Frydenberg urges life insurers to help advisers transition and pass on savings to consumers
The Assistant Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, has called on the life insurance industry to assist financial planners and advisers adjust to reforms of the retail life insurance industry arising from the Trowbridge report. And he has said the government expects cost savings arising from the reforms to be passed on to consumers, and is working on
August 08, 2015
What comes down must go up: How to react when US interest rates rise
Distracted by the drama in Greece and China, investors may have overlooked that the end of the easy US money era is coming to an end. The messages from the Federal Reserve have little ambiguity, even when its words are chosen carefully. The cost of borrowing will shortly rise in the US. This begs the
August 08, 2015
Industry funds could be key in restoring public confidence in advice
Industry superannuation funds are ideally placed to fill a gap in the advice market for individuals who fall outside the retail planning industry’s typical demographic, according to a report released yesterday. Conducted between December 2014 and May 2015 and spanning 19 not-for-profit funds serving 10 million members, with $314 billion in assets, the study was
August 06, 2015
A focus on people will underpin the professionalisation of financial planning
It’s fair to say that compliance, a focus on clients’ best interests and adherence to ethical and professional standards are not uniformly good across the financial planning community. Some individuals and some businesses clearly do these things much better than others. Processes and systems are no guarantee of a healthy and ethical culture; and a
August 06, 2015
Opportunities abound in the global rise of the independent financial adviser
The evolution of financial advice in Australia from a transactional sales process to a true profession servicing clients is now widely seen as representing an enormous opportunity, not only for clients, but for advisers themselves. Just ask Dave Butler, the US-based head of the financial adviser business of global asset management firm Dimensional. After working
August 06, 2015
PIMCO Australian bond strategies get upgrades from Zenith
Zenith Investment Partners has upgraded the PIMCO EQT Wholesale Australian Bond Fund and the PIMCO EQT Wholesale Australian Focus Fund, from “Recommended” to “Highly Recommended.” In its product assessment Zenith hold the PIMCO investment team in “high regard” and said the funds are well-managed recognising that PIMCO “benefits greatly from the support and input” of
August 06, 2015
Vanguard 2015 Index Chart tracks long‐term gains
Investment markets naturally react to major events as new information is factored into prices in the short term. Vanguard Australia’s 2015 Index Chart shows both the short‐term impacts but also the value of investors taking a long‐term perspective and riding through times when markets turn down. The 2015 edition of Vanguard’s annual Index Chart analysis,
August 06, 2015
Robeco Emerging Conservative Equities Fund now available on Asgard platform
Investors can now access the Robeco Emerging Markets Conservative Equity Fund via the award- winning Asgard Infinity platform. Launched in 2013, part of Robeco’s Conservative Equity range, the Fund is designed to capture the equity premium with substantially lower downside risk. The strategy has an absolute risk/absolute return focus, aiming to maximise risk- adjusted returns.
August 06, 2015
Magellan Global Equities Fund (currency hedged) to launch on ASX
New fund offers investors access to Magellan’s global equities expertise while substantially hedging the foreign currency exposure of the fund Creates a simple solution to help SMSF and retail investors diversify their portfolios Magellan’s second Exchange-Quoted Managed Fund (EQMF) – a fund class set to be one of the fastest growing segments of the funds
August 06, 2015
Altius Sustainable Bond Fund added to netwealth
The Altius Sustainable Bond Fund has been added to the netwealth platform. This is the second platform listing for the Fund, which was launched late last year. The Fund is a diversified Australian fixed interest fund that aligns with investors’ specific personal and social values without compromising investment returns over the long term. Bill Bovingdon,
August 06, 2015
Your Wealth Hub: Looking after employee financial health and wellbeing
Australia’s financial literacy may be set to improve following the launch of Your Wealth Hub; a new, outsourced employee benefits scheme focused on financial health and well-being. Born out of the changing landscape of corporate super and member engagement, Your Wealth Hub offers employees access to a financial knowledge centre designed to help fill the
August 06, 2015
Folkestone Maxim A-REIT Securities Fund – best performing A-REIT manager for the 2015 financial year
Folkestone Maxim Asset Management is pleased to advise that the Folkestone Maxim A-REIT Securities Fund (“the Fund”) was the best performing A-REIT securities fund in the Morningstar Australian Institutional Sector Survey of A-REIT managers for the 2015 financial year. The Fund delivered a return of +21.4% (pre-fees, pre-tax) to its investors compared to the median
August 06, 2015
