Investing can feel heavy when life already has school fees, petrol prices, medical costs and a long list of things competing for your money. This conversation asked a simpler question: what if long-term investing could feel easier to understand, easier to access, and more built around real investor needs?

That was the deeper thread running through EasyEquities’ recent webinar with Carel and Dwayne Gilbert, Chief Investment Officer at EasyRetire. The occasion was a big one: the listing of three new actively managed ETFs, Easy CPI+3, Easy CPI+5 and Easy CPI+7.

It became a discussion about retirement, inflation, risk, trust, choice, discipline, and the pressure many South Africans feel when they know they should be doing something about their money, but are not always sure where to begin.

As Charles Savage said at the JSE opening, retirement investing should be easier to understand, easier to access, and built around investor needs.

That idea shaped the whole conversation.

Here are some of the biggest conversations and ideas that stood out.

1. Why Easy 3, Easy 5 and Easy 7 Were Built Around Real Investor Goals

Easy 3, Easy 5 and Easy 7 are actively managed ETFs designed around Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus return targets.

In simpler terms, they are built with inflation in mind.

This is important to note because inflation is one of those financial forces people feel long before they define it. It shows up in grocery bills, school fees, transport costs and medical aid increases. It asks your money to work harder just to stay in the same place.

Dwayne framed these as outcome-based products. That means the starting point is not simply “what can this fund invest in?” The more human question is: what outcome is the investor trying to reach, and over what kind of time period?

Because for many people, saving is already difficult enough. Choosing the right mix of assets, managers, risk levels and time horizons can make it feel even more intimidating.

The intention behind these ETFs is to simplify that decision-making without removing the thinking behind it.

2. What Institutional Investing Means for Everyday South Africans

One of the strongest ideas from the conversation was the idea of bringing institutional-style investing to retail investors.

In retirement funds, investors are often guided through what are called life stage models. Younger members may be placed in higher-growth strategies. As they move closer to retirement, they may gradually move into more balanced or conservative strategies.

The thinking is practical.

A 25-year-old saving for retirement has a very different time horizon from someone who is 62 and preparing to preserve what they have built. The investment approach should reflect that.

That is where Easy 3, Easy 5 and Easy 7 become interesting.

• Easy 7 may be more suited to longer-term goals, where growth matters more and investors have time to ride through market movement.

• Easy 5 sits in the middle.

• Easy 3 is more conservative, with more focus on income, stability and shorter-term needs.

The bigger point is that many everyday investors have historically had to figure this out alone.

Dwayne spoke about the reality that investment professionals have access to research, tools, committees, manager meetings and years of market experience. Most retail investors have jobs, families, bills, responsibilities and limited time.

That does not make investors incapable. It means the system should be easier to navigate.

3. Why Risk Is About More Than Market Movement

Risk is often explained as volatility, or how much an investment moves up and down.

Dwayne offered a more human way to think about it: risk can also mean failing to meet the outcome you were investing for.

Because the real fear is needing your money at the wrong time, when the market has moved against you.

He used COVID as a powerful example. During that period, markets fell sharply while many people were also facing retrenchments and financial pressure. Some retirement fund members had to exit at deeply unfavourable moments.

That is where outcome-based investing becomes more than a technical idea.

It recognises that people do not invest in spreadsheets. They invest through real life, with all its timing, pressure and unpredictability.

A portfolio that chases high returns but leaves investors exposed at the worst possible moments can create real consequences. So the goal is not only to grow wealth, but to manage the path investors take to get there.

4. Why Diversification Still Matters When Markets Feel Noisy

Dwayne explained that each asset class has a role to play.

1. Equities can provide growth.

2. Bonds and money market instruments can provide income and stability.

3. Private markets can offer resilience during certain market conditions.

4. Global exposure can help protect investors from South African-specific shocks.

Together, these pieces are designed to create more balanced portfolios.

This is where the specialist multi-manager approach comes in. Instead of relying on one manager or one style, the team selects different asset managers across different asset classes, while trying to avoid too much overlap in how they invest.

The aim is to make the investor experience smoother over time.

5. Why Good Investing May Be Less About Prediction and More About Discipline

One of the most memorable moments came when Carel asked whether successful investing is less about prediction and more about discipline.

Dwayne’s answer was immediate: yes.

He said something that deserves to sit with investors for a moment: “This is not the Wolf of Wall Street.”

The team does not see itself as a group of investment geniuses trying to predict every market move. They see themselves as investment professionals working through a simple, sensible, repeatable process.

That process includes investment committees, asset allocation committees, manager research, implementation discipline and ongoing debate.

There is room for market views. There is room for discussion. There is room for curiosity. But not every idea needs to find its way into a retirement portfolio.

That may sound less exciting than bold predictions, but it is often the kind of thinking investors need most.

6. What Investors Should Understand About Costs

The webinar also touched on a question many investors quietly wonder about: does using multiple managers make things more expensive?

Dwayne’s answer was thoughtful.

He explained that scale matters. The team manages significant assets across portfolios, which gives them stronger negotiating power when securing fees from asset managers. Retail investors in these AMETFs can benefit from that scale.

He also explained that the specialist multi-manager approach can, in some cases, be cost neutral or even slightly more cost effective compared to traditional balanced fund approaches.

The reason is that different asset classes carry different costs. Growth assets like equities may cost more to manage, while income assets like money markets and bonds may cost less. By building the portfolio more deliberately, the total cost can be managed more efficiently.

That is the kind of investing habit worth building.

7. Why Starting Late Does Not Mean Starting Is Pointless

The conversation then moved into a very real tension.

Many people know they should be saving more for retirement, but life keeps getting in the way. School fees need to be paid. Petrol prices move. Medical costs rise. Household budgets stretch.

Carel raised the frustration many people feel when the retirement industry tells people to save a certain percentage of their salary, as if everyone’s life fits neatly into a planning model.

Dwayne acknowledged the reality, while still making the case for starting.

The earlier you begin, the more time compounding has to work. But starting later does not mean there is no point.

Because shame is a terrible financial teacher. It tends to make people avoid the very decisions that could help them regain confidence.

A better starting point is honesty. What can you do now? What structure can support you? What kind of investment journey fits the stage of life you are actually in?

For some investors, the answer may be retirement annuities. For others, it may be tax-free savings accounts or discretionary investments. The important thing is to begin thinking more intentionally.

8. How Parents Can Think About Investing for Their Children

One of the softer, more personal moments came when Carel asked Dwayne how he thinks about investing as a father.

Dwayne spoke about the power of compounding over a child’s lifetime, and how even smaller contributions can become meaningful when given enough time.

He also mentioned tax-free savings accounts as a powerful option for children, particularly because of the tax benefits on capital gains and interest income.

There was something refreshingly honest in the way he answered. He admitted that opening a tax-free savings account for his daughter is still on his to-do list.

Even investment professionals have admin waiting for them. Even people who understand markets deeply still have to make time for the practical things.

9. What Inflation, Oil Prices and Global Risk Mean for Investors

Because these ETFs are linked to CPI-plus targets, the conversation naturally moved into inflation.

Dwayne spoke about oil prices, global growth, South African inflation and the role of the rand. He explained that oil price shocks can affect inflation, but that the impact depends on how long those higher prices persist and whether they begin to change the global growth picture.

He also made space for uncertainty.

The team may have expectations about oil, inflation and market resilience, but the future is never fully knowable. If conflict escalates or oil prices remain high for longer, the outlook can change.

Good investing is about building portfolios and processes that can respond thoughtfully when conditions change.

10. Why Trust Comes Down to Philosophy, Process and People

Toward the end of the webinar, Care asked a direct question: why should investors trust EasyEquities and these new ETFs with their hard-earned money?

Dwayne’s answer came back to three things: philosophy, process and people.

1. The philosophy is outcome-based investing.

    

2. The process includes diversification, manager selection, asset allocation and committee-based decision-making.

    

3. The people bring experience, discipline and a client-focused culture.

He also made a useful point about choice.

Retail investors often face too many options. Global equity, domestic equity, value equity, balanced funds, brand names, manager styles and product types can start to blur into one intimidating wall of decisions.

Easy 3, Easy 5 and Easy 7 are designed to simplify that.

Shorter-term goals. Medium-term goals. Longer-term goals.

Three products with three outcome targets. A clearer way to think about the journey.

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