Did yDid you hear? On Monday, Governor Lesetja Kganyago delivered a clear message: the SARB won’t let the fuel shock derail its 3% inflation target. Which means, despite the 14% petrol spike and a 24% diesel surge, we could be looking at a rate hike later this month, not a cut.
This week in Seed Analytics Advisor Connect:
Upcoming events: Network & earn CPD points.
Annual reviews: This template boosts responses.
The data that sells even before your review starts.
New opportunities & jobs for you to explore in SA.
Hidden retirement costs & a 90-day resignation trap.
Prompt of the week: Personalise your review emails.
Take Note
FPI Economic Update – Online 12 May: Free webinar covering the latest macro and economic outlook for financial planning professionals. CPD points included. The CPD cycle deadline is 31 May, so this is one of your last chances to top up. Register here.
FPI Succession Planning – Online 19 May: Free webinar on succession planning for financial planning professionals. CPD points included. Same deadline reminder: 31 May is approaching fast. Register here.
The annual review email that gets a 90% response rate
Instead of thinking "it's time for your annual review," use these steps to get clients engaged first...
The annual review is your most important client touchpoint. It's your chance to demonstrate value, surface opportunities and reinforce why they're paying you. But if clients don't show up, none of that happens.
The secret is to structure your review invites so that the client wants to prioritise it. Here are 3 things to try…
1. Lead with something they care about
"It's time for your annual review" frames the meeting as an obligation, and obligations get postponed. Instead, lead with a specific insight relevant to them. It doesn't need to be complex; it just needs to show you've been paying attention.
2. Attach something visual before the meeting
If you attach a one-page portfolio summary or consolidated statement showing their performance over the past 12 months, clients arrive with better questions, more engagement and a stronger sense of your value. They can see what you've been doing for them.
3. Make the booking frictionless
"Let me know when suits you" creates a back-and-forth that can take days. Instead, include two specific time slots or a direct booking link. One click from "I should do this" to "it's booked."
The template:
Subject: A quick update on your portfolio ahead of Q2
Hi [Name],
I've been reviewing how the past few months have played out across portfolios like yours, and there are a couple of things I'd like to walk you through before mid-year.
I've attached your latest consolidated statement so you can see where things stand. Nothing is alarming, but there are some shifts worth discussing to make sure we're still on track with your goals.
Would either [Tuesday 20 May at 10:00] or [Thursday 22 May at 14:00] work for a 30-minute session? If neither suits, you can grab a time that works here: [booking link].
Looking forward to it.
[Your name]
Why this works: It leads with relevance, not obligation. It provides data upfront so the client feels informed. And it removes friction from booking.
The aim is: Fewer no-shows, better conversations and clients who feel like you're working for them.
Join the conversation…
How do your clients typically respond to annual review requests?
The review email that sells itself
The template above works because it gives the client something to look at before the meeting. But that only works if you have something worth attaching.
Seed Analytics' consolidated portfolio statements give you exactly that: A single, branded view of every investment across every platform, with performance shown net of all fees. When a client opens that attachment and sees their entire financial picture laid out clearly under your brand, the review meeting is half-sold before it starts.
With Seed's bulk email wizard, you can send personalised statements to your entire client base in minutes, turning your annual review cycle from a month-long chase into a streamlined campaign.
Already on Seed?
Pair your next review round with a bulk statement send. Attach the statement to the email template above and watch your response rates climb.
New to Seed?
Featured Section
New wealth and fin advisory career opportunities in SA
Retirement Funds New Business Specialist (JHB) @ Knights Insurance Brokers
Broker Sales Advisor (Centurion) @ Momentum
Manager: Private Clients (CPT) @ Moore SA
Financial Advisor (CPT) @ Advisek
Financial Advisor (DNB) @ EQ-FIN
Broker Consultant (Umhlanga) @ Sanlam
Senior Retirement Fund Consultant (CPT) @ Chartered Employee Benefits
In Case You Missed It…
Industry Roundup
Six Retirement Costs That Aren't Budgeted For. Retirement plans might be undercounting the real costs of later life. Frail care in the Western Cape now runs R30,000 to R75,000 per month, a cost that's rarely covered by medical aid. Add executor fees and capital gains tax on death, and the largest single drawdowns a portfolio will ever face are often modelled as zero.
The 90-Day Resignation Trap. Citadel is warning that the first 90 days after a career change or retrenchment have become a critical danger zone. With the Two-Pot system now embedded, more individuals are using job transitions as a trigger to liquidate their savings pot. Current high inflation means the recovery time for lost retirement capital has roughly doubled since 2024.
Ditching the Dollar. European and Emerging Market investors are staging a massive retreat from the US. Assets in ex-US ETFs have rocketed 435% over the past year as investors seek to avoid tariff risk and the extreme concentration of the S&P 500, where the top 10 stocks now account for 35% of the index.
SARS’s Digital Expansion. Dr Ngobani Johnstone Makhubu officially took over as SARS Commissioner on 1 May and has signalled a shift from institutional cleanup to digital expansion of the tax base. Among his priorities: leveraging data from the new exchange control crypto declaration rules.
The Trust-to-Trust Offshore Pivot. A regulatory shift from 2023 is finally gaining mainstream traction: The ability for SA trusts to distribute assets directly to properly constituted offshore trusts. By settling capital gains tax at the trust level before moving assets, the offshore trust can grow without further SA tax exposure.
Prompt of the week
If you want to personalise your review request emails at scale...
The template above gives you the structure. This prompt helps you generate personalised versions for different client segments, so you're not sending the same email to a 35-year-old accumulator and a 65-year-old retiree.
How to use it:
Define 3–4 client segments (e.g. by life stage, portfolio size or risk profile).
Paste the prompt into any AI tool and fill in the variables.
Use the outputs as segment-specific templates you can personalise further.
The Prompt:
You are a communications specialist for independent financial advisors in South Africa. Your task is to generate annual review request email templates tailored to different client segments.
I will give you the following inputs:
My client segments: [DESCRIBE 3–4 SEGMENTS, e.g. "Young professionals (30–40, accumulating, mostly RA and TFSA), Pre-retirees (55–65, transitioning to drawdown, mixed portfolio), Retirees (65+, living annuity, income-focused), Business owners (40–55, mix of personal and business assets)"]
Current market context: [ONE SENTENCE ON WHAT'S HAPPENING, e.g. "Ceasefire has eased oil pressure but rate cuts remain unlikely in 2026"]
My firm name: [YOUR PRACTICE NAME]
Booking method: [e.g. "Calendly link" or "two proposed time slots" or "PA handles scheduling"]
For each segment, generate an email template that:
Opens with a relevant insight or observation specific to that segment's likely concerns right now.
References an attached portfolio statement or summary as a visual anchor for the meeting.
Frames the review as a value-add conversation, not an obligation.
Includes a clear, low-friction call to action for booking.
Is warm, professional and concise (under 150 words).
Also provide: one subject line option per segment that would drive opens without sounding like a generic review request.
Keep the tone human and conversational. No jargon. No "Dear valued client."
Did You Know? On 7 May 1946, Sony was founded in a bombed-out Tokyo department store as a telecoms company with 20 employees and only $530 in the bank. Their first product was a rice cooker that didn't work properly. Eight decades later, the company is worth over $100 billion.
Till next time,
Seed Analytics Advisor Connect
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