From 4 people in a small office to 75 staff and 10 offices
Brenthurst Wealth Management is a South African success story. It grew from 4 people in a small office to 75 staff, including 23 financial advisors, with 10 offices in South Africa and Mauritius.
Brenthurst Wealth was born in 2004. It started with four staff members – Magnus Heystek, Brian Butchart, Sue Heystek, and Celeste Phakathi.
Magnus Heystek said they were lucky to have started the company in 2004. It was at the start of a big bull market in South Africa, bolstered by a big commodity upcycle.
The bull market continued for four to five years, and Brenthurst invested in great funds, including John Biccard’s Value Fund.
Biccard’s fund returned over 40% per year for multiple years. “Our assets grew very quickly,” Heystek said.
This growth ensured that Brenthurst Wealth’s clients achieved strong growth and were happy with the advice they received.
However, the South African bull market ended abruptly with the global financial crisis and Jacob Zuma’s election as president.
The good news for Brenthurst Wealth clients was that Heystek, a former journalist, and his team started to follow local politics and global markets.
They quickly identified structural problems in South Africa, including signs of state capture, political greed, and institutional collapse.
At the same time, the wealth manager identified good investment opportunities in the United States, especially around technology.
To exploit these opportunities, Brenthurst Wealth partnered with some of the world’s biggest fund managers, including Franklin Templeton, Fidelity, and Vanguard.
It also established two offshore funds – the Brenthurst Global Balanced Fund and the Brenthurst Global Equity Fund.
These initiatives ensured that Brenthurst Wealth clients benefitted from the decade-long bull cycle in United States technology shares.
Their exceptional track record helped Brenthurst Wealth to become one of the most successful boutique wealth managers in South Africa.
It manages R17 billion on behalf of its clients and has focused strongly on investing offshore with significant success.
Brenthurst Wealth has been ranked among South Africa’s leading boutique wealth managers for seven consecutive years in the Intellidex Private Bank and Wealth Manager awards.
Daily Investor’s 2024 South African Investor Report further showed that Brenthurst had the strongest brand among boutique wealth managers in South Africa.
Over the last twenty years, Brenthurst Wealth Management grew from a four-person team to a powerhouse in financial advice.
Today, the company has nine offices in South Africa and one in Mauritius, employs 75 staff, and boasts 23 financial advisors.
The company achieved this growth without any hard selling, cold calling, or commission-driven sales.
Heystek said their strategy is simple – “Just plain and solid good investment advice, putting our clients first.”
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