By Ayomide Otitoju
Access Pension has urged individuals to carefully balance their risk appetite while diversifying their investment portfolios for retirement planning. This advice was shared during the recent webinar, “Plan Smart, Secure Your Future,” which focused on “Pensions Unpacked: Mastering Retirement Planning.”
Adaeze Raji, Deputy Lead Ecosystem Orchestrator at Access Pensions, emphasized the need for a balanced approach to risk and return when constructing a retirement portfolio. She stated, “The most important thing is balancing your risk and return scale. For conservative investors, this means balancing between variable and fixed income instruments, while those with a high-risk appetite may prefer high-yield investments like equities.”
Raji also encouraged participants to diversify their investments and seek financial education. “Consider instrument diversification to limit downside risks, obtain exposure to USD assets to mitigate exchange rate impacts, and consult a reputable financial adviser,” she advised.
Bilkisu Ogirima, Head of Strategy and Products/PCD North at Access Pensions, discussed how retirees could use 25% of their Retirement Savings Account (RSA) for mortgage payments, stating, “Unlocking RSA savings for mortgage down payments will be catalytic for the development of the housing market.” She noted that while guidelines for this scheme were released in September 2022, applications and approvals began in Q2 2023.
Nicholas Ahamiojie, Brand & Communications Officer, highlighted the firm’s commitment to educating clients about their retirement payment options. “It is our obligation to inform you of the available options. Annuity is administered by life insurance companies, while programme withdrawal is offered by Pension Fund Administrators,” he explained.
