For many South Africans, life is a balancing act. The Competition Commission’s September 2025 Cost of Living report found that the average worker spends over 57% of their income on transport and electricity. It’s easy to see why financial planning and saving may feel like luxuries.

The Two-Pot system has been a step in the right direction: it gives South Africans access to a portion of their savings in case of emergency, while preserving the retirement pot and thereby helping South Africans save more. So, what have we learnt a year in? How can employers help improve preservation rates? And what can neuroscience offer when it comes to understanding why people make the choices they make?

The Big Business Insights podcast, hosted by Blessing Utete, the Commercial Executive Head at Old Mutual Corporate, has some answers. Blessing is joined by neuroscience change specialist and CEO of the Neuroscience Institute for Business, Dr Charlene Heyns-Nell, as well as Michelle Acton, Chief Customer Officer at Old Mutual Corporate, whose work involves research and insights, customer engagement, education, data and reporting.

They explain what drives employees’ decisions around retirement contributions, delving into the complex emotional and cognitive parts of the process, and what kinds of rewards drive certain behaviours depending on the individual’s personality type.

The episode also covers what successful communication looks like in a local context, and what kind of messaging by employers inspires positive action by employees.

Tune in to understand more about how behavioural science and retirement policy intersect, while looking at what can be done from the top down to encourage better financial preservation.