Question:
I stopped contributing to the fund when I lost my job in November 2009. I am turning 55 on 29 May and have a problem with my daughter's University payment which is very much urgent for her to be at school. I wonder if I could access my retirement annuity now to rescue the situation. Please help
Answer:
Rakgantsho,
It is not clear what type of fund you are referring to; but if you belong to a RA (retirement annuity fund), you can access your money from age 55 onward. But you must then use two-thirds to buy an annuity, unless the value of your retirement annuity is less than R75 000, in which case you can claim the whole amount as cash.