Smart Money – Discovery Invest’s Craig Sher on why South Africans cannot afford to delay retirement saving

In this Smart Money with Alishia Seckam interview, Craig Sher discusses the importance of starting early on your retirement savings strategy.

Sher is the Chief Product and Investment Officer at Discovery Invest, and is a strategic thinker and leader who has overseen Research and Development teams for nearly two decades.

His skill in using innovation and behavioural economics to improve client outcomes is clearly detailed in his impressive resume.

This includes helping to found Discovery Invest and being a key contributor to its success.

Sher first joined the Discovery Group in 2003 as an Actuary, and held this role for over 4 years before becoming the Head of Research and Development at Discovery Invest.

He also served as Head of Research and Development at Discovery Life from 2009 to 2012.

Sher assumed his current role as Chief Product and Investment Officer last year.

He holds an Honours degree in Actuarial Science and Advanced Mathematics of Finance from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Sher is also a Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (FASSA) and a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries (FFA).

Alongside Discovery Invest, Sher is a founding member of Discovery Employee Benefits and Cogence.

He currently also serves on various executive committees within the Discovery group.

The interview

In this Smart Money interview, Sher discusses the importance of starting early on your retirement investments and the tax benefits that come with doing so.

Sher outlines the biggest mistakes he’s seen people make when planning their retirement investments, along with the factors contributing to concerns about outliving one’s retirement savings.

He also touches on Discovery’s Lifespan Linked Income Plan and how it’s uniquely designed to ensure the company’s clients never run out of retirement money.

Sher concludes the interview by sharing the advice he has for South Africans just starting their retirement journey and those who are looking to ramp up their investments.

Watch the interview with Craig Sher below.