Man on a mission to help customers understand that investing is not only for the wealthy

Bheki Mkhize, CEO of FNB Wealth and Investments, leads a team that has a mammoth task of ensuring that clients’ investments are safe, grow and achieve their investment goals.

Beyond this crucial role, the ultimate objective of increasing the number of people who save and invest keeps him energized.

Mkhize’s biggest challenge is to convert the mindset of people who view investing as something for the sophisticated and affluent only. He does this by helping them improve their money management journey through integrated advice. Integrated advice involves helping clients better manage their debt so they can free up cash to save and invest.

He says part of reprogramming the mindset requires changing the perception that you need a large sum of money to save and invest. His team’s role is to make people understand that saving and investing is a long-term commitment and the role played by the “8th wonder of the world” – compound interest.

“Our role is quite crucial because we look at how do we help clients improve their financial future through investing from an early age, doing it with whatever they have because
sometimes people have a perception that you need a lot of money to invest. We also assist
with educating clients on the benefit of staying invested through various market cycles.”
How do we educate people to get into the habit of investing or saving regularly?

You could save or invest for a goal of one day taking your young child through university or a goal of wanting to go on holiday or more importantly for your retirement to ensure you are not a burden on your children or the state.

How do we make investing easy for people whether you do it yourself on the FNB app or whether you speak to one of our advisers to help you? “We’ve made sure that we have the right solutions to meet our clients’ needs throughout their various life stages.

We want to help clients make their money go further and we’ve made it really easy to invest with us” says Mkhize.

Mkhize, who hails from KwaZulu-Natal north coast, is a qualified chartered accountant.
Initially, he had his eyes set on pursuing a career in medicine. However, he enjoyed Maths and Accounting while at school, which later led him to graduate with a BCom Accounting and a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting at UCT.

“I enjoyed reading about the economy. I am grateful that I pursued that route,” he recalls.

Mkhize’s career began at Sasol before he joined the FirstRand Group. He has held various positions in the group that has been his home for the past 12 years. “The group offers a lot of opportunities and there is a culture of empowering people, it is also a highly innovative environment where you get to interact with the best minds in the industry,” says Mkhize.

The married father of two says he and his team are driven by their passion to make adifferen ce to people’s lives. He lives by former US President Theodore Roosevelt’s maxim “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”.

More about him:

• He unwinds by running and reading
• His favourite music genres are house, RnB and jazz;
  He enjoys travelling;
  Eats anything with meat.