Fairtree reaches balanced
milestone

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The Fairtree Balanced Prescient Fund is celebrating its 5th anniversary. It is managed by Stephen Brown and Jacobus Lacock.

“Our size makes us agile, but it’s our ability to build conviction quickly and act that makes the difference,” said Lacock.

That claim is supported by the explosive performance from the depths of the Covid-19 market crash. By the end of March 2020, the fund had moved back to its upper equity limits, which saw it participate handsomely in the recovery and the subsequent stimulus-fuelled rally. Complimentary skillsets underpin that decisive active management.

“Stephen brings strong bottom-up skills to the portfolio, while my background is more macro focused. I think it also helps that we’ve been managing money together for a decade.”

The defining features of the fund include a specialist approach where each asset class is managed by investment professionals with specific and relevant experience. In addition, the fund follows a growth-seeking strategic asset allocation from which they rarely waiver. Lacock explains:

“Most of the cycles we experience are what we call mini-cycles. They don’t warrant aggressive asset allocation shifts. At most, we’ll tilt 5% away from our SAA during those common, short-term market moves.”

It follows that the fund’s outperformance is generated primarily through superior security selection, as much as 80-90% by Lacock’s reckoning. As 2021 draws to a close, the standout positioning in the fund is a bias toward growth and cyclical assets.

“Even if US inflation remains elevated, which we expect it will, equities will continue to perform well if nominal GDP growth remains robust. That is our base case for at least the first half of 2022. US monetary policy remains accommodative, and any tightening by the Fed will likely be offset by China as they cut rates to re-establish their growth trajectory before the 20th Party Congress due to be held next year,” concluded Lacock.

In a world of increasing uncertainty and volatility, finding the right balance of assets at speed could make all the difference. Consider the Fairtree Balanced Prescient Fund if you agree.

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Grethe Fourie

Business Development Manager

Grethe joined Fairtree in 2025 as a Business Development Manager in the Distribution team. She focuses on cultivating strong, long-term relationships with financial advisers and identifying opportunities for meaningful growth. Prior to joining Fairtree, Grethe spent eight years at PPS, where she held several leadership roles, including Regional Sales Manager, Regional Specialist Support Manager, and ultimately National Manager of PPS Wealth Advisory. In her most recent role, she led the Wealth Advisory team nationally, overseeing strategy, operations, reporting, and key stakeholder relationships. She also served as a Key Individual on the FSP licence and chaired the Best Practice Committee. Earlier in her career, she worked as a financial adviser for seven years. She is passionate about empowering women in finance and previously led the Women in Finance initiative at PPS. Grethe holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning from Stellenbosch University and is a Certified Financial Planner® professional.

Stephan Venter

Investment Specialist

Stephan joined Fairtree in 2025 as an investment specialist in the Distribution team. He began his career at Deloitte in 2006 as an accountant. He then joined Discovery Invest as an Investment Specialist, before moving to Sanlam Investments, where he spent nine years as a portfolio manager. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting from the University of Pretoria, an Honours degree and CTA in Accounting from the University of South Africa, and an Honours degree in Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management from the University of Cape Town.

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Get in touch with our experienced hedge fund team to navigate your investments. Have a question? We’re here to help.