Nicholas Atkins - Financial Advisor

14/10/2026

Why are South African investors flocking to overseas bonds when our bonds did fantastically well last year?

Well, they aren't doing well any more and have been absolutely thrashed this year! But what does that mean?

Check the video. Find out
https://nicthefa.co.za/

13/10/2026

What is the difference between a guaranteed retirement fund and a market linked retirement fund?

Well the usual route you get in a company pension, provident or even your own retirement fund is something in the market. I am quite partial to Inn8 and FairTree funds along with my secret weapons in there. The growth depends on the market. For example - when Hormuz happened, I had to hide my clients in S.A. property funds and specialised offshore funds to escape the crash in the market that has kept going and shown the S.A. economy to be a smaller fry than we thought after record years in 2024 and 2025.

With the Liberty Exact Income Fund, as an example, you can get your retirement income guaranteed now, for your actual retirement. This means whatever rate you get when you enter the fund (9% for example) is the rate that continues even when people in example above are dragging the line with 5% rate of return thanks to global instability.

But if you enter a guaranteed fund, you are also shielded from the growth of things like SpaceX dropping their IPO. Basically, you don't get to taste that rainbow.

Pro's and Con's of doing a guaranteed fund: You escape volatility and the rat race of checking your investment shares. This is a pro and a con the way I see it. However it also makes retirement more stable the closer you get to it. no more worrying. This also helps planning when you reach some one like me.

See the below to find out more:
https://nicthefa.co.za/liberty-exact-income-fund/

29/09/2026

The JSE has struggled this year compared to last year. But there are shining lights in this dark period.
Monday the 28th of October 2026 had a huge down turn in the S.A. market. When this happens, what is your advisors defensive strategy? How much offshore exposure can you maneuver around?
Different products are limited in different ways:
- Retirement annuity has a total offshore limit of 45% and each insurance company has their own offshore feeder funds and private equity strategies.
- Open investments (unit trusts) must not be used for retirement strategies where you don't get the tax benefits of Retirement annuity products, but this means that it will go up and down with these market fluctuations, so take as much of it offshore as possible.
- Who's offshore strategy works best based on where are they invested and in what wrapper?

Let's look through your current strategy to protect your family assets and your businesses.
https://nicthefa.co.za/

26/09/2026

I had the pleasure of attending the 2026 INN8 Investment Summit a little while ago. I attended the 2025 one as well, and I was ready with my questions this time. Each fund manager had a chance to do a display stand where they present their funds, performance, strategy, and philosophy when it comes to investing. Then they also have a panel throughout their day where they get to argue. Which is the real crux of the event for someone like me.
Some funds believe in bonds over the long run, some believe in the South African Equity market - Some believe in indexes and ETF's. These are the ideas that are on view during each funds presentation and the chat that follows.
I always manage to stop by 1nvest SA stall as one of my favorites to get their future market insights, and just have a chat in general.
Last year I was impressed by Bateleur Capital's presentation and ethos, and thanks to that I managed to stop by their stand on the day to find out how the strategy has worked out ytd - very well in the funds I was impressed by.
Another Capital management company that impressed me was Fairtree, something I overlooked in 2025, but this year I thought was one of the top contenders for my investment practice going forward based on their philosophy. I won't mention each company by name, down a list - but I am impressed with all, but one.

Thank you to the time put into the event by Inn8 and for continuously bringing us the vision of growth from these perspectives.
I also enjoyed Kevin Lings opening presentation that gave us a lot to chew on during the entire summit, very insightful, as always. And thanks to almost finishing my next degree in wealth management, I was able to absorb the information a lot better than last year 😅 .

Excited for the future of investing in S.A. and value from our South African partners, and I look forward to the next one.

25/09/2026

DO YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE LIVING ANNUITY?

You may want to pay attention to what SARS is proposing.

A current rule allows a living annuity with a remaining value below R150,000 to potentially be paid out as a lump sum. The proposed change would aggregate multiple living annuities held with the same insurer or fund when applying that threshold.
Let's make it simple.

You have:

R110,000 with Insurer A

R60,000 with Insurer A
= R170,000

Under the proposed approach, that combined R170,000 would be assessed together.

But if you also have R100,000 with Insurer B, that separate annuity would not simply be added to the Insurer A total. The insurer matters.

Why is SARS looking at this?

Because multiple small annuities could previously be treated separately, potentially allowing someone to cash out amounts that collectively exceed the intended R150,000 threshold.

Now, before anyone starts making retirement decisions based on a Facebook post:

THIS IS STILL A PROPOSAL.

The legislation has not yet been passed or implemented, and the wording may still change.

But this is exactly why retirement planning needs to be reviewed periodically.

Old policies. Multiple providers. Different advisers. Previous employers.

Over 20 or 30 years, retirement planning can become complicated very quickly.

Know what you own. Know how it is structured. Know what it could mean for you.

If you have multiple retirement investments, let's review the bigger picture.

NicTheFA | https://nicthefa.co.za/contact-nicthefa/
0615477237

24/09/2026

RETIREMENT ISN’T JUST ABOUT THE MARKET. IT’S ABOUT YOUR PLAN.

Global markets are still being supported by strong earnings and economic growth. But underneath the surface, risks are building — higher bond yields, inflation, government debt, market valuations and heavy concentration in technology.

South Africa has its own opportunities, with improving fiscal conditions, commodity prices and relatively high real interest rates. But even here, the easy gains may already have happened.

So what should you do?

Stop trying to predict every move the market will make. Start making sure your retirement plan is prepared for different market conditions.

Think of retirement like farming. You can't control the seasons — but you can control the soil, irrigation, diversification and protection you put in place.

Your retirement strategy should answer five important questions:

Am I contributing enough?
Is my portfolio properly diversified?
How much of my retirement capital is exposed globally?
What happens if markets fall just before I retire?
And what income will my retirement capital actually provide?

Time in the market matters. So does managing risk as retirement approaches.

Because having a big retirement balance is only part of the equation.

The real question is: what will that money do for you when your salary stops?

If you haven't had your retirement strategy properly reviewed, let's work out where you stand — and what needs to change.

Build your wealth. Protect your future. Leave a legacy.
Independent advice. Tailored for your future.

22/09/2026

The part people miss about financial freedom is that it usually doesn’t arrive in one dramatic moment.

It’s built through boring decisions repeated for years.

Lowering high-interest debt.

Keeping lifestyle inflation under control.

Building an emergency fund.

Increasing retirement contributions when income rises.

Investing consistently instead of waiting for the “perfect” time.

Creating additional income without depending on it to survive.

And most importantly, giving those decisions enough time to compound.

$500,000 by 2030 will not be realistic for everyone, especially if someone is starting from zero today.

But the bigger idea is still powerful:

Your financial position four years from now can look completely different if your habits change now.

Investor.gov notes that regular investing plus time is one of the core ways wealth compounds, while diversification can help manage investment risk. 0

You may not control markets, interest rates or the economy.

But you can control how much debt you carry, how much of every raise you keep, and whether your money gets a chance to grow.

Financial freedom rarely starts with a huge paycheck.

It starts with a plan you can actually stick to.

22/09/2026

Some good advice to live by in South africa

At 18, nobody hands you a financial playbook.

You’re told to get a job, make money, buy the things you want—and somehow become financially secure. But building wealth is usually less about looking successful and more about building habits that keep your money working for you.

Create a gap between what you earn and what you spend. Save before lifestyle upgrades become permanent. Build an emergency cushion. Invest consistently for the long term. Learn skills that can increase your earning power. And be careful with high-interest debt.

This matters in America right now. Bankrate reported in January 2026 that only 30% of Americans said they could cover a $1,000 emergency expense from savings, while 33% said they would take on debt or borrow to handle it.

Credit-card debt can make the problem harder. Bankrate’s 2026 survey found that 61% of Americans carrying credit-card debt had been in debt for at least a year, while 47% of cardholders reported carrying a balance.

CNBC Select notes that credit-card interest rates can be dramatically higher than typical savings yields, making high-interest debt an important factor to consider before investing more aggressively.

You don’t need a luxury car to prove you’re doing well. You don’t need to spend more just because your paycheck grew.

Build assets. Protect your cash flow. Increase your skills. Keep your lifestyle under control.

Financial freedom usually isn’t one huge decision.

It’s thousands of small decisions repeated for years.

Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only, not financial advice.
Investment and debt decisions should be based on circumstances and guidance from a qualified professional.

21/09/2026

For decades, pension fund and retirement investors operated in a relatively favourable investment environment. From roughly 1980 to 2020, investors benefited from falling inflation, declining interest rates and bond yields, relatively cheap capital and increasing globalisation.

But that environment has changed.

Today, retirement funds are facing a combination of higher economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, changing supply chains, fiscal pressure, infrastructure requirements and the enormous investment boom surrounding artificial intelligence.

https://nicthefa.co.za/have-the-rules-of-pension-fund-investment-changed/

19/09/2026

DID YOU KNOW? An American Wealth Company Is Leaving Alexander Forbes!

Prudential Financial, a major American financial-services company, is exiting its investment in Alexander Forbes.

Prudential has agreed to sell its entire stake in Alexander Forbes. Once the transaction is completed, African Rainbow Capital (ARC) is expected to increase its ownership of Alexforbes from approximately 49.88% to 77.94%. Alexforbes will also take on approximately R2.1 billion in new debt to help fund the share repurchase.

The transaction is expected to conclude in the first half of 2027, subject to the required approvals.

https://nicthefa.co.za/did-you-know-an-american-wealth-company-is-leaving-alexander-forbes/