BA, BA Hons (English); Secondary Teacher’s Diploma (STD); BA Hons (Latin); BA Hons (Greek); MA (Latin); DLitt (Greek); Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning (US); CFP®, General Tax Practitioner (SA)™.
Sjarlene has taught at Stellenbosch University for many years. She served as a member of the University council, was a trustee of the University provident fund (USAF) and member of the University committee for medical aid and insurance. Professionally she came late to the financial planning environment, but the enthusiasm for numbers and matters financial has always been there. She has joined the Finfocus team initially as advisor in 2013. Most recently she has shifted her focus to administrative support for Finfocus management. As part of Finfocus X-tra Client Services outreach she is available to help with administrative assistance also to clients. She is passionate about getting the job done, whether to provide regulatory documentation or as general support for management.
Sjarlene is married to Johan Thom and they have two children, Mia and Niël. The family enjoys cooking together, with some members being more gifted in this direction than others. Sjarlene loves reading, travelling, entertaining and walking.
Antoinette has more than 30 years’ experience in the life assurance industry. She spent the first 28 years with corporates and the past two at independent financial adviser firms.
Her past experience at large life assurers has given her valuable insight in how to deal with product providers, financial advisers and clients. She has a passion for client service and it is key to her to deliver such good service that clients will always remember it.
She is the mother of two and the grandmother of three.
B.Comm; Hons B.Comm; MA in Economics (Northwestern, Chicago); Hons B (B&A) (Stellenbosch University); DPhil Business & Commerce (H.C.) (1996); Gerhard completed the Advanced Management Program (Harvard University) in 1987.
Gerhard was born in Cape Town and matriculated in George. He spent his whole working career with Old Mutual during which time he occupied several management positions and retired in 2001 as the Managing Director of Old Mutual South Africa.
He has served as director for various organisations, some of which are Transnet, Nedbank, Imperial Bank, CG Smith, Stellenbosch University and various Old Mutual affiliates in the UK, the Channel Islands, Bermuda and South Africa.
Gerhard is married to Di and they have two sons, three daughters and seven grandchildren. He enjoys reading widely, is a keen traveller, both locally and internationally and he loves relaxing at the family vacation home on the West Coast.
BA – Law & Economics (US); Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning (PGDFP) (UOVS) – 2000; Advanced Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning (UOVS) – 2002; CFP® - 2000
Schalk is one of the founding partners and Managing Director of Finfocus. He started in the industry in 1996 as a broker consultant for Old Mutual after he completed his BA Law and Economics degree at the University of Stellenbosch.
In July 2000 he started consulting with clients directly as part of a team that established the high net worth client advice arm of Old Mutual. He realised early on the need for true independent advice and became an independent financial advisor in November 2001.
He completed both his Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning and the Advanced Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning (Investments) at the University of Free State. He is a practicing CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional.
He has a holistic approach to financial planning and takes trouble in developing a personalised financial plan based on the needs of his clients. This approach presupposes that he sees individual clients regularly whether they are based in the immediate vicinity (Franschhoek, Stellenbosch, Somerset West, Strand), slightly further afield (in Durbanville, Cape Town and Century City) or even in the Pretoria-Johannesburg area. This personal contact ensures that his clients can rest assured that any financial action that they take, is taken into account and that their financial allocations are optimised and correctly applied.
He also advises on business assurance and markets employee benefits for small to medium companies.
BA (US) – 1977 ; HDB (US) – 1978 ; ILPA (UOVS) – 1994 ; CFP® - 1994 - 2020
Amy is a founding partner and Director of Finfocus. She was the Managing Director from 2003 – 2018 and a practicing CERTIFIED FINANCIAL ADVISER until 2020.
She is 95% retired and is now the financial adviser to a limited number of clients – mostly family - and do not accept any new clients.
BA (US) – 1982; Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning (PGDFP) (US) – 2006; CFP® - 2007
Callie grew up in Springbok where he matriculated in 1972. After completing his BA degree at Stellenbosch University he joined Old Mutual in Stellenbosch as a Financial Adviser. During his 25 years with Old Mutual he won various International Quality Awards for client service and he also managed a team of seven advisers.
Since joining Finfocus in 2003 as a partner and company Director, he completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Practitioner. Callie gained experience as an Associated Member of the Professional Risk Analysis Practitioner Association (PRAPA), an independent Broker Network that provides business owners with a holistic analysis and an in-depth audit of all aspects of business risks.
Callie has a keen interest in investment-, retirement- and estate planning and enjoys working with older clients. He also likes to develop individual financial plans for the younger generation that will help them realize their financial dreams.
He believes new generation risk products providing cover against severe illnesses and frail care, even after retirement, should form part of a holistic financial plan. He encourages his younger clients to start investing from an early age for adequate retirement provision.
Callie likes to play golf and to spend time with his family and friends.
It brings him joy to know that he has contributed in a positive way to a client’s personal well-being.
BA (UNW) - 1984; Higher Certificate in STI (NQF5) (LIISA) - 2013
Ella obtained the B.A. degree from the University of Northwest and afterwards worked for an insurance company for 20 years in different capacities. As Broker Consultant for 2 years, 12 years as Underwriter and 6 years as Underwriting Manager. This puts her in the fortunate position of knowing what insurance companies’ expectations are. She joined the Finfocus team in 2006 as the company’s short term advisor. She obtained her Higher Certificate in Short Term Insurance (NQF5) with distinction and was accepted as Licenciate of the Insurance Institute of South Africa.
Ella does not have preferences regarding her client base and treats all clients with equal respect and attention. Her team consists of an assistant, Gerhard Olivier and you, the client. Without you there is no team. Our team wants to solve your problem, provide you with the best options available in the market and suitable to your particular needs. Ella’s clients are based all over the Boland Stellenbosch-Somerset West districts and the Winelands area. The claims process is always an area of inconvenience, therefore we strive to make your claims experience as painless as possible. For you, we will walk the extra mile and it really helps that Ella knows the area where her clients live.
We stay on top of new developments in the insurance market and increase our knowledge and expertise by attending courses and workshops. Knowledge empowers us to ensure that you benefit from your short term insurance experience.
Ella loves her challenging career, but as with all balanced environments, it is not all hard work and no play. Just like you, she needs to take time out every now and then just to recharge the batteries and refocus. Ella found that painting, writing and reading “beams her up Scotty” to another universe and “may the force be with us then”.
Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning (PGDFP) (US) – 2018; CFP® 2019.
After living in the UK for almost 10 years, Willem and his family decided to move back to South Africa. He joined Finfocus in June 2016 and has a real passion for assisting individuals and businesses with their financial planning needs. He has been very involved with his growing client base in Cape Town, Durbanville, Paarl, Somerset West and Stellenbosch area, as well as the Winelands in general.
Willem holds certificates in Higher Financial Planning (NQF5), Advanced Financial Planning (NQF6) and Financial Management (UNISA) and completed his Post GraduateDiploma in Financial Planning at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) and his CFP® in 2019. Willem believes in independent financial advice and can assist his clients with investments, individual and business risk planning, estate and retirement planning, employer benefits, medical aid and gap cover.
Willem enjoys running, mountain biking and spending time with his wife and 2 children.
Plan – We ‘plan’ our lives on an everyday basis. If you want to plan for your future you need a financial plan that was created, taking your needs and abilities into consideration. We have to plan for life changing events (injury, illness, hospitalisation, etc.), the house or car we want to buy and retirement.
Protect – We protect ourselves and our loved ones by locking our doors, fastening our seat belts, having medical aid, severe illness cover and most importantly protecting our biggest asset, our ability to earn an income.
Provide – When we start our working life, we start to provide. We need to ensure that we can pay our daily expenses for example rent, mortgage, children’s education, food on the table, etc. and look at the financial impact it would have if one or both ‘providers’ fall away.
Prosper – by planning, protecting and providing we enable ourselves to prosper. We all want to be in a good financial position during our lifetime and especially at retirement.
LL B (2014); LL M (2015); Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning (2017); CFP® (2018); Post Graduate Diploma in Estate Planning (2019); CFA® (2022)
CJ grew up on a farm near Piet Plessis, a very small town in the North West province. He obtained a law degree and did his Master’s degree in the law of contracts. He is also an admitted attorney and lectured at the University of the Free State. CJ is a proud CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Practitioner.
In his pursuit for knowledge to better advise his clients he obtained the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
He is a committed individual and strives to provide his clients with the best possible advice and expertise. CJ has a holistic and comprehensive approach to financial planning and always places the client’s needs and interests first.
He is passionate about investments and the behavioural aspects of investing, estate planning, tax planning and all personal risk management aspects.
He is a loving husband, a proud father of three sons and an avid sportsman.
LLB (US) - 1995; Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning (PGDFP) (UOVS) – 2001; and CFP® - 2001.
Andries was born and raised in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. After his national service he found his way down to Stellenbosch where he obtained B Comm and LLB degrees in 1993 and 1995.
He qualified as a practising attorney but after a short legal career joined Sanlam Trust as an Estate and Trust Consultant in 2000.
He obtained his Certificate in Financial Planning in 2001 and he has been a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioner ever since.
Whilst being head of Sales Support at Sanlam Trust, he decided to transfer to Glacier Financial Services in 2008 where he spend the next 7 years as a product specialist in the investment platform business of Sanlam.
He left the corporate world in 2015 to pursue a career as financial adviser in the Sanlam Group. In January 2017 he joined Finfocus where he actively tends to his clients who are mainly based in the Stellenbosch, Somerset West, Durbanville and Winelands areas. He joined Finfocus in January 2017.
Andries believes that any savings is the result of disciplined sacrifices made by the individual and therefore deserves dedicated and specialist attention, regardless of the amount involved.
He has a special interest in getting clients to save enough to be able to retire with dignity. The correct combination of investment “vehicles” and portfolio construction are key elements together with the quantum of the savings.
Andries is married to Francien, a radiologist. They have two children. He loves the outdoors, traveling and mountain biking.
B COMM in Financial Planning (US) – 2010; Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning (PGDFP) (US) – 2012; CFP® – 2014.
Elzanne started working at Finfocus in January 2011. She obtained a B.Comm Financial Planning degree at the University of Stellenbosch and a Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB). She is a qualified CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioner and successfully completed the first level of the Regulatory Exams as required by FAIS legislation.
Her dream is to help others with their financial planning in order for them to sustain a better lifestyle. She believes that a Financial Adviser can add significant value to clients’ lives by thoroughly considering every aspect of their financial position, constructing a suitable financial plan for them and helping them make informed decisions. Elzanne works in close partnership with Schalk van Niekerk to service his clients effectively.
BComm Management Science (2018);
Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning (2021)
Qualifying Certified Financial Planner practitioner board-exams passed (2022)
Carl spent much of his life in Stellenbosch, where he attended school at Paul Roos Gymnasium and went on to complete his BComm Management Science degree at Stellenbosch University. After graduating in 2018 Carl completed his Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning at Milpark. At the end of 2022 he passed his qualifying CFP® board-exams. At present he is working under supervision as a financial planner after which period he will be a designated CFP® practitioner.
Carl joined Finfocus at the beginning of 2022 and believes that proper financial planning can have a big impact on how comfortably a person lives and retires. He aims to contribute to a client’s ability to plan for and master unexpected events, as well as to making sufficient preparation for a comfortable retirement.
Carl has a keen interest in investments and believes in independent financial advice where each client receives a solution based on their individual needs.
When he is not in the office, he enjoys spending his time outdoors taking part in extreme sports, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Bcom degree in Financial Management (US – 2020)
Currently doing Post Grad Diploma in Financial Planning (NQF Level 8) – Milpark business school
Andrea started as a Para Planner at Finfocus in 2021. She is working closely alongside Willem Mans to gain the necessary experience and to support clients. She enjoys learning about all the different aspects of financial planning and hopes one day to become an adviser too. She has started her Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning with the goal of becoming a qualified CFP®. Andrea has always been interested in the financial planning industry and believes it can have a huge impact on and add significant value to a client’s life/lifestyle.
Andrea grew up in Bloemfontein and although it’s far from home, she loves living in Stellenbosch. She enjoys keeping busy in her free time and loves spending her time with friends and family.