Wrapping up 2018 - A note from Benjy Porter

Wrapping up 2018 - A note from Benjy Porter
Benjy Porter
Benjy Porter - CEO
29 November 2018

As we approach the end of the year, we have a chance to show our gratitude to our loyal members and staff, reflect on our mission to be a companion to you, and look forward to what the new year holds.

Thank you for your support

Thank you for your ongoing support, and the trust that you place in us. During the year, we have achieved some tremendous milestones. Our drive is to make a profound difference in people's lives, and we work tirelessly at making that a reality.

This year we are so proud of the impact we have made. In fact, that impact was so great that we measured it by the minute. On average we helped a different client almost every two minutes of the day across our legal, tax and debt service lines. We also submitted nearly 4 000 tax returns on behalf of our members.

I would also like to thank each and every staff member at Legal&Tax for embracing our values and ensuring that we treat our members with the highest care, protecting their rights and providing them with peace of mind through easily accessible services.

Introducing the HealthCare Plan

As we reflected our mission of being your lifelong companion, we realised that we had a gap to fill in helping our members live a healthier lifestyle with the peace of mind that they could afford quality healthcare without having to worry about the impact that a hospital admission would have on their finances.

After almost a year of working with our underwriters to design the HealthCare Plan, and navigating the regulatory framework that helped ensure we had the best product available for you, we launched the HealthCare Plan this November.

The HealthCare Plan is a very affordable product that provides for cash back pay-out of up to R20 000* when members are admitted to hospital for 48 hours or more. We recognised that living a healthy lifestyle is about more than being able to making hospitalisation less of a financial burden. That is why packaged in with the HealthCare Plan, members also get unlimited 24/7 telephonic nursing assistance, emergency medical response, trauma counselling provided by ER24 and an online health hub filled with helpful health tips, advice and videos, to help you and your family stay healthy.

‘Tis the season to know your rights

The most commonly asked questions our legal advisors receive around the festive season relate to unfair treatment at work regarding annual leave and bonuses. Chantel Cronjé, our Head of Legal Services discusses your rights and responsibilities.

At this time of year, with members attending year-end parties and travelling on holiday there is an increase in law enforcement and the presence of road blocks. Legal advisor, Natasha Ngwerume, helps to make you aware of your rights when stopped at a roadblock.

Matters of life and death

In our funeral focus we look at the importance of ensuring you have a last will and testament in place, which clearly indicates how you wish your estate to be left

You are what you eat

This quarter our healthcare section focuses healthy eating. Two expert Registered Dieticians who are contributing to the health hub have compiled very useful information. Melanie Sher provides 10 tips for healthy eating on a budget, and Philippa Bredenkamp from Mindful Eating released a video on healthy eating and surviving the festive season.

Money matters

In our money matters feature we provide advice for budgeting for the festive season and into 2019 and staying debt free. Remember that members have access to our Debt Assist service, and we can help you with everything from debt advice, and credit reports through to debt counselling.

Looking forward

We are optimistic about both where the country is headed, and how we are positioned to be your companion across every aspect of your life. We expect 2019 to present us with many more opportunities to support you. We will be focussing on providing you with timely and relevant information through our info- and health hubs. We will send you this newsletter every quarter, as well as more focussed information which you may find useful in between the quarterly Legal&You newsletters.

We want to know how we can continue offering products and services to meet your needs. Take 2 minutes to complete a quick survey covering which services you use and what other services you would like us to consider adding.

Have a wonderful festive season

All of us at Legal&Tax wish you a happy festive season and safe travels.

*Ts & Cs apply

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