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Everest Strategic Income Review
Why this has been my preferred income product for voluntary investment clients — and why more than 90% of my first investors chose to renew.
By AS Brokers CC | FSP 17273 | April 2026
Six Reasons I Recommend This Product
These are not marketing points. They are the practical realities I noticed when I first examined this product, and that I revisit with every client conversation.
Whether a president declares war, an aircraft flies into a building, or global markets collapse overnight, the monthly return does not move. 12.8% per annum, paid as 1.07% every month. My clients sleep knowing exactly what arrives in their account.
As advisors we are not permitted to make fund selections on behalf of clients — yet many products implicitly ask us to do exactly that. Everest removes that burden entirely. No fund switches, no quarterly portfolio decisions, no rebalancing conversations.
Traditional portfolio management demands quarterly reviews, performance discussions and ongoing repositioning. With Everest, once the investment is placed it does precisely what it promises. That frees up meaningful time for both advisor and client.
Every rand the client invests goes to work in the fund from day one. Not a cent is deducted at entry. Our commissions are paid by Everest — not from the client's capital. I encourage every prospective client to go and check what their current advisor is taking at entry.
Returns are declared as dividends, attracting Dividend Withholding Tax at 20% — not marginal income tax rates. For high-net-worth retired clients who may sit in the 41–45% tax bracket, this is a material difference in what actually reaches their account each month.
Clients who hold for the full five-year term receive an additional 10% special dividend — a built-in hedge against purchasing-power erosion. It rewards patience and long-term thinking, which is exactly what sound financial planning should encourage.
The proof is in the renewals. My first clients' five-year terms have now matured. More than 90% chose to reinvest with Everest. Their reason was simple: punctual, fixed income arriving in their accounts every single month, without fail. When a product does exactly what it promises, clients do not leave.
Regulatory note: AS Brokers CC holds the required Category 1.8 Financial Services Provider licence (FSP 17273) to advise on and distribute Everest Wealth's unlisted preference shares.
About Everest Wealth Management
Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Centurion, South Africa, Everest Wealth Management (Pty) Ltd is a registered Financial Services Provider with the FSCA (FSP 795 — Cat I, II & IIA). The firm specialises in portfolio investment and wealth management for trusts, companies and individuals, with a philosophy of promoting stable and secure investments.
With over two decades in operation and assets under management currently reported at approximately R2.17 billion, Everest Wealth has delivered a consistent return in every month since inception in May 2016. Its Strategic Income Portfolio is structured through Laudian Investment Holdings (LIH), a private, unlisted special-purpose holdings group managing a diversified private-equity book across ten sectors of the South African economy.
How the Strategic Income Portfolio Works
Investors purchase preference shares in the fund rather than units in a traditional collective investment scheme. Returns are declared as dividends — not interest — and paid on an after-tax basis monthly, typically between the 1st and 8th of each month.
“The fund has produced consistent returns since inception in May 2016, not fluctuating due to any economic and other external events.” — Everest Wealth Fund Fact Sheet, June 2024
Key Product Features
Estimated Income Reference Table
All figures are illustrative estimates net of 20% Dividend Withholding Tax, at 12.8% p.a. The 5-year total includes the 10% full-term bonus (also net of DWT). Actual returns are fixed annually and may vary. This is not a guarantee of future income.
| Investment | Monthly Net | Annual Net | 5-Year Net + Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| R 100,000 | R 853 | R 10,240 | R 59,200 |
| R 250,000 | R 2,133 | R 25,600 | R 148,000 |
| R 500,000 | R 4,267 | R 51,200 | R 296,000 |
| R 750,000 | R 6,400 | R 76,800 | R 444,000 |
| R 1,000,000 | R 8,533 | R 102,400 | R 592,000 |
| R 2,000,000 | R 17,067 | R 204,800 | R 1,184,000 |
| R 5,000,000 | R 42,667 | R 512,000 | R 2,960,000 |
Monthly net = (Investment × 12.8% × 80%) ÷ 12. 5-year total includes 5 years of annual dividends plus the 10% full-term special dividend, all net of 20% DWT. Figures are rounded. Not a guarantee of future returns.
Portfolio Composition
Diversification is achieved through Laudian Investment Holdings' multi-sector private-equity book, spanning ten segments of the South African economy:
Performance Track Record
Since at least 2021, the portfolio has delivered exactly 1.07% per month, net of fees — 12.80% per annum — without a single deviation, through every market condition.
| Year | Monthly Return | Months Paid | Annual Return | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1.07% every month | 12 / 12 | 12.80% | 12.80% |
| 2022 | 1.07% every month | 12 / 12 | 12.80% | 25.60% |
| 2023 | 1.07% every month | 12 / 12 | 12.80% | 38.40% |
| 2024 | 1.07% every month | 6 / 12* | 6.40%* | 44.80%* |
* Partial year to June 2024. Net of investment and admin fees. Backdated annualised at assumed 31% income tax rate. Not a single month has deviated from 1.07% since fund inception in May 2016.
An Honest Assessment
- Market-independent fixed return since 2016
- 100% capital deployed — zero entry fee deductions
- Monthly income between 1st and 8th of each month
- 20% DWT vs high marginal income tax for retirees
- 10% five-year bonus for full-term investors
- No fund choices or quarterly review obligations
- Regulated FSP under FSCA oversight
- R2.17bn AUM — established at meaningful scale
- Unlisted — less public disclosure than JSE-listed funds
- Returns fixed annually, not guaranteed in perpetuity
- Illiquid — up to 120-day notice and penalties for early exit
- Adverse tax implications for exits before 36 months
- Private underlying assets require thorough due diligence
- Minimum R100,000 — not suitable for smaller investors
My Verdict
For clients drawing income from voluntary, non-retirement funds — particularly high-net-worth retirees — I have not found a product that ticks as many practical boxes as the Everest Strategic Income Portfolio. The combination of a fixed, market-independent return, full capital allocation, the dividend tax advantage, and a meaningful five-year bonus is genuinely difficult to replicate in the listed space at this yield level.
The renewals tell the real story. When the first five-year cycle closed, more than 90% of those clients stayed. Not because I asked them to — but because the product had done precisely what it promised, month after month, without drama or deviation. Punctual, fixed income in the account. That is what income-dependent retirees need.
Speak to AS Brokers about your options
We are an authorised FSP (17273) with the Category 1.8 licence required to advise on Everest's unlisted preference shares. Contact us for a no-obligation conversation.
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