Why the ‘gold standard’ of independence is not just a label, it’s also good business
The exact birthdate of financial planning is hard to pin down – it wasn’t born, as such, it just sort of evolved. Financial planning’s mother, though, was certainly life insurance – an industry that functions by consumers buying financial products sold to them by an incentivised sales force. The selling of life insurance, however, was
October 18, 2015
Vow Financial launches Rubik digital platform for finance brokers
Rubik Financial Ltd (Rubik) (ASX:RFL) – a leading technology company that delivers innovative wealth, banking and mortgage solutions to the financial services industry – has been selected by Vow Financial (Vow) as its new technology partner. Vow is introducing the pilot of a disruptive digital relationship manager platform developed by Rubik that will break the
October 16, 2015
On a wet and miserable night in Sydney, we find 20 reasons to be cheerful
On Tuesday on a wet and miserable evening, 20 university students gathered at Zurich’s North Sydney headquarters to put prospective employers through their paces. They were the latest candidates put forward by Alisdair Barr’s Grad Mentor program, which seeks to match financial planning graduates with financial planning employers. While Barr pitches his evenings at employers
October 15, 2015
Why the essence of compliance and efficiency is about doing the right thing, right
In today’s litigious landscape, knowing how to run an efficient business without crossing the compliance line is a necessity. Unfortunately, this line is far from clear or straight. It bends in some areas and in others remains rigid. This is the commercial (and legal) reality with which all practices should come to terms, without fear.
October 15, 2015
Genuine fee-for-service advice is inevitable and it’s the answer to the industry’s prayers
“In the long term I think we’ll be moving to a fee for service for life insurance, the same as superannuation and assets under management businesses…in the long term, it is going to be a fee-for-service world. I’m not giving a prediction of the timing, but in 10, 15 years’ time or whatever, I think
October 15, 2015
ASX Listed managedaccounts.com.au approves DomaCom
DomaCom announced today that managedaccounts.com.au (ASX: MGP) is the first managed account provider to add the capability of fractionalised real property onto their platform. Managed account solutions offer portfolios created to meet specific investment needs; defensive, conservative, income and growth but until now, real property has been under-represented from many model portfolios. “Property is our
October 15, 2015
Instreet offers Australian investors exposure to rising oil prices
Instreet Investment has launched its latest product, the Instreet Link 74, which aims to provide investors with exposure to potential upside of Oil. Australian investors can now access the gain from rising oil price with a known risk outcome for a one off upfront payment. “Retail investors and SMSFs can now seek exposure to Oil at a
October 15, 2015
ETF industry grows despite global market volatility
As global share markets continued to fall in September, the Australian exchange traded fund industry once again experienced positive net inflows, according to BetaShares Australian ETF Review – September 2015. Notwithstanding another month of market declines, structural growth of the industry continued with inflows of $437 million recorded for the month. Overall, the industry ended
October 14, 2015
Pengana wins prestigious Lonsec Icon Award
ne of Australia’s most successful and enduring small cap managers, the Pengana Emerging Companies Fund, has been awarded the prestigious Lonsec Icon Award at last night’s SuperRatings Fund of the Year Awards Dinner. The Lonsec Awards provide an opportunity to highlight and recognise excellence within the investment and superannuation industry. The research house uses a
October 14, 2015
CFA Institute urges members to ‘renounce profit maximisation’ and embrace professionalism
The global head of the CFA Institute, Paul Smith, has urged the investment community to embrace professionalism and “renounce profit maximisation” as two critical steps towards restoring trust with investors. Speaking at the CFA Societies Australia Investment Conference in Sydney, Smith (pictured) described the investment management industry as being at “something of a crossroads”. “Trust
October 13, 2015
Fixing poor culture and ethics is key in restoring trust in financial planners
Financial institutions need to be more aware of the organisational cultures they are fostering and how these correlate with compliance breaches, according to Greg Medcraft, chairman, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). “Where we’re undertaking front-line supervision and we see a pattern of breaches…not by just one, but a whole series of bad apples, it
October 13, 2015
Photo Gallery: Professional Planner|Zenith Fund Awards 2015
The finalists, the winners and all the atmosphere from the Professional Planner|Zenith Fund Awards 2015 held at Ivy Ballroom in Sydney on October 9. Images by Matt Faches and Phil Carrick.
October 13, 2015
