Options for generating income from shares while protecting against volatility and loss
As an increasing number of Australians are approaching or entering retirement, demand is growing for investment solutions that can provide predictable income and more security of capital. With traditionally “safe” investments no longer providing enough income to sustain retirement lifestyles, many investors are considering shares as a source of retirement income. Traditional low-risk sources of
September 19, 2014
Industry assesses ripple effects of van Eyk Research voluntary administration
The retail research sector was late yesterday assessing the potential ramifications of van Eyk Research’s move into voluntary administration on Monday afternoon, with more pessimistic observers suggesting it could spell the beginning of the end for the research house. A rival research business executive, who spoke to Professional Planner on condition of anonymity, said it
September 17, 2014
Expressions of dissatisfaction – effectively dealing with client complaints
Every day, thousands of Australian consumers voice their dissatisfaction about the services they receive (or fail to receive, as the case may be) from the professionals they deal with, across a broad range of industries. The financial services industry is certainly not immune from such discontent – in fact, some might argue that client complaints
September 17, 2014
Ready for departure: this flight is taking off, whether you’ve checked in or not
Last week AMP upped the ante in the financial planning standards stakes when it announced the launch of an online Master of Financial Planning course. The course commences before the end of this year, and AMP has teamed up with no less than Griffith University, an institution at the forefront of the financial planning education
September 17, 2014
FPA offers to ‘give’ FPEC to the profession in a bid to raise education standards
The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) has offered to step back from the Financial Planning Education Council (FPEC) to give the council a chance to be recognised as the peak education standard-setting body for the whole financial planning industry. The chief executive officer of the FPA, Mark Rantall, told a panel session on education
September 15, 2014
Independence is not a synonym for poverty: IFAAA invites planners to peek over the fence
Being an “independent” financial planner by the strict legal definition of the term is not one-way ticket to poverty, says Daniel Brammall, director of Brocktons Independent Advisory and founder and president of the Independent Financial Advisers Association of Australia (IFAAA). Brammall says a majority of financial planning businesses are wedded to asset-based fees, which he
September 15, 2014
Businesses that get on the front foot will thrive in an environment of rapid change
When change is coming fast and frequently, you have a choice: be a victim, and be taken wherever the change leads; or get on the front foot and harness change to create the future you want. Brad Fox, chief executive officer of the association of Financial Advisers (AFA) says advisers who thrive in the years
September 15, 2014
Forensic portfolio analysis can help ensure FoFA compliance
Ensuring all client investment portfolios comply with the Future of Financial Advice (FoFA) regulations, even those of legacy clients, is crucial. This is magnified inside institutionally-owned dealer groups, where legacy books of insurance, superannuation and investment clients likely runs into billions of dollars. The current period of intense scrutiny from the regulator, the Parliamentary Joint Committee
September 12, 2014
Financial planners urged to get involved in philanthropy as an example to clients
The high-profile former financial planner Kevin Bailey has urged the financial planning community get more involved in philanthropy as a way of building better businesses and deepening client relationships. Speaking at a Stella Network event on philanthropy in Sydney, Bailey, a director of Shadforth Financial Group (SFG) until its sale to IOOF last month, said
September 12, 2014
No one said this was easy: the rotation that most investors missed
How investors come to look back on 2014 will in part be determined by how they positioned themselves for two rotations. One was widely expected but failed to happen. The other was predicted by few but is well underway. No one said this was easy. The call that didn’t happen was the expected swing from bonds
September 12, 2014
Inside the Most Trusted Adviser Network: How to get there, and how to stay there
The few dozen financial planners named last month as Australia’s “most trusted advisers”occupy an exalted place in the financial planning industry. But while the Most Trusted Adviser Network (MTAN) is an exclusive club, it is not a closed shop. Entry is potentially available to any planner who measures up. The MTAN is designed to deliver
September 10, 2014
Divisions eroding between industry super and external financial planners
Another industry superannuation fund is expected to roll out a member-advice program similar to the one kicked off by Cbus and the Financial Planning Association (FPA) earlier this year. A program to make select FPA-member financial planners available to Cbus members has been run as a pilot program since January and launched nationally on September 1, as first reported
September 10, 2014
