Allan Gray Endowment
If your marginal income tax rate is higher than 30% and you want to benefit from tax savings, you can use an endowment for your long-term savings goals. It is also a useful product for estate planning purposes.
Your investment is into your choice of unit trusts.
The income tax rate in an endowment is fixed at 30%, which means that if your income tax rate is more than 30%, your returns will be taxed at a lower rate.
Your beneficiaries can receive your investment immediately and there are no executor's fees.
Reasons an endowment may not be suitable for you
- If your income is taxed at less than 30%, you will be taxed more in an endowment than in a plain unit trust investment.
- During the first five years of your investment, known as the restriction period, you may only make one withdrawal. However, when you are not in a restriction period, you may withdraw from your investment at any time, or schedule regular withdrawals.
- Your five-year restriction period may be extended if you invest more over one year than 120% of your investments over either of the past two years.
Choose a unit trust that suits your needs
Your investment returns come from the unit trusts you choose. When choosing a unit trust, there is a trade-off between higher potential return on the one hand, and stability and lower risk on the other.
Potential for higher long-term return, with more significant fluctuation that could last for many years.
Our flagship long-term unit trust. Steady long-term return with moderate fluctuation.
Less fluctuation with above-inflation return. There may be some fluctuation within a two-year period.
Most stability with higher return than bank deposits. May not beat inflation over time but is suitable for short-term needs.
Other unit trust options
We are currently limiting allocations to offshore assets for Endowment accounts as Allan Gray Life Limited is near to its offshore asset allowance as regulated by the South African Reserve Bank. For more information, please click here.
If you would like offshore exposure, you can invest in the Allan Gray-Orbis rand-denominated offshore unit trusts. These are listed in the “local unit trusts” section on our Latest prices, factsheets and performance page.
We also have specialist unit trusts (the Allan Gray SA Equity Fund, the Allan Gray Bond Fund and the Allan Gray Optimal Fund), which may be more suitable for experienced investors who are comfortable building their own investment portfolio.
If you want to include diversification in your investment strategy, you may also want to invest in unit trusts from other investment managers.