Your future is yours to create

Wealth Creation

Wealth Creation
Budget | Plan | Invest | Protect
Wealth creation refers to the processes, plans, savings and investments that you make to ensure that you accumulate enough capital to realize your dreams, to provide for you and your loved ones’ needs and lead a comfortable life. It also entails the accumulating of enough capital to sustain your life style and standard of living after retirement and the ability to build a healthy estate to be inherited.

In order to do this successfully it is necessary to know what you are spending your monthly income on, which expenses need to be paid every month or quarter or annually and how much you have to save to be able to pay for these expenses. It is necessary to budget for expenses as well as for the realization of your dreams – be it a car, to have your own home, to go on a special holiday, to pay for children’s education or to start your own business. Set your financial goals and act accordingly.

A dream will stay a mere dream unless you make it a goal with a plan and a deadline. Consult us to help you with your budgeting and to set your savings and investment plan in action in order to achieve your financial goals in such a way that you are also protected against paying unnecessary taxes or completely losing your savings in the event of misfortune.
Investment Strategy and Focus Portfolios Read More
Finfocus’s investment clients can choose between bespoke investment portfolios and our Focus range of model portfolios.

WHAT IS A BESPOKE PORTFOLIO?
An investment is bespoke when the client wants an investment portfolio constructed just for him/her and it usually includes funds that the investor prefers.

WHAT IS A MODEL PORTFOLIO?
A model portfolio consists of a combination of funds used to achieve a specific outcome for example CPI + 4% per annum. Research is done on various funds. Combinations are tested in different ways to determine the fund choice and the percentage allocation to each fund in the model portfolio in order to achieve a specific outcome.

The Focus range of model portfolios are Wrap funds, meaning a combination of different funds managed by different Fund managers, strategically structured based on asset allocation principles, investment style, volatility and consistency of performance. They aim to achieve certain investment goals. The Fund managers (for example Allan Gray, Coronation, Prudential, Investec, PSG) are still the same asset managers we have entrusted with our client's money in the past. We have just taken our tried and tested investment approach and translated it into different Focus model portfolios. These Focus model portfolios can be used in different combinations and applied across different clients’ investment profiles to achieve different outcomes.

WHAT IT IS NOT
It is not a Fund of Funds, where your money is invested in a registered unit trust managed by Finfocus. We therefore do not hold your money.

WHY WE OFFER THE FOCUS RANGE OF MODEL PORTFOLIOS
We offer the Focus range of model portfolios because we are a fairly large team of advisers and we want to ensure that clients can expect consistency of returns on investments and advice given. We aim to ensure sustainability of service irrespective of employee changes and business risk management associated with a growing staff compliment.

The Focus portfolios are constructed by the three members of Finfocus’s Investment Committee. The two shareholders of Finfocus (Amy van Niekerk, Schalk van Niekerk) are members of the Investment Committee and are skilled investment advisers with combined experience of 56 years in the advice and investment environment. The Investment Committee is assisted by the Mi-Plan analysts and research team. Through Mi-Plan we have access to sophisticated analysis and modelling tools and it also brings a scientific approach to our Focus portfolio construction. All our advisers are kept up to date with any changes made to the portfolios, receive training on the funds used within the portfolios, and engage with the Investment Committee on a regular basis. More importantly, our advisers are also trained on how to combine the Focus portfolios to align with a specific client’s personal needs and expectations.

MODEL PORTFOLIO COSTING
Our Focus model portfolio's costing is transparent. We specifically use the cheapest fund classes available for the funds within our Focus portfolios. We include passive/index funds where sensible with a view to enhance performance and further reduce fees.

Mi-Plan charges a fee of 0.1% per annum for technical and analytical research, as well as the administration of the Focus range of portfolios, on behalf of Finfocus, on the investment platforms of various product providers. The administrative services include a discretionary mandate. This means, that should the investment committee deem it necessary to amend the portfolios, it can be done without requiring each client to sign documents. This could reduce downside exposure and protect client investments against unnecessary delays caused by required documentation. Clients therefore have to sign a mandate to enable Mi-Plan to deliver the administrative services.

FREEDOM OF CHOICE
Clients can request bespoke portfolios and are not restricted to our Focus portfolios. They can even combine some of the Focus portfolios with funds of their choice. We encourage clients and advisers to use the model portfolios to ensure the equitable treatment of all clients and similar investment returns when dealing with Finfocus.

We believe that the use of the Focus range of model portfolios will also give our clients peace of mind that even in the event of an adviser retiring, dying or leaving Finfocus, they will still experience the same service, expertise and management of their investments.

Quarterly fund reports are available to all our clients who invest in one or more of the Focus portfolios

 

Investment Strategy

 

Investment

( Return )

Objective

 

Investment time for objectives to be achieved

 

Benchmark

 

Risk Profile

 

Regulation 28 Compliant

 

Volatility

Focus Fixed Income Portfolio

Cash Plus

2 years

STeFI

Conservative

Yes

Low

Focus Cautious Portfolio

CPI+2-3%

2 – 3 years

CPI+2%

Moderate Conservative

Yes

Low

Focus Defensive Growth Portfolio

CPI+4-5%

4 - 5 years

CPI+4%

Moderate

Yes

Medium

Focus Balanced Growth Portfolio

CPI+5-6%

6 - 7 years

CPI+5%

Moderate Aggressive

Yes

Medium

Focus Future Wealth Portfolio

Capital Growth

8 years plus

60% SA General Equity Sector; 35% SA Multi-Asset Flexible Sector; 5% SA Real Estate General Sector

Aggressive

No

High

Focus Global Growth Portfolio

Capital Growth

8 years plus

50% Global Equity General Sector; 50% Global Multi-Asset Flexible Sector

Aggressive

No

High

Contact Us
Budget for your needs and responsibilities Read More
It is important to budget in order to determine how much money is needed for recurring necessary expenses – for example housing, food, electricity and water, levies, school fees, tv license, car payments, fuel and maintenance of your vehicle, medical aid and expenses, communication via phone and internet, retirement fund and taxes as well as monthly payment of accounts.

Also write down your wants – those things that you would like to spend money on like clothes, gardening, cleaning services, entertainment, an annual holiday etc. Remember that you have to make provision and set aside money for your NEEDS first and only then can you spend money on your WANTS. People too often cater for their WANTS before their NEEDS and then fall into a debt trap. Contact us to help you set up and maintain a budget if you are uncertain how to implement it.

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Plan and invest for your retirement Read More
Only 6 % of South Africans are financially independent in retirement. The majority (94%) have to rely on financial support from family and state. If you want to be part of the 6%, then you have to start putting away money for retirement when you start your first job. It might seem unimportant to the young to do that, but remember that sophisticated medical services and research contribute to the ever increasing life span of the human race leading to increasing medical expenses in your old age. You are likely to be retired for almost as long as you have been in employment or actively working to earn an income.

The longer you postpone to start saving for your retirement, the bigger the percentage of your income you will have to save, to be able to live well after retirement. It also becomes more likely that you will be dependent on others or have a drastically reduced standard of living after retirement.

The new generation retirement annuities still remains a very tax efficient and effective way of building a retirement fund. Fixed deposits, bonds, tax free savings accounts, unit trusts, property and direct investments in shares and offshore investments are all investment instruments that can be included and utilized in a retirement plan.

Contact us to help you plan and invest for retirement, to guide you along the way and review your retirement planning on a regular basis and adjust as needed.

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Save for your dreams and leisure Read More
A dream will stay a mere dream unless you make it a goal with a plan and a deadline. Prevent your dreams from remaining mere dreams. Visualize them and then share them with us. Together we can determine how much it will cost you and help you set up a savings and investment plan, implement it for you and encourage you along the way in order to reach your goal and realize your dreams. Bank deposits, tax free savings accounts, investments in unit trusts or directly in shares, retirement annuities, off shore investments and property, are options to create wealth.

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Provide for your children’s education Read More
When you decided to have a child you took on a responsibility for life – a financial one till adulthood of your child and a life-long emotional one.

Although we see regular protests and pleas for free education, that seems highly unlikely in our still developing country with its limited tax base and extensive needs. It is a good idea to start saving for your child’s education as soon as possible after birth. The monthly savings burden will then be less and you will have had time to accumulate and grow this fund for when you need to pay school fees and educational expenses. Post matric training and education remain expensive and great care should be taken to build up at least a nest egg to either pay for, or supplement a student loan or bursary.

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Protect your wealth – Avoid unnecessary tax Read More
As your investments and wealth increase, you need to pay more and more attention to tax planning. Let us help you to set tax efficient investments in place from the beginning, structure your investments along the way to prevent you from paying unnecessary tax and to protect your wealth during your life and after your death. It is after all money that you worked and saved for in a disciplined manner. You and your loved ones should be able to reap the optimal benefits thereof.

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Product Partners and Investment Options Read More
We focus on making investments as cost and tax effective as possible.

We advise on and market the following investment products:
Investment platforms
Unit trusts
Living annuities and conventional/guaranteed annuities/pensions
Retirement annuities
Sinking funds for trusts and businesses
Endowment policies
Money market funds and fixed deposits
Tax free savings accounts

We hold contracts for local and offshore investments with:
AIMS – Absa Investment Management Services
Allan Gray
Coronation
Investec Asset Management and Investec Bank
Liberty
Marriott
Momentum and Momentum Wealth
Nedgroup Investments
Old Mutual and Old Mutual Wealth
PPS Investments
PSG
Prudential
Sanlam and Sanlam Glacier

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Dr Sjarlene
Thom CFP®

Qualifications

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)™.

Background

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
Coulson

Background

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.