‘Live’ from Canberra: Professional Planner at the 2015 PHAROS annual conference
On September 24 and 25, Professional Planner is attending and reporting from the 2015 PHAROS annual conference in Canberra. PHAROS is the holding company for a number of financial services businesses, including the Madison Financial Group financial planning dealer group. (Day One coverage can be found at the end of the Day Two coverage) DAY
September 24, 2015
If you’ve dismissed Japan as a place to both visit and invest, you’re wrong on both counts
When I first went to Japan in 1987, the economy was flying, the grounds of the Imperial Palace were estimated to be worth more than the whole of California and everything from making a phone call to buying a coffee was eye-wateringly expensive. Back in Tokyo for a family holiday in August almost everything was
September 24, 2015
Why emerging markets matter
Much of the stress in the global economy right now is concentrated in emerging markets. There are many reasons why this matters to investors. Measured at purchasing power parity, the advanced economies now only account for 43% of global GDP, down from 54% in 2004. The share of emerging markets is lower when calculated using
September 23, 2015
Are Australians becoming ‘Money Dumb’?
Australians are being urged to brush up on their money know-how after new statistics from the annual Money Savvy Challenge, by one of Australia’s biggest comparison sites finder.com.au1, reveal our national average is slipping significantly. The 15-question challenge, now in its second year, is raising money for charities based on the number of correct answers
September 23, 2015
Who is the real hero in your licensee’s story of financial planning?
When CoreData first started measuring the performance of Australia’s financial planning licensees in 2001 there was a broad belief that businesses operating independently would soon be gone. The consensus was that they would be crushed by the scale of the bank- and life insurance-backed channels that would use resources to pay, support and train planners
September 23, 2015
Wealthsure Pty Ltd enters voluntary administration as PI claims mount
Wealthsure Pty Ltd (WPL) has been placed into voluntary administration, with control of the company passing to Melsom Robson Chartered Accountants as of Monday September 21. WPL is a separate entity to Wealthsure Financial Services (WFS), which was acquired by Sentry Group in April 30 this year. Prior to this, the two Wealthsure Group entities
September 23, 2015
FPA has an idea worth spreading and breaks from convention with congress keynotes
The Financial Planning Association 2015 Professionals Congress will break from convention this year with two keynote sessions restructured to reflect the hugely popular TED Talk format. The keynote sessions will each feature three leaders from business and the professions along with financial planning practitioners to provide insights into the issues that will shape the direction of
September 23, 2015
Combined ministerial responsibilities puts spotlight on competing regulatory priorities
One of the more interesting moves in the new Turnbull government is the appointment of Kelly O’Dwyer as both Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Small Business. The Treasury and small business portfolios overlap in financial planning, and sometimes reveal competing priorities. A very significant number of financial planning practices are small businesses which might expect
September 21, 2015
Done in 60 seconds: new licensing app for accountants
Accountants can accurately determine the appropriate licensing solution for them in just 60 seconds with the launch of an innovative, free online app. The web-based application has been developed by independently-owned financial planning and accounting group GPS Wealth to help accountants better understand their licensing needs and requirements under the government’s new regulatory framework, effective
September 21, 2015
Australian Unity Personal Financial Services launches ‘practice scorecard’ for its advisers
Australian Unity Personal Financial Services has created a practice scorecard which provides advisers with a concise summary of their key business metrics. Mr Paul Harding-Davis, General Manager Advice of Australian Unity Personal Financial Services, said the scorecard also provides benchmarking across a number of peer groupings so each practice principal can easily see areas in
September 21, 2015
Emerging markets returns not for the faint hearted, says Lonsec
Brave-hearted investors can still expect reasonable returns from emerging markets investment but should adopt a measured long term approach and be prepared for periodic selloffs, according to a new report from research house Lonsec. Lonsec today released its annual Global Emerging Markets and Regional Equities Sector Review which showed that for the first time since
September 21, 2015
No one knows everything: Why Eqeus called in the experts to help reach the ‘flirting with 40s’
Smart people know what they don’t know. It’s partly because of the very simple fact that no one can know everything; but it’s also a characteristic of people who are very good at what they do that they recognise their own limitations. After 30 years in the business, it might be tempting to think they there isn’t much
September 18, 2015
