Octagon Financial Services has officially come of age! As we look back over the past 18 years, we see we have a lot to celebrate: our successes, our learnings, our clients and our partners who have been with us every step of the way.

Our firm has grown and evolved during this time too, and we celebrate the input and contribution of every team member who has helped to grow Octagon into what it is today.

As with any business, but perhaps more so with one rooted in the soils of the constantly shifting South African financial services landscape, there have been challenging times. However, as Octagon, we have always aligned ourselves with the principles of playing the long game, and staying focused on the end goal.

That has been our ethos from the very beginning and one we still subscribe to today, both within our business and in the advice we give our clients when it comes to prudently managing their investments.

2021 was another challenging year for South Africa, but despite the economic uncertainty, prolonged lockdown and loadshedding, the economy fared better than expected. Our offshore and local portfolios had a very good year, in line with global markets. Viewing this year’s market performance in the context of the last five years, it once again points to the importance of remaining invested for the long term. Switching investment strategies under conditions such as these is never a good idea, and we’re proud to say our clients’ portfolios performed better than many others due to our consistent approach over the years.

It’s difficult to say what 2022 will bring. Less restrictive lockdowns could be on the horizon, which bodes well for the local economy, but increased loadshedding, stretched municipal finances and failing municipal infrastructure, and supply chain problems could undermine these gains.

We are grateful our firm has managed to successfully navigate the choppy waters of the 2020/21 period, and that we are here today to celebrate our 18th birthday.

Thank you to you, our clients and partners, for your ongoing support. Thank you to our phenomenal back office and their persistent hard work in keeping the wheels turning. Finally, thank you to our incredible team of wealth navigators for helping us steer the Octagon ship.

Here’s to the next 18 years.

L’chaim!

Menachem Kay