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20 Oct 2026

Your biggest asset is the income you haven't earned yet

Why your income should be the first thing you protect in your 20s and 30s.

Almost everything you own is income in one form or another. Your car is income spent, your portfolio is income invested, and your retirement annuity is income deferred. It all started as a payslip. So, if your income fuels everything you're building, have you thought about what the income itself is worth, and how protected it is if life interrupts your ability to earn?

 

Most of your wealth hasn't arrived yet

Let's say you're 27 and take home R32,000 a month. That means you have 38 years of payslips ahead of you before you reach a typical retirement age. Even if your income never increases, those payslips add up to more than R14 million over your career. In reality, the career you're working towards is likely to be worth much more.

Yet most of that wealth hasn't arrived yet, making your ability to earn, in the short and long term, one of your most valuable financial assets.

 

8x
more likely to suffer a temporary disability than to die during your working years

Death is rare in your 20s and 30s. Interruption isn't.

Our research shows you are eight times more likely to suffer a temporary disability than to die during your working years.  Yet South Africans remain significantly underinsured for income-related risks.

ASISA's latest Insurance Gap Study estimates a R29.2 trillion disability cover gap, compared to the R21.1 trillion life cover gap. Behavioural economists call it present bias: the further away a payoff sits, the less real it feels.

Ironically, the country's most investment-conscious generation may also be the least likely to protect the income that drives those investments. It's time to fix that.

 

Income Protection Cover

Protect the one thing that funds everything else.

What it is

A monthly payout if illness or injury stops you from working.

Learn more about income protection cover
What it is

A monthly payout if illness or injury stops you from working.

Learn more about income protection cover
What it does

Pays up to 100% of your net of tax income each month while you can't work. Standard cover pays up to 75%; the optional Temporary Income TopUp Cover takes it to 100%, and permanent disability claims upgrade automatically.

Why it matters

Your income drives everything you're building in life. If it stops, your plans stop. With protection in place, your expenses stay paid, your investments stay intact, and recovery becomes a pause in your wealth plan, not the end of it.

 

A few months off work can cost years of momentum

An interruption, whether it's a serious illness or an injury, doesn't only stop your salary once your sick leave runs out. It pauses every debit order that builds your future. The investment contributions stop compounding. The deposit stalls. And if the interruption lasts long enough, you start selling what you've built to cover what you've lost.

Interest compounds over time, but so does loss. 

Why now, not later?

You will never have more future income to protect than you do today. And consider what built that income in the first place: the hands that learned to operate in theatre, the rigour that carried you through board exams and articles, years of investing in yourself that haven't yet paid their full return. Income protection is how you make sure they get the chance to.

Life insurance isn't a premium that competes with your wealth plan. When it's planned correctly, it's what keeps your wealth growing. Uninterrupted.

 

Tailor-made insurance to fit your lifestyle
image of a man in a dark blue suit on a table.
Income Protection Cover

Protect your ability to earn an income if you are unable to work due to an illness or injury. Income Protection Cover helps you meet monthly financial commitments with cover of up to 100% of your net of tax income. You are also protected for both temporary and permanent disabilities.

 

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Severe Illness Cover

If you are diagnosed with a severe illness like cancer, a stroke or heart attack, you need the breathing room to recover. Protect yourself against financial shortfalls - even from unknown illnesses - and any treatment costs not covered by your medical aid.

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Life Cover

Designed to provide financial support to beneficiaries if you pass away, with considerations around payout location, currency and estate liquidity when families and assets span countries.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this article is intended for information purposes only and should not be regarded as financial advice.

Investec Life Limited, a member of the Investec Group, is a licensed Life Insurance Company and an authorised Financial Services Provider (FSP number 47702). Terms and conditions apply.

Investec Wealth & Investment International (Pty) Ltd, registration number 1972/008905/07. A member of the JSE Equity, Equity Derivatives, Currency Derivatives, Bond Derivatives and Interest Rate Derivatives Markets. An authorised financial services provider, license number 15886. A registered credit provider, registration number NCRCP262.

Focus and its related content is for informational purposes only. The opinions featured on the site are not to be considered as the opinions of Investec and do not constitute financial or other advice. The information presented is subject to completion, revision, verification and amendment.

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