Asset management is key to long-term financial planning

In an effort to make life better, Zimnat offers services essential for prudent wealth management, from insuring wealth to providing shortterm financing solutions and long-term financial planning.

LONG-TERM financial planning is a rich discipline with a myriad of tools. Asset management is one of the key tools at one's disposal in the quest for long-term financial planning.

The asset manager's goal is to protect and grow the client's wealth through investment vehicles in equities, fixed income securities, property and other structured investments. The mysterious science behind it is simply in-depth analysis of economic and political information that allows for efficient allocation of capital.

Pension funds and corporates are usually familiar with the need for long-term financial planning.

Pensioners should be able to comfortably live off the income from their annuity for the rest of their life (if they've put enough money into it).

Providing this level of financial security for ordinary people is a pension fund's primary aim and, in the current climate, a serious investment challenge.

For corporates, capital accumulation is important for business expansion. It is required to support the process of establishing new subsidiaries and building them into successful entities that can provide them with a strong return on their investment.

Zimnat Asset Management provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and advisory services to pension funds, life assurance companies and corporate companies, as well as high net worth individuals and families.

Each client's investments are managed according to a specific strategy, which is extensively discussed and reviewed periodically to align the client's portfolio and investment objectives.

Unlike the entities mentioned above, ordinary individuals are usually not inclined to think in terms of long-term financial planning.

When they do, investing and savings are viewed as the same thing.

Savings are part of one's income set aside in one's bank account or under one's pillow or as contributions to a savings club for spending at a future date.

However, investments are savings that generate returns through, for instance, dividends, interest or rentals. Investments, when managed correctly, increase in value over time, allowing one to sell at a profit.

Individual investment contributes to financial security and independence. It allows one to build wealth faster and thereby attain certain goals, such as buying a home, saving for retirement or starting a business.

Ordinary individuals are hesitant to invest, because investment tends to be associated with large sums of money.

Unit trusts are investment vehicles that pool investors' money into a single fund, which is managed by a fund manager. It does not matter how much an individual investor contributes to the fund pool. It can be as little as $150.

Zimnat Asset Management oper- ates several unit trust funds that offer exposure to money market instruments, quoted equities and bonds.

Management of risk is an important factor in long-term financial planning.

It not only considers economic funda- mentals but the political environment, international relations, the corporate governance practices of listed companies and changes in investment regulations, as well as the social responsibility of the individual or corporation with the wealth.

Zimnat Asset Management continually assesses client portfolios to ensure they are structured according to the under- lying risk appetite of each client, with the ultimate objective of hedging against potential capital loss.

In a nutshell, whether you are an indi- vidual or corporation, an asset manager will aid you in achieving your long-term financial goals.

Zimnat Asset Management provides innovative investment solutions aimed at meeting the wide-ranging requirements of its clients.

Zimnat is a diversified financial group made up of four business units, namely Zimnat General Insurance, Zimnat Life Assurance, Zimnat Financial Services and Zimnat Asset Management. It is associated with Sanlam, which is the largest non-banking financial services group on the continent.