Blue Chip Digital

Blue Chip DFM Guide

DFM Articles

Blue Chip DFM Guide 2026

Welcome to the 2026 edition of the Blue Chip DFM Guide, a guide to Discretionary Fund Managers in South Africa.

How flexible and customisable should a DFM offering be?

As DFMs grow in scale and influence, the debate around flexibility and customisation in their investment offerings intensifies.

What are all the costs that go into using a DFM?

As DFMs become embedded in financial planning practices, understanding the full cost structure behind their use is increasingly important.

How important is investment performance when assessing a DFM?

A DFM’s performance is critical, but what exactly do we mean by a DFM’s “performance”?

How important are the non-investment services of a DFM?

Increasingly, DFMs are acting as a business partner to financial planners, not simply investment partners.

How does the DFM business model support the sustainability of independent advice?

The rise of DFM-led communities presents both opportunities and challenges.

Blue Chip DFM Guide 2025

A Discretionary Fund Manager (DFM) provides professional and expert investment services to financial advisors, relieving them of the job of researching, choosing and blending different managers into investment portfolios for their clients.

A Discretionary Fund Manager has the necessary licence and mandate to buy and sell investments on behalf of clients.

Regulation of financial advice processes, including the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services (FAIS) Act in South Africa, has fuelled the growth of DFMs that meet financial advisors’ requirements for well-researched and managed portfolios that are matched to client needs.

Answer all your DFM questions with this 2025 guide by Blue Chip.