By Marie-Therese Nanlong

The Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited has held the 2023 Pre-retirement seminar for employees to equip and prepare them for life after retirement.

The event with the theme: Making the best of your post-work life,” was held in Jos and brought together participants from public and private organizations where they were sensitized on issues of pension, health, well-being, next of kin, how to grow wealth, required documentation to access pension benefits at retirement, avoiding common obstacles to access pension, how to manage Stanbic IBTC pension account via digital channels, utilization of the service tools and others.

Diverse presenters at the event reminded the participants to ensure they get professional advice about their savings and the kind of businesses they may wish to engage in to avoid making costly mistakes that would waste their money especially as they plan for their retirements.

In his remark, the Chief Executive of Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited, Olumide Oyetan urged the workers to carefully plan for their retirement and use relevant information in building their businesses for comfortable lives during retirement.

His words, “Retirement is a time of transition—a time to bid farewell to the daily grind and embrace the freedom to pursue our passions and dreams. It is a momentous occasion that warrants careful planning and thoughtful consideration.
“We have gathered here today to equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to make the most of this upcoming phase… The purpose of a pension fund is to provide a stable and solid income stream to retirees who have contributed to the fund during their work years.

“As your pension fund administrator, we understand that transitioning to the retirement phase will require adequate steps and intentional plans, so please allow me to use this opportunity to reassure you that we are here to help you through this process when you get there… We urge you to take advantage of all the available resources and information and assure you that we are here to help you every step of the way.”

The participants were also cautioned against lack of budgeting, living life beyond their means, shortcuts to making money, investing in bad assets because they may not generate much but required more expenditure, and involving in debts that attract high-interest rates among others.

They were further urged to build healthy relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and neighbours, write their wills, and get insurance to protect against risks.

Meanwhile, the organization’s Head of Contact Centre, Tsholaye Remy-Odimegwu, and Yinka Johnson who heads the Business Development explained how the pension portal works and gave insights to doubts raised by the participants during the questions and answers session.