Financial services research and investments specialist group, Lonsec Fiscal, says the growing administrative and regulatory demands on financial advisers, increased breadth and complexity of financial products and growing prominence of model portfolios has elevated the focus of financial advisers on effective and efficient investment implementation.
In response to these trends Lonsec Fiscal has announced the creation of a new business division – Lonsec Investment Solutions – bringing together Lonsec’s broad investment research capability and established portfolio construction experience to deliver packaged investment solutions for financial advisers and their clients.
Lonsec’s Lukasz de Pourbaix has been appointed CIO of Lonsec Investment Solutions. He will work closely with the firm’s Investment Consulting team to deliver practical investment solutions for financial advisers.
Mr de Pourbaix said the post FoFA environment had seen the regulatory and administrative burden on financial advisers increase significantly.
At the same time, the market has witnessed an explosion in listed products such as ETFs, SMAs and LICs, driven by an increased desire from investors to hold their investments directly as well as significant growth in managed fund products. This trend is only likely to accelerate.
“Investment Solutions aims to address these dual challenges by bringing together Lonsec’s established broad listed and unlisted investment research as well as our proven portfolio construction capabilities. Importantly, Lonsec is not issuing financial products, we are enabling our portfolio capabilities to be accessed in a more efficient manner,” Mr de Pourbaix said.
With Mr de Pourbaix moving into the role of CIO, Investment Solutions, Veronica Klaus has been promoted to General Manager of Investment Consulting.
Ms Klaus has been a senior member of Lonsec’s Investment Consulting team for over four years and has close to 20 years’ research and investment consulting experience.
To further support the establishment of Investment Solutions and bolster its Investment Consulting offer, Lonsec has strengthened its internal investment committees with the appointment of an independent, external expert.
Former Head of Investment Strategy & Research at Advance Asset Management, Felix Stephen, will join Lonsec’s Asset Allocation and Direct Equities Investment Committees.
Mr de Pourbaix said: “We are pleased to have someone of the experience and calibre of Mr Stephen join our investment committees as an independent member. He will contribute broader macro-economic insights and further strengthen our committee process.”
The committee structure provides oversight to Lonsec’s asset allocation decisions and fund manager and security selection process.
A first priority of Lonsec Investment Solutions will be to look at ways to broaden its suite of Managed Portfolios –
through both increasing the number of managed account platforms its managed fund and listed model portfolios are available on, as well as exploring new portfolio solutions incorporating additional investment vehicles such as mFunds, LICs and ETFs.
“Combining these product benefits with Lonsec’s research and portfolio construction expertise, and making them available to more financial advisers through more platforms, is one practical example of how Lonsec Investment Solutions, can bring together Lonsec’s broad expertise to deliver real outcomes for financial advisers and their clients.”
