Mitigating the risk of Australian investors’ overexposure to banks and property
Australian retail investors are over-exposed to banks and other companies involved in financial services, according to Tim Mackay, principal, Quantum Financial Planning This belief has been reflected in the adjustments Mackay has made to his clients’ investment portfolios, which over the last 12 months have gradually increased their exposure to US equities. “The two key
November 01, 2015
NAB’s divestment of its retail risk business could be a sign of the times
Selling off 80 per cent of its life insurance business may provide NAB with an early-mover advantage over other banks, ahead of the Life Insurance Framework (LIF) and Financial System Inquiry (FSI) reforms. “This will be the first bank that does it. They had a real focus on insurance for a while, and that sort of
October 29, 2015
Claims surrounding CBA’s advice review program beg the question: how many strikes before you’re out?
How many chances should an organisation have to prove it’s sincere in its actions and in its approach to fixing a massive, devastating problem of its own making? If testimony at the most recent public hearing of the Senate Economics References Committee’s scrutiny of financial advice inquiry is to believed – and at this stage
October 29, 2015
‘Making a difference’ means different things to different people. What does it mean to you?
I enjoyed an interesting exercise when working recently with a small financial advice business. The principal of the business wanted to explore the beliefs and values of his team. I facilitated a conversation that started with a simple question for each person: “What’s important to you about working in this business?” It quickly became evident
October 29, 2015
SuiteBox Launches new financial services virtual advice innovations
Auckland and Sydney-based Afiniation member and showcase technology award winner SuiteBox has launched several new features specifically targeting the development of virtual financial advice. The new features now enable the SuiteBox online collaboration solution to be used by any financial adviser in Australia and New Zealand including simple meeting set up and the ability for
October 29, 2015
Australia could capture more global infrastructure spend: Infrastructure Partnerships Australia and Perpetual
A survey of major global and Australian investors by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia (IPA) and Perpetual has revealed there is a significant amount of money available to invest in Australian infrastructure, but more work is required to capture it. The first study of its kind in Australia, the IPA Perpetual Australian Infrastructure Investment Report was created
October 28, 2015
Market Vectors ETFs receive Lonsec ‘Recommended (Index)’ rating
Market Vectors ETFs, the exchange traded fund business of Van Eck Global, today announced that Lonsec has assigned a ‘Recommended (Index)’ rating to three of its ETFs: Market Vectors Australian Equal Weight ETF (ASX code: MVW), Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (ASX code: GDX) and Market Vectors Australian Banks ETF (ASX code: MVB). Arian Neiron,
October 28, 2015
Partners Group Global Value Fund added to Netwealth and retains Lonsec ‘Highly Recommended’ rating
Partners Group, the global private markets investment manager, has had its Partners Group Global Value Fund accepted onto the Netwealth platform whilst also maintaining its ‘Highly Recommended’ rating from Lonsec. The Partners Group Global Value Fund is an open-ended managed fund that provides investors with immediate exposure to a mature private equity portfolio of over
October 28, 2015
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
