The practice opens
Marijke Cormelis registers the firm with CIPC and takes on the first handful of clients from a single room above Kloof Street, working strictly on an independent, fee-based model.
About the practice
A small firm, on purpose
Cormelis was founded on a simple frustration: too much financial advice arrives as a verdict, with the reasoning kept out of sight. We built a practice around showing our work — and we kept it small enough to keep doing that properly.
How we got here
A short history
The notebook becomes the method
What started as detailed file notes turns into a deliberate way of working: every client keeps the full written reasoning behind their plan. It becomes the thing clients mention most.
A second adviser joins
With demand outgrowing one person, the practice adds a second qualified adviser rather than a sales team — protecting the promise that you always work with a named professional.
Still on Kloof Street
We've grown carefully and turned away work that didn't fit. The measure of a good year here isn't headcount — it's how many clients renewed without a second thought.
The people
Who you'll actually work with
Marijke Cormelis
Founder & Principal Adviser
Marijke spent twelve years inside larger institutions before starting the practice she wished those clients could have had. She leads the firm's planning and estate work and still takes new clients personally.
Sipho Nkosi
Adviser, Investments & Retirement
Sipho handles the modelling and portfolio side, and has a gift for making a drawdown projection make sense at the kitchen table. He joined in 2023 and quickly became indispensable.
Anneke du Toit
Client Coordinator
Anneke keeps the notebook in order — documents, reviews, and the scheduling that makes sure no plan is left unread. She's usually the first voice you'll hear when you call.
By the numbers
The practice today
2019
Year founded in Cape Town
96%
Of ongoing clients renew each year
3–4 wks
Typical time to a written plan
0
Product commissions we're tied to
“We could grow faster by promising more and explaining less. We've decided the slow way is the honest way, and honestly, it's better business too.
Marijke Cormelis — Founder & Principal Adviser
Come and meet us
The best way to judge an adviser is to sit across from one. Book an introduction — no cost, no pressure.