Tax Act allowing taxpayers to transfer residences out of companies and trusts free of tax have widely been welcomed. “Although we are seeing a great deal of interest in this provision, taxpayers need to be aware of its problems”, says Ilsa Groenewald, an Associate Director in the Tax division at [...]
Resilient rand an opportunity for travellers
EVEN travellers who are months away from their next overseas holiday have been presented with a significant cash-saving opportunity by recent firming by the Rand. The tip comes from the foreign exchange specialists at Bidvest Bank who point out that recent gains by the Rand can be locked in by smart leisure and business travellers [...]
Dangerous distortions
By Gavin Wood – Chief Investment Officer at Kagiso Asset Management Investors currently face challenging choices and curious contradictions when exposing their assets to the prospective returns financial markets have on offer. The problems stem largely from government and monetary authority interventions in response to the Global Financial Crisis. These interventions have driven down prospective [...]
US facing massive $626 billion in fiscal tightening at the end of 2012
By Kevin Lings, Stanlib economist One of the most important upcoming economic and investment issue is how the US government deals with its impending fiscal crisis at the end of 2012. The US fiscal authorities are facing two major problems. Firstly, the expiration of numerous tax benefits at the end of 2012. Secondly, the automatic [...]
Latest Issue - 30 April 2012
In This Issue:
- Local and offshore ETFs
- Why stock selection is key
- Medical Survey - the cost of healthcare
- New player in life insurance market
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Newsletters
- Newsletter 10 May 2012: Four trends to watch
- Newsletter 3 May 2012: Acquisitions as drivers of earnings growth
- Newsletter 19 April 2012: Financial Wellness and Oil and emerging markets
- Newsletter 12 April 2012: Is gold the place to be?
- Newsletter 2 April 2012: JSE Sectors; six investment principles
Newsletter 17 May 2012: Lump sum versus debit order, 3 essentials for a confident investor
In today’s newsletter we look at investing with a lump sum or regular contributions – how do they stack up against each other? We also share three investment tips to cope with uncertainty. Being right about muddle-through hasn’t made investing any easier Most predicted that politically and often economically the year 2012 would be a [...]
Read more- Regulatory Exams: Flavour of the Month June 29, 2010
- Insolvency July 6, 2010
- Actuaries a wanted resource post the global crisis June 20, 2010
- ASISA announces full Board of Directors June 20, 2010
- Blue Ink Wins Best Fund of Hedge Fund Award June 20, 2010
- Employee benefits to encourage savings May 18, 2012
- Latest price hikes to hit household savings rates May 18, 2012
- Hidden credit crisis stalks SA families May 18, 2012
- Why BRICS is good for SA May 18, 2012
- When not to heed the headlines May 18, 2012
- What is Insolvency?: I do not even know the way I ended up here, but I ...
- Vanessa Reinecke: I wrote the exam on 23 May 2011. There were only ...
- Gerard: I have written the exams during Jan 2011.4% pass r...




