Fundie fee pressure hits private markets
Fee compression has spread beyond public equities into fixed income, emerging market equity, impact strategies and private markets, analysis by investment consultants bfinance has found. But the pricing power shifting towards allocators will not benefit everyone, and investors chasing better value for money will need to tread carefully.
Opinion
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Accountants’ exemption a supply-side relief proposal, with baggage
As financial adviser numbers continue to languish, a proposal to resurrect an old idea has emerged. But the politics that led to its demise in the first place might be too much to overcome, even if it could form part of the advice supply-side solution.
HUB24 stands by governance process as APRA adds licence conditions on its trustee
HUB24 anticipated that increased licence conditions were coming for the trustee of its superannuation funds, HTFS Nominees, following regulatory intervention against HTFS stablemate Equity Trustees. HUB24, which is in the process of acquiring HTFS from EQT Holdings, says it stands by its investment governance and monitoring process.
PictureWealth becomes mega-licensee with Capstone takeover
PictureWealth continues to evolve from its fintech heritage with the acquisition of Capstone Financial Planning, turning it into a licensee owner with scale. CEO Allan Maitland tells Professional Planner the group still has the desire for further M&A.
Licensees need to be ‘front and centre’ on data
As debate over who “owns” client data rages on, licensees should be entitled to controlling platform data as they are ultimately responsible for governance of advice by network operators, the Professional Planner Licensee Summit heard.
What a brief encounter with Elon Musk taught me about the limits of capitalism
A brief encounter with Elon Musk in 2013 showed that he would not flinch at rolling the dice, writes Conexus Financial founder and managing director Colin Tate AM. But SpaceX’s mega-IPO demonstrates that citizens, regulators, capital allocators and advisers need to decide whether they are comfortable with who is holding those dice.
The unsupervised hire: Getting the best from agentic AI
Every adviser conference is talking about it and every vendor is selling it, and the opportunity for practices to use agentic AI is real, writes Michael Connory. But the questions you ask before you sign matter more than the vendor’s slide deck.
AFCA halts InterPrac determinations amid court battle
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority has halted its work on completing InterPrac Financial Planning determinations while it manages court proceedings brought on by the licensee, which accused the complaints authority of lacking “fairness” by not apportioning blame across the system.
Covid-era tech investment paying off for advice practices
The 20th edition of the Investment Trends Adviser Technology Needs Report, extracts of which were exclusively shared with Professional Planner, has found a strong correlation between profitability and technology adoption and integration. The data firm’s head of research, Irene Guiamatsia, says it’s a case of increased tech spend during the pandemic-induced lockdowns starting to pay dividends.
Exploring the link between innovation and investment governance
The relationship between governance and performance has been explored in-depth, contributing to the belief that long-term business and investment success requires prioritising ethical, sustainable, and responsible practices alongside financial performance. Investment governance, which refers to the systems, policies and procedures used to inform investment decisions, is an essential part of good corporate governance for all
Researcher Forum
Advice Policy Summit
This event is open to CEOs and senior leaders of financial planning licensees, dealer groups and boutique advice firms, along with C-suite executives in superannuation funds with oversight of advice, education and guidance.
Why advice is critical to delivering member outcomes in retirement
Dissatisfied superannuation fund members are voting with their feet in search of greater flexibility, control and better service. Member movement is high, based on research by The Conexus Institute, but it’s not sinister, despite how it is being framed by some corners. At the Professional Planner roundtable on superannuation, choice and the advice profession, produced in partnership with The Conexus Institute and sponsored by HUB24, advice leaders explored the complex fiduciary decision-making required for superannuation and retirement advice.
Lessons from the middle: Leadership, resilience and the courage of conviction
The principles of high-performance leadership – whether in business or sport – remain remarkably consistent and include the ability to maintain clarity, integrity, and conviction under immense pressure. Former Australian test cricketer Usman Khawaja told the Top1000funds.com Fiduciary Investors Symposium that the only time you really lose is when you stop trying.
Reflecting on nearly half a century in financial advice
After an extensive 47-year career, Paul Harding-Davis says that while every decade has seen a significant step change that has felt like an “Armageddon” it has instead only seen the standard of the industry improve. Reflecting on his long career to Professional Planner, he is still evangelical about recruiting young people to advice.
Investment