In its 2019 Election Manifesto, the ANC says it will “Investigate the introduction of prescribed assets on financial institutions’ funds to mobilise funds within a regulatory framework for socially productive investments (including housing, infrastructure for social and economic development and township and village economy) and job creation while considering the risk profiles of the affected entities”.
What currently is in place are conditions laid out by regulation 28 of the Pension Funds Act, which restricts exposure of retirement funds to no more than 75% in equities. This in itself is inhibiting. Whilst the intention is to add some stability to retirement savings have 25% forced into bonds and cash the upside presented by equities over the long term is restricted. If one could invest 100% in equities over the long term the returns would likely outperform by far.
Forcing retirement fund managers to invest in prescribed assets poses a problem around expected returns and asset allocation in portfolios. Fund managers of various collective investments follow a particular mandate which aims to achieve returns through strategies which they identify and provide. Having to invest in prescribed assets takes away the ability to invest where opportunities present themselves. If, for example, a client wanted to take an aggressive approach to his retirement funding, future returns would be hampered significantly if the fund was compelled to invest in assets which did not provide the same returns found in aggressive assets such as equities.
Let’s hope that this is just political noise building on the elections this year. The pension funds industry is around R4 trillion and should be left well alone to the investors to decide how their money should be allocated. Prescribed assets provide funding which props up underperformance