What are you really getting from your long short hedge fund?
Put simply, a long short hedge fund looks to maximise total returns by taking long positions in stocks the manager expects will increase in value, and short positions in stocks expected to decrease in value. In this way, the fund reduces market risk and also presents the opportunity for investors to profit in both up
October 31, 2014
Should financial adviser compliance ranking be proactive not reactive?
Financial planner compliance ranking needs to be predictive rather than retrospective, according to the head of financial advice and accountancy dealer group GPS Wealth. Grahame Evans, director of GPS Wealth, compares compliance ranking to the role of insurance underwriting, in that it should indicate areas where risk could arise. One of his key criticisms of
October 29, 2014
Independent financial planners seek a toehold among industry and professional associations
The Independent Financial Advisers Association of Australia (IFAAA) is attempting to carve out a bigger niche for itself amid the shifting landscape of industry and professional associations. The Independent Financial Advisers Association of Australia (IFAAA) is attempting to carve out a bigger niche for itself amid the shifting landscape of industry and professional associations. This
October 29, 2014
Pedaling from Melbourne to Adelaide in the Future2 Wheel Classic 2014
It all started at the Future2 gala dinner on 17th October 2013. Listening to Steve Helmich, Chair of the Future2 Foundation, speaking about the impact Future2 had on the young Australians that received grants that year. That evening, some of the kids themselves opened up to a group of strangers to tell their own inspiring
October 29, 2014
Government’s public adviser register wins the backing of financial industry bodies
The government’s announcement of details on the enhanced public register of financial advisers has drawn a resoundingly positive response from across the industry. It comes after the Senate Inquiry into the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) and financial advice scandals at Commonwealth Financial Planning and Macquarie Private Wealth. “Our sense is that it has
October 27, 2014
A young financial planning firm’s mission to help people prepare for the worst
Brisbane-based financial planning practice My Wealth Solutions was co-founded to help more Australians be better prepared when tragedy strikes, says director Benjamin Budge. This goal is underpinned by personal experience. His father passed away from a heart attack at 49 years of age. Business partner Guy Freeman had a similar experience, losing his father aged
October 27, 2014
CRC chair says ‘my licensee made me do it’ is no excuse for unethical behaviour
Horse racing in Victoria and travel agents across the country have more in common with financial planning than might be immediately obvious. Central to the similarities is a code of professional conduct, and a robust mechanism to enforce that code. But they also share the skills and expertise of Dr June Smith, who last week
October 24, 2014
CBA managers, paraplanners subject to new FinWiz and Count education standards
Commonwealth Bank yesterday announced financial adviser education standards across its Count Financial and Financial Wisdom authorised representatives, according to the bank’s head of wealth management. These will also be applied across the division’s non-planner staff, including managers, paraplanners and support staff, says Marianne Perkovic, executive general manager, Wealth Management Advice. According to Perkovic, this is
October 24, 2014
Providing financial planning along with a good bedside manner
Establishing an office across the road from a major Queensland hospital was a strategic move for Brisbane-based practice Complete Financial Balance. A focus on advising clients in the medical sector is a core difference of the business, which was the inaugural winner of the Practice of the Year award at the Association of Financial Adviser’s
October 24, 2014
New FPA chair focuses on quality of advice, personal commitment to professionalism
Neil Kendall has been a board member of the Financial Planning Association for four years, so he expects his transition to the position of chair will be about as seamless as such a transition can be. Kendall formally succeeds Matthew Rowe when Rowe’s term expires at the FPA Congress in Adelaide on November 19. Under
October 22, 2014
van Eyk liquidation puts spotlight on quality of research and structure of providers
Creditors of research group van Eyk Research voted yesterday to liquidate the business, again putting the spotlight on how investment research in Australia is conducted, how it is funded, and how research businesses are structured. The provision of high quality research is fundamental to the role that financial planners play in creating effective and robust
October 22, 2014
