The big picture
A visual map of every decision, document, and deadline that comes with retrenchment. Save it, print it, share it.
You've just been retrenched. There's a fog of paperwork, deadlines, and financial decisions coming at you all at once — and most of it has to happen in the next 30 days. I'm here to take the noise out of your head, so you can focus on what's next.
"Fear. Anger. Doubt. A heavy, sinking feeling that doesn't lift. Maybe relief, then guilt for feeling relief. A wave of emotions floods in, and your body responds — your heart races, your sleep breaks, you can't think clearly. That's not weakness. That's your nervous system responding to a real threat."
"Right now, the most useful thing you can do is slow down. You do not need to make any financial decisions today. You have time — more than the panic is telling you. The first 30 days matter, but the first 24 hours don't require any irreversible choices."
"And here is something I want you to hold onto: many of the people I've walked through retrenchment have told me, six months later, that it was the beginning of something better. Right now that's hard to see. But you will see it."
We can always measure what we will lose, but we can never measure what we will gain.
— A reminder I keep close.
"When you're retrenched, the forms start arriving. A withdrawal form from your pension fund — sometimes 10 pages long, asking you to choose between 24 different investment portfolios. A continuation form for your medical aid. A UI-19 with termination codes. A SARS tax directive. A gap cover continuation. A conversion application for your group life."
"It's a lot. And none of it is explained in plain English."
"Schedule a free call with me, and I'll walk you through every form you've received — line by line, decision by decision. No charge. No commitment. Just clarity."
Common forms I help with: Sanlam, Allan Gray, Liberty, Old Mutual, Discovery withdrawal forms · Medical aid continuation forms · Gap cover continuation · Group life conversion applications · UI-19 verification · SARS tax directives.
Severance is taxed differently from your salary. There's a R550,000 lifetime tax-free amount — and the way your HR codes it can change everything.
Learn moreCash out, preserve, or transfer — these three choices have very different tax and retirement consequences. The Two-Pot system has made this more complex.
Learn moreYour group cover ends with employment. You typically have 30 days to continue on the same scheme before waiting periods and penalties kick in.
Learn moreThe most overlooked decision in retrenchment. Most schemes give you 60 days to convert — without medical underwriting. After that, it's too late.
Learn moreCertificate of Service, UI-19 (with the right termination code), IRP5, tax directive — there's a specific list you must walk out with.
Learn moreA visual map of every decision, document, and deadline that comes with retrenchment. Save it, print it, share it.
"I'm Lee Ernstzen, a financial adviser based in Cape Town and a representative of attooh! Financial Wellness. I've helped South Africans navigate retrenchment, retirement, and the financial decisions that come with major life transitions. My job is to make complicated things simple — and to take the weight of those decisions off your shoulders."
The lifetime tax-free portion of your severance and retirement lump sums (cumulative). Use it wisely.
Typical window to preserve your fund or convert your group life cover before options expire.
All it takes to make sure you don't leave money on the table.