King Alexander Investments launches a game-changing platform for retail investors

King Alexander Investments has officially launched its innovative linked investment service provider (LISP) platform, in a bold move set to disrupt the retail investing landscape in South Africa.

Founded by seasoned financial services innovator David Lloyd, the platform is designed with financial advisers and their clients in mind, promising a simpler, more transparent investment experience that finally addresses the longstanding inequities of traditional retail investing.

The vision behind King Alexander Investments stems from Lloyd's conviction that the existing models are fundamentally flawed.

“Since day one, these platforms have been too expensive, and investors take on all the risk regardless of the performance that is actually delivered,” said Lloyd at the launch on Wednesday.

“King Alexander Investments changes this as clients now only pay when they are ‘winning’.”

Backed by the trusted King Price brand, King Alexander Investments is a reimagined investment platform, offering discretionary managed portfolios, from an entire range of discretionary fund managers, and strips away outdated thinking while putting fairness and performance front and centre.

A fixed rand platform administration fee: Investor families pay a monthly fee of just R100 + VAT in total – not a sliding scale based on the value of their investments – irrespective of the number of family members and investment plans. In real terms, a family with R1 million invested between them would typically see a 70%-plus saving.

The model also allows clients to only incur asset management and advisory fees in months when their investments increase in value, a significant shift from the traditional model that demands fees irrespective of performance. 

Moreover, King Alexander Investments includes built-in protection features that provide 100% initial protection with future gains locked in, automatically covering executors’ fees upon death at no additional cost.

However, Lloyd said this unique model does not just benefit investors, it also gives financial advisers a new edge.

“Every adviser has clients who think their platform fees are too high, or who regularly feel let down when their actual returns are disappointing given the fund management costs they pay. Some investors are also reluctant to look at anything other than lower-risk funds and lose returns as a result,” said Lloyd, a UK-qualified actuary with over 30 years of experience in global financial services.

“King Alexander Investments has been created to be an adviser’s second platform specifically to accommodate all these types of clients.”

With a focus on creating a fairer deal for investors, King Alexander Investments has emerged from partnerships with industry veterans, notably Lloyd, who has spearheaded numerous innovations throughout his career, including the award-nominated Stash app and the successful Evolve product at Liberty.

In collaboration with Gideon Galloway of King Price, whose commitment to customer-first innovation in the insurance industry mirrors King Alexander’s ethos, they have built a platform that prioritises both client satisfaction and adviser empowerment.

“We are here to help advisers build value whilst empowering their clients to invest with more confidence, get better returns, save money on administration, and get a fairer deal. We knew there had to be a better way. And now, it is here,” said Lloyd.

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