Property investor sentiment remains positive: PIPA national survey
In spite of challenges posed by the tightening of lending by banks, and ongoing fears of a housing bubble, Australian property investors remain reasonably upbeat. According to the Property Investment Professionals of Australia’s (PIPA) 2015 Property Investor Sentiment Survey, which gathered insights from more than1,000 property investors, well over half of investors (63%) believe now
October 28, 2015
2015 AMP University Challenge: we have a winner
The winner of the 2015 AMP University Challenge says he plans to explore opportunities to work as a financial planner overseas, including in the UK and Africa. Deakin University pulled off a quinella in the 2015 event, with its teams of financial planning students taking first and second places. Patrick Rowe picked up the winner’s
October 27, 2015
Super and negative gearing: the issues are on the table
Former Treasurer Joe Hockey’s frank admission that tax concessions on superannuation and negative gearing need to be reviewed should be the catalyst for an informed policy discussion on the issues, according to the former Shadow Minister for Superannuation and Financial Services, Bernie Ripoll. In a valedictory speech to Parliament on October 21, Hockey said that
October 27, 2015
IN FOCUS: All types of portfolio diversification are not equal
Maintaining sufficient levels of diversification within investment portfolios is particularly important during periods of market volatility, such as those currently being experienced in Australia. It is also critical to maintain the “efficiency” of a diversification strategy – an objective made more challenging by rich valuations across mainstream asset classes, says Ben McCaw, a portfolio manager
October 27, 2015
Lonsec upgrades Legg Mason Martin Currie Equity Income to ‘highly recommended’
Research House Lonsec has awarded a ‘Highly Recommended’ rating to the Legg Mason Martin Currie Equity Income Trust in its review of Australian equity – income focused funds. The rating upgrade was underpinned by the diversification and experience of the fund manager Martin Currie Australia, an affiliate of Legg Mason. Lonsec stated “the product is
October 27, 2015
Acurity platform now core registry administration system for Vision Super
Continuing to support the transformation of the administration process for Australian superannuation funds, industry leading superannuation and investment software provider, Financial Synergy announces the latest implementation of its Acurity platform with Vision Super. The highly configurable Acurity platform will modernise how Vision Super manages its administration processes, member and employer relationships and introduce new mobile
October 26, 2015
Pengana strengthens distribution team with key appointments
Australian funds management group Pengana Capital (Pengana) has appointed three new members to its marketing and distribution team in response to growing demand for its investment strategies. Rachel Elfverson has been appointed as Regional Distribution Manager for Queensland and Alex Keen as Regional Distribution Manager for New South Wales. In their new roles, Ms Elfverson
October 26, 2015
Content of life insurance reforms isn’t likely to change further
A later implementation deadline seems set to be the only change to the Life Insurance Framework (LIF) after the Federal Government’s response to the Financial System Inquiry (FSI) last week. This is despite some niggling uncertainties stemming from the Assistant Treasurer’s comments. Kelly O’Dwyer, who is also the Minister for Small Business, on Wednesday told
October 25, 2015
The danger that lurks in linking risk tolerance scores directly to portfolios
FinaMetrica recently received feedback from a subscriber that they had switched to a competitor because their risk tolerance tool “also allows me to build a portfolio consistent with [an individual’s] risk by having risk scores assigned for our investments and portfolio managers.” We understand that all services have strengths and weaknesses and some people think
October 25, 2015
A traditional mode of transport gives time to think about the effects of the newest technology
For reasons that don’t bear going into, Professional Planner spent the better part of seven hours one day last week riding on a Greyhound coach from Sydney to Canberra and back. The glamour of the media. One of the upsides of this mode of transport is time to think and read. A lot of material
October 25, 2015
A window to the future of funds management
Volatility and low growth investment markets have exposed the shortcomings of many traditional asset management models, leading investors to seek robust alternative approaches to deliver more certain investment outcomes with greater confidence and lower volatility. Atrium Investment Management is a specialist manager of diversified portfolios with a clear differentiation. The firm is one of a
October 23, 2015
AIA Australia launches Business Growth Hub and new app for advisers
Leading life insurer AIA Australia today announced the launch of a dedicated Business Growth Hub for advisers, a key pillar of its trusted business partner model. Available online and through AIA Australia’s Client Development team, the Business Growth Hub aims to provide advisers with the tools to build their business and make strategic business optimisation
October 23, 2015
