Redpoint wins mandate from Intrust Super
Redpoint Investment Management Pty Ltd, a partner of NAB Asset Management, has been awarded a mandate with a leading industry fund, Intrust Super. Intrust Super CEO Brendan O’Farrell said: “Engaging a skilled and experienced investor such as Redpoint is central to the ongoing success of our investment strategy. We are very confident that our decision
August 13, 2015
Asian small caps offer untapped opportunity
Small cap stocks in Asia present a real and often untapped opportunity for Australian investors, says Paul Quah, head of research (Asia) at Acorn Capital. “Many of the obstacles that investors believe stop them from investing in Asia are easy to overcome and, in our view, the opportunities that await them there are definitely worth
August 13, 2015
Industry fund UniSuper throws down the gauntlet to risk advisers
A life insurance tele-underwriting deal with TAL will enable UniSuper to provide more risk advice outside super, says executive manager of advice and employer relationships, Jack McCartney. He says tele-underwriting will create greater efficiencies, enabling the advice to be offered under the super fund’s overarching fee-for-service model. “We want to bring our fee down as much as
August 11, 2015
Mind the gaps, and sell financial planning for its benefits
Financial planning suddenly seems to be full of holes. Or, perhaps more accurately, gaps – gaps in people’s financial literacy; and gaps in the adequacy of savings. They’re not the same sorts of gaps, of course. One is a lack of understanding or knowledge; the other is an actual dollar shortfall. But they seem to
August 11, 2015
Why creating a truly ethical business is about actions, not words
I think it is obvious that a professional is expected to behave ethically. In fact, the definition of a “profession” adopted by Professions Australia opens with: “A profession is a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards…” But what do we mean by “ethics”? There are many different definitions, perceptions and opinions about
August 11, 2015
The Insync Global Titans Fund added to Macquarie Wrap
Insync’s international equities fund, Insync Global Titans Fund, has been added to the investment and superannuation/pension menus of Macquarie Wrap. “We are very pleased to be added onto the Macquarie Wrap platform which is a leading platform widely used and respected in the financial planning and wealth management industry in Australia. We believe this will
August 11, 2015
RIAA benchmarking report confirms strong performance of ethical investment
Australian Ethical has welcomed the outcome of the latest Responsible Investment Association of Australia (RIAA) benchmarking report, saying the results reflect an increasing demand for responsible investment products. The report also confirms that responsible investment performance is consistently competitive – busting the myth that investors need to compromise good performance to invest in accordance with
August 11, 2015
Responsible investment on the rise again to 50% of the investment industry
Responsible investment assets form an ever greater portion of the country’s investment industry reaching $630 billion of assets and showing no signs of slowing down. Launched today, the new report from the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA), the most comprehensive review of the responsible investment sector in Australia (now in its 14th year), found more
August 11, 2015
MyPlanner launches IMA with netwealth and Implemented Portfolios
MyPlanner is excited to announce the launch of a breakthrough IMA Super and Investment service with specialist managed account providers Implemented Portfolios and netwealth MyPlanner, who license more than 130 Representatives nationally, have launched the new IMA service, after extensively reviewing the market, to support their objective based advice model citing a lack of existing
August 10, 2015
Colonial First State delivers a range of annuities via FirstChoice and FirstWrap platforms
Colonial First State announced that Challenger annuities are now available via its FirstWrap and FirstChoice platforms, alongside CommInsure annuities, which became available via those platforms in June 2015. It is the first time any Australian platform has offered access to Australia’s leading annuity providers. With Colonial First State’s FirstChoice platform used by more advisers than
August 10, 2015
Annuities via platform a ‘game changer’ for retirement advice
Challenger’s award winning annuities are now available via Colonial First State’s leading FirstChoice and FirstWrap platforms, a significant initiative aimed at improving retirement outcomes that will enable growth in the Australian annuities market. “This is an important development with the leading provider of retail investment platforms. It is part of a growing superannuation industry trend
August 10, 2015
Asset-based fees hamper efforts to eliminate financial planning cowboys
Not enough is being done to stamp out all forms of conflicted remuneration from financial planning, according to consumer advocacy group CHOICE. Erin Turner, CHOICE campaigns manager, last week joined Mark Rantall, chief executive officer of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) in a discussion of the sector’s professional and education standards. Turner indicated the consumer
August 08, 2015
