What’s the difference between a retirement annuity and Wealth Bonus?

A retirement annuity, or RA, is a kind of investment account that allows you to earn tax-free returns.

Wealth Bonus is a wealth-building benefit that’s built into every policy we sell. It’s tied to your policy so that you only get the full amount at age 70, if you keep your policy active until then.

Here are some of the differences.

The way they’re taxed

In an RA, your contributions and the growth on those contributions aren’t taxed until the time comes for you to withdraw the money. Only at that point is the money taxed, often as income. There are strict rules about when you can withdraw the money, and what penalties you would pay if you did it early. 

Your Sanlam Indie Wealth Bonus is taxed differently to an RA. The contributions that we make on your behalf are taxed, but we pay the tax for you. That means that what you see on your statements, and whatever unlocked cash you withdraw, has already been taxed. What you see is what you get, including the full lump sum on 1 January after you turn 70.

The way the contributions are made

You would choose how much you contributed to an RA (although there might be a minimum contribution you had to make). Some RAs allow you to make occasional lump sum contributions over and above your regular contributions. In theory you’d keep track of how much you needed to earn in retirement, and adjust your contributions over the years if you needed to meet your goal.

We automatically match a portion of every premium you pay into your Sanlam Indie Wealth Bonus, depending on your age. So you don’t get a say in how much money goes in, and the amount you end up with won’t necessarily reflect your actual retirement needs. It’s more of a retirement boost than a retirement fund. 

What happens to the investment if you die

If you die before you retire, all the money in your RA would go to your beneficiaries or to your estate. But your Sanlam Indie Wealth Bonus is just for you. If you die or leave Sanlam Indie before you turn 70, most of your Sanlam Indie Wealth Bonus will fall away. Only the unlocked portions would be paid out to your estate or beneficiaries.

We like to think of your Wealth Bonus benefit as a bonus for staying alive and healthy all the way to 70 - an awesome extra that you can use to supplement your retirement fund.