What Is an Individually Managed Account?

An individually managed account is an investment account managed in your name, where you directly own the underlying shares, bonds, or other assets. Hosted by trusted partner custodians, it gives you access to industry-leading technology and a wide array of investments — including shares, ETFs, structured products, and even unit trusts.

You receive monthly statements and online account access as standard, giving you transparency and control over what you own and why. Unlike pooled vehicles such as unit trusts, a segregated portfolio can be built around your goals, tax profile, and preferences.

Structuring Options to Fit Your Needs

How the portfolio is held and funded can be customised:

  • Ownership Flexibility: Portfolios can be held in the name of an individual, trust, or company.
  • Investment Wrappers: For added tax efficiency or estate planning benefits, your portfolio can be housed within a local endowment or offshore policy—without losing the ability to hold a direct JSE or global share portfolio.
  • Offshore Funding: Offshore portfolios can be funded via asset swap or directly under South Africa’s Single Discretionary Allowance and Foreign Investment Allowance.

Why Choose a Bespoke Portfolio?

For investors with meaningful capital to allocate, how you structure your portfolio matters. An individually managed account offers advantages that pooled investments can’t always match:

  • Personalisation: Built around your objectives, risk appetite, and tax circumstances.
  • Transparency: Direct ownership of securities with full visibility into each position.
  • Tax Efficiency: Realised gains are managed in line with your financial plan—not dictated by inflows, redemptions, or mandate constraints.

Explore whether a bespoke portfolio is right for you.

Speak to an advisor to see how this approach could support your long-term goals.

Flexibility for Long-Term Investors

Because segregated portfolios are not bound by the same regulatory limits on position sizes or asset allocation as pooled funds, they provide the freedom to:

  • Hold higher-conviction positions for longer (and at higher weightings),
  • Adjust allocations to match your needs, and
  • Avoid forced trading driven by other investors’ activity.

This supports a patient, fundamentals-driven approach—anchored in the principle Charlie Munger captured so well:

“The big money is not in the buying and the selling, but in the waiting.”

A Portfolio Built Your Way

Your mandate defines your strategy:

  • South African, offshore, or a blend: Focus on JSE-listed investments, global markets, or a combination that reflects your outlook.
  • Growth, income, or both: Position for capital appreciation, dependable income, or a balance that evolves with your goals.

Stay Focused on What Matters

A segregated portfolio allows for valuation-driven investing: adding to conviction when opportunities arise, trimming risk when appropriate, and remaining invested in businesses that compound value over time.

Explore a Bespoke Investment Strategy

Your portfolio should reflect your goals, not someone else’s. With an Individually Managed Account, you gain direct ownership, full transparency, and the freedom to invest with purpose. Let Cratos Asset Management help you structure a portfolio around your long-term vision — locally or globally.

Speak to an advisor today and discover if a bespoke investment solution is right for you.

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