Namibian Sun

Evany van Wyk



Born and raised in Oranjemund in the //Karas Region, Marisol Basson attended high school in South Africa.

She decided to study marketing right after she finished school. This did not work out as planned. “I foolishly quit my studies and moved back home, where I started my first job as a sales rep for Pupkewitz Megabuild,” Basson told Careers.

She does plan to get back on the horse and enrol for her certified financial planner qualification within the next two years.

As a mother of four, she admits that sacrifices had to be made in order for her to have a good work/life balance.

Ten years later, Basson is a financial consultant ready to assist her clients on their journey to financial wellness.

Whether it is estate planning, life and risk cover, investments, advice on medical aid products or financial wellness workshops, Basson is the go-to person.

“I try to be a one-stop shop for all my clients with regard to their finances,” Basson said.

She has occupied consulting positions for the past nine years with major insurers in the industry. According to her, the only difference is that she now has her own business, Elevate Financial Consulting, and she makes her own rules.

She says running a business is daunting, to say the least, but so very rewarding at the same time.

This visionary woman has a clear plan set out for her business to not only provide great insight and service to all her clients, but also create a platform to raise financial literacy awareness. According to her, the main focus point she wants to take on is women.

“Obviously, not excluding our wonderful male counterparts,” Basson added.

In 2018 she started presenting free financial literacy workshops, while she was with her previous employer, and has plans to continue with this initiative in 2019.

Basson is especially interested in empowering youth with financial literacy tools and encourages high schools to not hesitate to reach out to her for financial literacy workshops for grade 12s.

Basson says from what she could deduce from her mom, she wanted to become a teacher when she was younger.

She admits that this is far from being a consultant, but she feels it involves many of the same tasks.

“I give guidance, transfer knowledge and I act as a sounding board for my clients’ financial goals,” she explained.

The only thing Basson would change, if she had to do her life over, is to finish her studies. Other than that she is thankful for each experience and lesson learnt along the way.

With her years of experience, Basson cannot stress the importance of integrity in the corporate world enough. She sees it as the foundation for all the relationships fostered over the years. Her ultimate advice is to always dust yourself and try again.

“If you fall, at least it means that you tried,” Basson added.