November offers an opportunity to bring men’s health and wellbeing into sharper focus and encourage conversations that can sometimes be difficult to start. From testicular and prostate cancer to mental wellbeing and the pressures of work and family responsibilities. While many men are focused on their work, relationships, families and future plans, their own health can sometimes take a back seat.
An unexpected cancer diagnosis, prolonged illness or mental health challenge can affect far more than physical and emotional wellbeing. It can disrupt earning capacity, place pressure on household finances and debt repayments, and affect long-term family goals. Recognising health concerns early, seeking appropriate support and having a financial plan that accounts for life’s uncertainties are important steps towards protecting both personal wellbeing and family security. Looking after yourself is an important part of looking after the people who depend on you.
“Most of us have a plan for the future we hope to have,” says Ross McMillan, Financial Adviser at Momentum Financial Planning. “Far fewer have a plan for the future they hope to avoid. Yet the single biggest asset in many households isn’t the house or the retirement fund. It’s the ability to keep earning an income.”
Men’s health deserves more attention than it often receives. According to Statistics South Africa’s 2025 mid-year estimates, life expectancy at birth is 64 years for men, compared with 69.6 years for women. Many men put off check-ups, ignore early warning signs, and carry stress silently rather than talking about it and seeking help to address it.
The same instinct shows up in their finances. Conversations about debt, inadequate savings, or gaps in cover get postponed, because acknowledging them can feel like admitting weakness. “The pressure to appear strong and in control is real,” says McMillan. “But avoiding a difficult conversation doesn’t make the risk go away. It just means the family carries it without knowing.”
When the provider can’t provide
The financial consequences of a health setback can be significant. A serious illness, a disability, or a long period off work can reduce or stop an income, while medical costs, debt repayments, school fees, and everyday expenses keep coming.
The scale of the risk is clear. The Association for Savings and Investment South Africa’s (ASISA) 2025 Insurance Gap Study estimates that South Africa’s 16.1 million formally employed income earners have a combined life and disability insurance shortfall of R50.4 trillion. On average, existing cover would provide only 39% of the income their families would need if they died or became disabled. If an earner becomes disabled, the average household supported by that income would have to cut its living expenses by up to 37% if no other source of income was found.
“That doesn’t mean every health challenge leads to financial hardship,” says McMillan. “But it does mean that a plan built only on accumulating wealth can be surprisingly fragile. Retirement savings can be raided, investments sold at the wrong time, and debt can quickly pile up when an income stops.”
Asking a different question
This is where financial advice changes the conversation. Instead of asking only how much a man wants to save or invest, a financial adviser asks: what would happen to your financial plan if your health changed tomorrow?
A good adviser will help work through practical questions, such as how many months your household could cover its expenses without your income, which debts would become a burden, and how they could be reduced or restructured now. You should also consider who depends on you, including children, a spouse, parents or extended family, and what would they need. Would your retirement savings stay on track if you had to stop contributing for a period? Are your will, beneficiary nominations, and existing cover up to date, and do they reflect your current responsibilities?
“The point of the exercise isn’t to sell a product,” says McMillan. “It’s to identify where a plan is vulnerable and decide, with the full picture in front of you, how much risk you’re comfortable carrying and what you want to protect.”
Seeking advice, whether from a doctor or a financial adviser, is not a sign of weakness but rather one of the most responsible decisions a provider can make. Building an emergency fund, managing debt, reviewing protection, and planning for dependants all strengthen a family’s ability to cope with the unexpected.
“Being a provider isn’t only about what you earn today,” says McMillan. “It’s about making sure the people who depend on you are looked after, even if your circumstances change.”
This Movember, don’t just book a health check; book a financial one too. Because the most important question isn’t whether you have a plan for your family’s future. It’s whether that plan still works if you’re no longer able to provide.
