For the many... For the few...


Retirement Fund
Solutions

Exceptional group pension fund administration for larger companies and institutions.
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Benchmark
Retirement Fund

High quality pension fund investments for high net worth individuals and smaller entities.
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Newsletters

The Benchmark Quarterly Manager Review for March 2010 has just been released in new format and in different style. This report will provide an in depth insight into the various portfolios available to members of the fund and we trust that you will find this report useful and informative. Download it here...

In the new Benchmark Early Bird we give you an early indication of the performances you can expect from retirement fund portfolios for the previous month. Download the indicators for June 2010, here...

In the June newsletter, we take a look at the rationale for setting up a retirement fund, consider where the retirement fund industry is heading, show when it starts making sense to consider an umbrella fund, and provide some advice for members of provident funds. Read it here...

News & updates

How much life cover and disability cover do you need?
For some advice and guidance on this question follow this link...

Disability and causes
A consulting actuary of Old Mutual, Mr Neil Parkin, presented some interesting statistic on disability claims and causes to us recently. More...

10 things for Boards of
Directors to Avoid
For the diligent board member, be it a director or a trustee, here is another publication by Deloitte to consider. For the trustee, replace ‘CEO’ with ‘Chairperson’, ‘Shareholders’ with ‘Fund Members’ and ‘Management’ with the basket of service providers your fund employs.

Do you realise the implication of your remuneration packages ?
The evolution of remuneration packages over the more recent past has undermined and diluted the implicit goals of retirement fund benefit and contribution structures in the last few decades. This is a much discussed shortcoming of remuneration structures nowadays. More...

Benchtest Monthly - 05.2010
In May, the average prudential balanced portfolio returned a meager minus 3.1% (April 0.68%). Best and worst performance for the month was delivered by Allan Gray (minus 0.72%) and Prudential (minus 4.35%), respectively. We believe that the global economy is now at the cross roads. It can either turn flat to negative, or it can pick up steam again to mirror a situation we have experienced up until the financial crisis of late 2007. For more info and our views, click here...

Benchtest Monthly - 04.2010
In April, the average prudential balanced portfolio returned a meager 0.68% (March 4.13% March). Best and worst performance for the month was delivered by Allan Gray (1.47%) and Old Mutual (0.45%), respectively. We haven’t seen Allan Gray on top spot for a while. The weakening of the Rand and the poor performance of resources has benefited Allan Gray’s relative performance in April. For more info and our views, click here...
Download the 2009 tax tables, here...
Is your retirement investment portfolio adequate?
Download the Benchmark pension fund calculator, here...
"The story of your growth and success over these 10 years is such a phenomenal one, but I think it’s absolutely clear why you have grown and prospered. You simply provide an outstanding service."
More...

Retirement Fund Solutions celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2009. More...
Need to know
Benchmark 2008 financial statements, here... Benchmark Retirement Fund investments, here... Pensioner rules, here... And deferred pensioner rules,
here...		 Ihrer Möglichkeiten wenn Sie in den Ruhestand treten möchten, hier...
Benchmark 2007 actuarial report, here... Retirement Fund Solutions pension calculator, here... Feedback and comment from our clients, here... The team that makes the difference, here...
Join the Benchmark Retirement Fund, here... Analysis and useful links and resources, here... Namibian pension fund legislation, here... Projekt Lilie, our social responsibility initiative, here...
Company news

We're better at pension investments than we are at predicting
football outcomes

Members of the RFS team came out in support of Bafana Bafana.
On the bright side, vuvuzelas have been banned from the office.
RFIN Newsletter 12.2009

For latest developments on the Financial Intelligence Act, the National Pension Fund, Vesting Scales, a tentative date for the RFIN AGM and feedback on trustee training, click here...
Recent posts

Namibian tax tables 2009
As announced by the Minister of Finance, the new tax tables for individuals effective as from 1 March 2009 have been published. Download them here...

Housing loans
If your fund has granted housing loans or has given collateral for housing loans, you need to consider how to deal with these loans or the collateral before transferring assets and liabilities to another fund in terms of section 14 or before you appoint another fund administrator. Find the article from Pensions World of June 2009, here...

South Africa postpones National Social Security Fund
While provision for a comfortable retirement desirable, there are other matters requiring attention first. These include education, healthcare, poverty relief, housing and job creation. More...

Benchtest breaks N$ 400 million
The Benchmark Retirement Fund has now broken the N$ 400 million mark, helped along by an excellent average investment return of 4 % in July 2009.

Retirement Funds Institute, September 2009 - The Retirement Funds Institute elects new council members. This and more can be found in the latest newsletter here...

New IASB proposals for valuing investments
In previous newsletters we posed the question of whether existing accounting conventions are appropriate for valuing certain investments. The International Accounting Standards Board now proposes that if an investment produces predictable cash flow, like a government bond, it can be valued using an accounting mechanism that smoothes out market fluctuations, as opposed to valuing at current market levels that creates unnecessary volatility in earnings, contributing to a loss of investor confidence. Click here...

Investment choices & the folly of trying to time the market: A scientific analysis shows that trying to time the market has a success rate of only 8%, i.e. a failure rate of 92%! Find an article that recently appeared in Personal Finance, here...

10 Years of Retirement Fund Solutions
On 1 October 1999, Retirement Fund Solutions opened its doors for business, with a staff complement of two. On 1 October 2009, the company celebrated its 10th anniversary with clients, friends and a staff complement of 46.
Founders Tilman Friedrich and Mark Gustafsson congratulate one another on 10 years of sterling successes.
The company's first employee, now a director, Charlotte Drayer receives a token of appreciation.
The Principal of Mweshipandeka High School, Mr Erick Kemanya receives an N$13,000 donation from RFS.
Director Marthinuz Fabianus looks pleased as punch as he addresses the gathering.
10 years, and no client losses
On the 10th anniversary of the company, founders Tilman Friedrich and Mark Gustafsson talked about founding the company, what has made the company successful, measured growth and the way ahead. Read it here...
Life is full of uncertainties. Future investment earnings and interest and inflation rates are not known to anybody. However, I can guarantee you one thing... those who put an investment program in place will have a lot more money when they come to retire than those who never get around to it.
~ Noel Whittaker
Tel. + 264 61 231 590 • Fax. + 264 61 231 598
E-mail solutions@rfsol.com.na • http://www.rfsol.com.na
Cnr. Feld St and Newton St, Windhoek • PO Box 80349, Windhoek, Namibia
The content of this website may not be copied or reproduced and disseminated to other persons without the express written consent of the author thereof. Whilst we have taken all reasonable measures to ensure that the information reflected herein is correct, Benchmark Retirement Fund and Retirement Fund Solutions Namibia (Pty) Ltd do not accept any liability for the accuracy of the information and no reliance should be placed on, or decision taken upon the basis of, the information contained herein before having confirmed the relevant detail with the author or another appropriately qualified person.