INVESTMENTS

Investment Solutions:

Our extensive suite of investment solutions caters to satisfy the needs of a broad spectrum of individual and institutional investors. Irrespective of whether you are an inexperienced first-time investor with a very limited investment vocabulary or a seasoned market participant looking to exploit market inefficiencies – we offer a full spectrum of product solutions, which can be employed individually or in a complimentary arrangement, to best serve the desired outcome.

Through our fully independent investment protocol, we are able to implement strategies via various Linked Investments Services Providers (LISPs) into two broad investment categories:

Discretionary (Voluntary) Investment Products

• Unit Trust Portfolios
• Tax Free Investment Portfolios
• Bespoke or Personalised Share Portfolios

Compulsory (Structured) Investment Products

• New Generation Retirement Annuities
• Living and Life Annuities
• Endowments
• Preservation Provident and Pension Funds
• Guaranteed investment products.

Portfolio Analyses and Reviews
It should also be noted that investment portfolios require ongoing management through regular reviews and a process of ongoing reporting and feedback to investors, especially given the challenging and unique circumstances in respect of our local economy, political developments, the exchange rate as well as the macro-economic backdrop.

At Constans Financial Services we pride ourselves in our investment portfolio review capabilities and more often than not significant improvements can be brought about through simple adjustments to one or more of the following areas:

• Reducing investment administration fees by transferring assets to investment platforms with more competitive pricing structures.
• Providing mandates to reputable and well-established active asset management companies with more attractive asset management fee structures, including new performance-free fee structures and lower operational TERs (Total Expense Ratios).
• Providing mandates to well-established passive asset managers who run passive strategies at a fraction of the cost when compared to more traditional active management styles.
• Reviewing and quantifying the advice fees levied by investment advisory professionals and firms for services rendered to you as the client in terms of the service level agreement and reporting framework.
• Capitalising on, and fully utilising recently launched investment products (like Tax Free Investment Accounts) to drive down and/or further defer investors annual income tax liabilities.

TAX PLANNING

Annual tax planning allows a taxpayer to best employ various tax exemptions, deductions and benefits to minimize their tax liability during a financial year. We are able to extensively advise our clients on various aspects of their personal income tax affairs.

ESTATE PLANNING

We offer a full suite of estate planning services to assist clients in ensuring that their legacy is effected in accordance with their wishes. This includes the drafting of a will and testament to ensure that assets are managed and distributed smoothly and efficiently as well as acting as the executor in administering deceased estates.

LONG TERM INSURANCE

Long-term insurance is insurance that covers individual policyholders and their loved ones against unforeseen and undesired life-changing events such as death, temporary or permanent disability and severe illness diagnosis. An insurance company gives an undertaking to the policyholder (or the beneficiaries of the policyholder) to provide the desired level of benefits should the insured event take place in return for premiums that the policyholder pays to the insurer. These benefits can be structured to be capital or income in nature, or a combination of both over a pre-determined period.

As an independent financial planning company Constans Financial Services offers invaluable advice on new policies and consults in respect of policy management on an ongoing basis.

Generally speaking, long-term insurance benefits can be categorised according to the following four risk-solutions:

• Life Insurance - Life insurance offers the insured individual the opportunity to provide financial security to any third party should he/she pass away.
• Income Protection - Income protection offers individuals the opportunity to insure different spectrums of their net income.
  Should the insured individual become unable to practice their profession, the insurance company will provide him/her with
  their insured salary for a pre-determined period.
• Disability Cover - Disability cover pays out a pre-determined amount (income, capital, or a combination), should the insured
  individual become temporarily or permanently disabled.
• Critical Illness (Severe Illness) Cover - Pays a pre-determined amount to the insured individual should he/she suffer from
  trauma, impairment or a list of severe illnesses covered by the respective insurance companies.

BUSINESS INSURANCE

At Constans Financial Services, we are passionate about helping our clients protect and grow their businesses, as we have been around the block a few times ourselves. Unfortunately many business owners are exposed to grave risk, knowingly or unknowingly, and one single unplanned setback could compromise working capital resulting in a financially vulnerable going concern unable to meet its operational requirements.

Business insurance planning typically pivots around the following aspects:

• Buy and sell agreements entered into between various business stakeholders to ensure a smooth ownership succession process.
• Key man insurance policies to provide business continuity in event of the loss of a key individual.
• Insurance in respect of physical business premises, including theft of fixtures and fittings as well as fire.
• Insurance in respect of business interruptions resulting in compromised revenue or turnover.
• Insurance in respect losses resulting from of theft after forced or violent entry to the business premises.
• Insurance in respect of a loss of goods in transit.
• Insurance in respect of accidental damage not insured under another policy.
• Fidelity insurance in the event of fraud committed by employees.
• Public liability insurance in the event of damage, loss or death caused by an employee to someone else in the course of business.
• Personal accident cover for employees injured in the course of business or otherwise, based on the level of compensation required.
• Insurance for a variety of vehicles employed in the course of business.
• Insurance in respect of the loss of specified computers and electronic equipment caused by events unrelated to theft.
• Accidental damage to machinery and specialist equipment and its resultant business interruption, like the deterioration of stock or loss of billable hours.
• Professional Indemnity insurance cover is designed to indemnify the insured professional against pecuniary losses arising out of a negligent act or error of omission which causes loss to be suffered by a client or third party.

HEALTH INSURANCE

Medical Aid

Health insurance is insurance that covers the whole or part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. By estimating the overall risk of health care and the corresponding health care system expenses, among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure through monthly contributions, to ensure that money is available to pay for the health care benefits specified in the insurance agreement.

We partner with a selection of premium medical aid providers to give you access to a range of hospital plans and more comprehensive medical aid options.

Supplementary Gap and Co-Payment Cover

In certain cases the cost for in-hospital procedures or outpatient treatment may exceed the base medical aid rate. By taking out Supplementary Gap Insurance, you ensure that you and your family aren’t left with a large excess amount to settle.

Constans holds marketing agreements with various well-established medical co-payment insurers so as to be able to provide the most comprehensive supplementary solutions to our health insurance clients.

WELLNESS PROGRAMS

There's nothing more important than our good health - that's our principal capital asset.

Career stress, relationship woes, family trauma, losing your sense of purpose, destructive patterns, or any other issue that life presents will affect your physical health. And your physical health affects your mental health and how you cope with issues. With these everyday health issues in mind, we have seen the likes of a few trend setting insurance companies launching wellness programs which promotes and rewards healthy living through various financial initiatives.

We advise on a number of wellness programs and can assist you in better quantifying the different value propositions in the market to enable you to implement the most appropriate option

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Once you have great employees on board, how do you keep them from jumping ship? One way is by offering a good benefits package.

Many small-business owners mistakenly believe they cannot afford to offer benefits. But while going without benefits may boost your bottom line in the short run, the penny-wise philosophy could strangle your business' chances of long-term prosperity.

At Constans we consult management on the feasibility of offering employee benefits.