Business, Commerce and Management Studies Finance, Economics and Accounting

Advise on Retirement Fund Investment Structures Training

SAQA US 242578 | NQF 6 | Credits 6 | Duration 3 Days
From $967 per delegate

Description

This course equips participants with the expertise to advise retirement fund trustees and corporate clients on structuring a fund's investment portfolio. It covers regulatory frameworks, risk assessment, and asset allocation strategies to ensure prudent fiduciary management. Learners will gain the skills to evaluate investment options and communicate recommendations effectively.

Learning Outcomes

  • Analyze the regulatory and legislative framework governing retirement fund investments in South Africa.
  • Evaluate different asset classes and investment vehicles for suitability in retirement fund portfolios.
  • Design an investment strategy that aligns with the fund's risk profile, return objectives, and member demographics.
  • Apply principles of diversification, asset-liability matching, and risk management to fund structures.
  • Demonstrate the ability to present and justify investment recommendations to trustees and corporate clients.

Target Audience

This course is designed for retirement fund trustees, corporate financial officers, investment advisors, and consultants who are responsible for or advise on the investment structure of retirement funds.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Day 1: Fundamentals of Retirement Fund Investment Structures

Objectives:
• Understand the purpose and types of retirement funds in South Africa.
• Identify key stakeholders and their roles in retirement fund governance.
• Explain basic investment principles and asset classes relevant to retirement funds.
• Describe the regulatory framework governing retirement fund investments.
• Recognise the importance of investment policy statements.

Topics:
• Overview of retirement fund landscape in South Africa (pension, provident, retirement annuity funds).
• Roles of trustees, principal officers, fund managers, and advisors.
• Investment basics: risk, return, diversification, and time horizon.
• Asset classes: equities, bonds, cash, property, and alternatives.
• Regulatory framework: Pension Funds Act, Regulations 28, and prudential guidelines.
• Introduction to investment policy statements (IPS) and their components.
• Case study: analysing a simple retirement fund structure.

Day 2: Investment Strategies and Fund Structures

Objectives:
• Differentiate between defined benefit and defined contribution fund structures.
• Analyse various investment strategies (passive vs active, lifecycle, balanced).
• Evaluate different investment vehicles and their suitability for retirement funds.
• Understand the impact of fees and costs on retirement outcomes.
• Apply asset allocation principles within regulatory limits.

Topics:
• Defined benefit vs defined contribution: features, risks, and investment implications.
• Investment strategies: passive indexing, active management, and smart beta.
• Lifecycle or target-date funds and their role in default strategies.
• Investment vehicles: unit trusts, pooled funds, segregated mandates, and exchange-traded funds.
• Fee structures: management fees, performance fees, and total expense ratios.
• Asset allocation: strategic, tactical, and dynamic approaches.
• Regulation 28 limits and compliance considerations.
• Practical exercise: constructing a sample portfolio for a retirement fund.

Day 3: Advising on Fund Investments and Practical Application

Objectives:
• Evaluate and compare retirement fund investment options for members.
• Advise trustees and members on investment choices and default strategies.
• Analyse fund performance and communicate findings effectively.
• Apply ethical and fiduciary principles in investment advice.
• Develop a comprehensive investment recommendation for a case study.

Topics:
• Member investment choice: options, defaults, and communication.
• Performance measurement: benchmarks, peer comparison, and risk-adjusted returns.
• Reporting to trustees: investment review reports and dashboards.
• Fiduciary duties and ethical considerations for advisors.
• Current trends: ESG investing, impact of inflation, and market volatility.
• Case study: advising a retirement fund on restructuring its investment portfolio.
• Group discussion: challenges in the South African retirement fund environment.

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Wed 09 Sep 2026 Fri 11 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $967 Register
Tue 29 Sep 2026 Thu 01 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $967 Register
Mon 19 Oct 2026 Wed 21 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $967 Register
Wed 09 Dec 2026 Fri 11 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $967 Register
Tue 12 Jan 2027 Thu 14 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $967 Register
Mon 15 Feb 2027 Wed 17 Feb 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $967 Register
Wed 03 Mar 2027 Fri 05 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $967 Register
Tue 09 Mar 2027 Thu 11 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $967 Register
Mon 15 Mar 2027 Wed 17 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $967 Register
Wed 09 Jun 2027 Fri 11 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $967 Register
Tue 29 Jun 2027 Thu 01 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $967 Register
Mon 19 Jul 2027 Wed 21 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $967 Register
Wed 08 Sep 2027 Fri 10 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $967 Register
Tue 28 Sep 2027 Thu 30 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $967 Register
Mon 18 Oct 2027 Wed 20 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $967 Register
Wed 08 Dec 2027 Fri 10 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $967 Register
Tue 28 Dec 2027 Thu 30 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $967 Register
Mon 17 Jan 2028 Wed 19 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $967 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 498 sessions across 26 venues
Start End Venue Season Price Action
Mon 03 Aug 2026 Wed 05 Aug 2026 Cape Town, South Africa Winter 2026 $2,392 Register
Mon 03 Aug 2026 Wed 05 Aug 2026 Lagos, Nigeria Winter 2026 $3,796 Register
Tue 04 Aug 2026 Thu 06 Aug 2026 Dubai, UAE Winter 2026 $4,552 Register
Tue 04 Aug 2026 Thu 06 Aug 2026 Johannesburg, South Africa Winter 2026 $1,906 Register
Wed 05 Aug 2026 Fri 07 Aug 2026 Pretoria, South Africa Winter 2026 $1,447 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 14 Sep 2026 Wed 16 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,258 Register
Wed 07 Oct 2026 Fri 09 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,258 Register
Tue 27 Oct 2026 Thu 29 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,258 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Wed 16 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,258 Register
Wed 20 Jan 2027 Fri 22 Jan 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,258 Register
Tue 23 Feb 2027 Thu 25 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,258 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Wed 10 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 17 Mar 2027 Fri 19 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 23 Mar 2027 Thu 25 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,258 Register
Mon 14 Jun 2027 Wed 16 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 07 Jul 2027 Fri 09 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 27 Jul 2027 Thu 29 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,258 Register
Mon 13 Sep 2027 Wed 15 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 06 Oct 2027 Fri 08 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 26 Oct 2027 Thu 28 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,258 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Wed 15 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 05 Jan 2028 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 25 Jan 2028 Thu 27 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,258 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

View Sessions & Register Get A Quote Download Course Brochure
Have an account?

Sign in to track your applications and manage your cart.

Related Courses

Other Business, Commerce and Management Studies courses at NQF level 6 learners on this page also viewed.

Browse the full Business, Commerce and Management Studies category for business, commerce and management studies training programmes.
GET A QUOTE / APPLY COURSE CATALOGUE