International investing

Vestact offers you a platform and the guidance to invest in US-listed shares. Owning a direct equity portfolio is better than holding cash offshore in a low-interest bank account or buying expensive, opaque and underperforming mutual funds. The world's biggest and most attractive corporations are US-domiciled and US-listed.

South African residents can take up to R1 million a year offshore without permission from SARS (single discretionary allowance) and a further R10 million with exchange control clearance (foreign investment allowance).

Vestact will steer you towards the best shares listed on US markets. We constantly monitor trends in the global economy and research new stock opportunities. We stick to well-respected companies in growing industries, and avoid cyclical sectors. Our current focus is on the healthcare, technology and consumer sectors.

We will send you a short, readable daily newsletter that includes regular updates about your portfolio holdings.

Your account will be administered and managed by Vestact, and held in safe custody at Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions. Our broker-dealer partner on Wall Street is Seaport Securities Corporation (member firm of the New York Stock Exchange).

The minimum amount to open a new account is $25,000. Our aim is to get you fully invested in equity positions, but any leftover client cash holdings are invested in money market instruments offered by Fidelity, at prevailing US interest rates.

Cash transfers go via a Vestact US Dollar "transmission" account at Investec Mauritius. We will send you a deposit confirmation, then transfer your funds immediately to Fidelity in New York, where they are allocated to your investment account.

We always get your written approval before making changes to your portfolio. The goal is to be long-term holders of quality companies, so account changes are infrequent. Vestact manages the share purchases and sales on the Seaport Securities platform. The transactions are settled by Fidelity.

We charge an annual management fee of 1% on the value of your portfolio, levied in 12 equal portions of 0.08333% per month.

Brokerage fees are payable on each trade carried out, with a $35.00 minimum. For trades up to $15,000 the rate is 1.5%. The excess over $15,000 to $35,000 is charged at 1.25%, and the excess over $35,000 to $70,000 at 1.0%, and the amount over $70,000 at 0.75%.

For more information, send an email to support@vestact.com.