By Charize Beukes, CFP®*
We all know and love coach Rassie Erasmus’ Bomb Squad for the edge it gives our team against all opponents. This tactic has not only revolutionised the game, but it has also been copied by teams at all levels.
And I believe it’s a tactic you can use if you happen to be behind on your retirement savings goals.
I think about this a lot when I sit down with investors who are behind on their savings. The instinct is to feel like you’re in damage control, playing catch-up, managing a first half that didn’t go as planned.
That’s the wrong frame. What you have, in your 40s or 50s with a shortfall, is a Bomb Squad that hasn’t come on yet. And the second half belongs to whoever deploys it best.
First, check the scoreboard
Before you can deploy anything, you need to know what you’re working with.
A lot of investors say “I haven’t saved enough” but they haven’t calculated what “enough” actually means for them. Work out how much monthly income you’ll need in retirement, what you already have, how many years you have left, and how large the gap is.
Once it’s measured, it’s manageable. You can build a game plan around a number. You can’t build one around a feeling.
Stop conceding easy penalties
The second move is to stop making the problem worse. High-interest debt, habitual lifestyle spending, and early withdrawals from retirement savings all concede ground you can’t afford to lose.
I’m not suggesting you strip the joy from your life. But if retirement is underfunded, your money needs to be more intentional. Which debts are costing you the most? Which expenses have become unexamined habits?
Every rand redirected toward savings is a fresh forward arriving on the field.
Deploy your tax weapons
This is where your Bomb Squad is unleashed.
Contributions to a retirement annuity, pension or provident fund are tax-deductible up to 27.5% of your remuneration or taxable income, subject to an annual cap of R430 000. If you’re not maximising this, you’re leaving one of your most powerful players off the field for no reason.
Any tax refund or saving should go straight back into retirement savings, not into day-to-day spending. Otherwise, the tax system gives you the gap and lifestyle spending takes the try.
Your tax-free investment account is another player ready to come on. Growth inside it is free from income tax, dividends tax and capital gains tax.
Treat it as a long-term asset, not an emergency fund. Think of it as a player you want on the field for the full match, not someone you keep substituting on and off every few minutes.
Your RA and your TFSA, used together, are a formidable second-half combination. It is not always glamorous, but neither is kicking penalties. And yet, anyone who watches rugby knows that taking the points can win the match.
Make the substitutions that decide the match
If your original retirement plan is no longer working, you may need to make changes.
This is not failure. This is planning.
In rugby, a good coach does not wait until the 79th minute to make substitutions if the game is slipping away. The same applies to your financial life.
Retiring two to five years later is one of the most powerful adjustments available. It gives your investments more time to grow, reduces the years your capital needs to sustain you, and allows you to keep contributing.
It doesn’t have to mean staying in your current role. Consulting, mentoring or part-time income all count.
Other substitutions worth making: reviewing your current financial plan, increasing monthly contributions, directing bonuses toward savings before lifestyle spending absorbs them, paying off debt before retirement, and being realistic about the monthly income you’ll actually need once you stop working.
Don’t go for the miracle try
There’s one thing Rassie never did: panic. He trusted the game plan.
When investors realise they’re behind, some want to take a big swing and recover everything at once. I understand the impulse. But chasing a shortfall with excessive investment risk rarely ends well.
A strategy matched to your age, time horizon and risk tolerance will outperform desperation over the long run. Being too conservative carries its own risk too, since inflation quietly erodes cash-heavy portfolios.
Play your structure. Trust your bench.
Get a coach in your corner
A financial planner cannot change the past. Sadly, we do not have a magic wand or a secret investment that doubles every three years with no risk. If someone tells you they do, please run -preferably faster than a winger with open field.
What a planner can do is help you make better decisions from here. A proper retirement plan can model different scenarios.
Seeing these scenarios clearly can be incredibly empowering. It turns fear into action.
Final whistle
The Springboks don’t win because they have a perfect first half. They win because they execute a ruthless second-half plan to dominate the full 80 minutes—unleashing a bench the opposition simply hasn’t prepared for.
If you’re behind on retirement savings, that’s just your halftime score. Get honest about the numbers, deploy your financial “Bomb Squad”, and work through the strategy with a planner. The final whistle belongs to those who own the second half.
*Charize Beukes, CFP®, is a financial planner at Brenthurst Wealth.
Megan joined the Brenthurst Wealth team in March 2026 as an Administrative and Fiduciary Services Assistant at our Val de Vie Office in the Western Cape. Prior to joining Brenthurst, Megan gained three years of experience in the retail sector, where she developed management and client service skills.
I obtained my National Diploma in Financial Information Systems from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 1999 and have worked in the wealth management industry since January 2000. Over the years, I have gained extensive experience in various roles, including Portfolio Manager Assistant, Planner Assistant, and Paraplanner.
Esmarelda Isaacs-Andreas joined the Brenthurst Wealth Stellenbosch office in October 2025, taking on the dual role of Receptionist and Fiduciary Administrator.
I obtained my National Diploma in Financial Information Systems from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 1999 and have worked in the wealth management industry since January 2000. Over the years, I have gained extensive experience in various roles, including Portfolio Manager Assistant, Planner Assistant, and Paraplanner.
Ashley joined Brenthurst Wealth in January 2025 as Office Administrative Assistant and Receptionist for the Stellenbosch Office.
René Heystek joined Brenthurst Wealth in November 2023, as receptionist and administrative assistant in the newly established George/Garden Route office.
Michelle Heystek has built a career in the financial services over the last two decades, after obtaining her B.Com degree in Financial Management in 2005. Once she joined Brenthurst in 2006, she continued her academic journey, obtaining her Certificate in Wealth Management from INSETA in 2007, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning from the University of the Free State. In 2008, she earned the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation.
Anelle joined Brenthurst Wealth as a Receptionist and Administrative Assistant to Brian Butchart in the Cape Town office in December 2023. She has a wealth of knowledge from working as a liaison between Financial Advisers and clients at TMA and Absa Investment Management Services (Aims) since 1998. She obtained her B. com degree from the University of Port Elizabeth in 1997.
ADMITTED ATTORNEY | FINANCIAL PLANNER & HEAD OF BRENTHURST FOURWAYS
Sanet was appointed in April 2020, joining our Cape Town team as an Executive Administration Assistant to Renee Eagar. She has been in the financial services industry since 1990. Her previous experience includes positions at Sanlam, BJM and ABSA. She spent her last 12 years working at Alexander Forbes Private Client Wealth as a Senior Wealth Management Assistant. She has received numerous accolades over the years which include but not limited to, Alexander Forbes Client Service Excellence – Silver award in 2014,2015 and 2017. Sanet has also obtained her Certificate in Wealth Management (NQF 5) in 2012 and achieved “Best Student of the Year” from Moonstone.
Maria Smit is a Certified Financial Planner® with over 10 years of experience in the financial planning industry.
