Important information for investors
Copyright notice
© 2021 Allan Gray Proprietary Limited
All rights reserved. The content and information may not be reproduced or distributed without the prior written consent of Allan Gray Proprietary Limited (Allan Gray).
Information and content
The information and content of this publication/presentation is provided by Allan Gray as general information about the company and its products and services. Allan Gray does not guarantee the suitability or potential value of any information or particular investment source. The information provided is not intended to nor does it constitute financial, tax, legal, investment, or other advice. Before making any decision or taking any action regarding your finances, you should consult a qualified financial adviser. Nothing contained in this publication/presentation constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement or offer by Allan Gray, but is merely an invitation to do business.
Allan Gray has taken and will continue to take care that all information provided, in so far as this is under its control, is true and correct. However, Allan Gray shall not be responsible for and therefore disclaims any liability for any loss, liability, damage (whether direct or consequential) or expense of any nature whatsoever, which may be suffered as a result of or which may be attributable, directly or indirectly, to the use of or reliance upon any information provided.
Allan Gray Unit Trust Management (RF) Proprietary Limited (the ‘Management Company’) is registered as a management company under the Collective Investment Schemes Control Act 45 of 2002, in terms of which it operates unit trust portfolios under the Allan Gray Unit Trust Scheme, and is supervised by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (‘FSCA’). Allan Gray Proprietary Limited (the ‘Investment Manager’), an authorised financial services provider, is the appointed investment manager of the Management Company and is a member of the Association for Savings & Investment South Africa (ASISA). Collective Investment Schemes in Securities (unit trusts or funds) are generally medium- to long-term investments. Except for the Allan Gray Money Market Fund, where the Investment Manager aims to maintain a constant unit price, the value of units may go down as well as up. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. The Management Company does not provide any guarantee regarding the capital or the performance of its unit trusts. Funds may be closed to new investments at any time in order for them to be managed according to their mandates. Unit trusts are traded at ruling prices and can engage in borrowing and scrip lending. A schedule of fees, charges and maximum commissions is available on request from the Management Company.
Performance
Performance figures are for lump sum investments with income distributions reinvested. Actual investor performance may differ as a result of the investment date, the date of reinvestment and dividend withholding tax. Movements in exchange rates may also be the cause of the value of underlying international investments going up or down. Different classes of units apply to the Equity, Balanced, Stable and Optimal funds only and are subject to different fees and charges. Unit trust prices are calculated on a net asset value basis, which is the total market value of all assets in the Fund including any income accruals and less any permissible deductions from the Fund, divided by the number of units in issue. Forward pricing is used and fund valuations take place at approximately 16:00 each business day. Purchase and redemption requests must be received by 14:00 each business day to receive that day’s price. Unit trust prices are available daily on www.allangray.co.za. Permissible deductions may include management fees, brokerage, Securities Transfer Tax (STT), auditor’s fees, bank charges and trustee fees. A schedule of fees, charges and maximum commissions is available on request from the Management Company.
Benchmarks
The FTSE/JSE All Share Index is calculated by FTSE International Limited (‘FTSE’) in conjunction with the JSE Limited (‘JSE’) in accordance with standard criteria. The FTSE/JSE All Share Index is the proprietary information of FTSE and the JSE. All copyright subsisting in the FTSE/JSE All Share Index values and constituent lists vests in FTSE and the JSE jointly. All their rights are reserved. FTSE is a trademark of the London Stock Exchange Group of Companies. The FTSE World Index is calculated by FTSE International Limited (‘FTSE’) in accordance with standard criteria and is the proprietary information of FTSE. All copyright subsisting in the FTSE World Index values and constituent lists vests in FTSE. All its rights are reserved.
Understanding the funds
Investors must make sure that they understand the nature of their choice of funds and that their investment objectives are aligned with those of the Fund/s they select.
The Allan Gray Equity, Balanced, Stable and rand-denominated offshore funds may invest in foreign funds managed by Orbis Investment Management Limited, our offshore investment partner.
A feeder fund is a unit trust that invests in another single unit trust which charges its own fees. A fund of funds is a unit trust that invests in other unit trusts, which charge their own fees. Allan Gray does not charge any additional fees in its feeder fund or funds of funds.
The Allan Gray Money Market Fund is not a bank deposit account. The Fund aims to maintain a constant price of 100 cents per unit. The total return an investor receives is made up of interest received and any gain or loss made on instruments held by the Fund. While capital losses are unlikely, they can occur if, for example, one of the issuers of an instrument defaults. In this event investors may lose some of their capital. To maintain a constant price of 100 cents per unit, investors’ unit holdings will be reduced to the extent of such losses. The yield is calculated according to the applicable ASISA Standards. Excessive withdrawals from the Fund may place it under liquidity pressure; if this happens withdrawals may be ring-fenced and managed over a period of time.
Total expense ratio (TER) and transaction costs
The total expense ratio (TER) is the annualised percentage of the Fund’s average assets under management that has been used to pay the Fund’s actual expenses over the past one and three year periods. The TER includes the annual management fees that have been charged (both the fee at benchmark and any performance component charged), VAT and other expenses like audit and trustee fees. Transaction costs (including brokerage, Securities Transfer Tax [STT], STRATE and FSCA Investor Protection Levy and VAT thereon) are shown separately. Transaction costs are a necessary cost in administering the Fund and impact Fund returns. They should not be considered in isolation as returns may be impacted by many other factors over time including market returns, the type of financial product, the investment decisions of the investment manager and the TER. Since Fund returns are quoted after the deduction of these expenses, the TER and transaction costs should not be deducted again from published returns. As unit trust expenses vary, the current TER cannot be used as an indication of future TERs. A higher TER ratio does not necessarily imply a poor return, nor does a low TER imply a good return. Instead, when investing, the investment objective of the Fund should be aligned with the investor’s objective and compared against the performance of the Fund. The TER and other funds’ TERs should then be used to evaluate whether the Fund performance offers value for money. The sum of the TER and transaction costs is shown as the total investment charge.
Additional information for retirement fund members and investors in the Tax-Free Investment Account, Living Annuity and Endowment
The Allan Gray Retirement Annuity Fund, the Allan Gray Pension Preservation Fund and the Allan Gray Provident Preservation Fund and the Allan Gray Umbrella Retirement Fund (comprising of the Allan Gray Umbrella Pension Fund and the Allan Gray Umbrella Provident Fund) are all administered by Allan Gray Investment Services Proprietary Limited, an authorised administrative financial services provider and approved under s 13B of the Pension Funds Act as a benefits administrator. Allan Gray Proprietary Limited, also an authorised financial services provider, is the sponsor of the Allan Gray Umbrella Retirement Fund. The Allan Gray Tax-Free Investment Account, Allan Gray Living Annuity and the Allan Gray Endowment are underwritten by Allan Gray Life Limited, also an authorised financial services provider and a registered insurer licensed to provide life insurance products as defined in the Insurance Act 18 of 2017. The underlying investment options of the Allan Gray individual products are portfolios of Collective Investment Schemes in Securities (unit trusts or funds).