Australian Ethical’s Smaller Companies fund wins a top spot in SuperRatings
Australia’s leading, independent superannuation research firm, SuperRatings, has released a new report which shows Australian Ethical Super has topped a number of performance rankings in 2014, with superior returns to some of our most well-known, mainstream, super funds. Investing in ethical companies listed on the ASX, with a focus on ‘small cap’ stocks, produced a
February 17, 2015
Changing regulations and investor pressure shape alternatives sector
Research house Lonsec has released its Alternatives Sector Review, highlighting that a changing regulatory environment and investor requirements have continued to shape the alternatives sector during the past year. Lonsec’s review of the alternatives sector encompassed 33 products covering both hedge funds and private equity. The report found that many alternatives products have failed to
February 17, 2015
AFA first choice for younger advisers
In its eighth year, the Association of Financial Advisers’ (AFA) GenXt initiative has had a dramatic effect on the membership demographics of the AFA with around 30% of the AFA’s adviser members now under 40 years of age. AFA CEO Brad Fox says that is proof that the AFA has become the association of choice
February 17, 2015
Millinium’s “Avoid the Losers” Strategy Puts it First in Aussie Shares Yet Again
Millinium Capital Managers has once again come top of the rankings in Australian Shares strategies in the latest Morningstar survey. Millinium was the top performing strategy in Morningstar’s Institutional Sector Survey for the 12 months to December 31 2014, returning 15.1%, well ahead of the market return of 5.3% (S&P/ASX300 TR index). The next best
February 17, 2015
Insync’s international fund increased its current levels of protection to over 80%
Insync’s Global Titans Fund has for a while maintained a high level of protection that benefits unit holders in the event the market volatility significantly increases to the downside. The level of protection has been increased as markets have become more extended. This has been demonstrated on two previous occasions when the fund generated positive
February 17, 2015
Macquarie culls a quarter of its financial planners during ASIC enforcement
Macquarie Private Wealth (MPW) has culled around a quarter of its financial planners in the last two years, according to Peter Kell, deputy chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The investment bank employed 600 financial advisers in 2012, but this number has now fallen by 25 per cent – and possibly further, if
February 16, 2015
Here we go again: no-commission insurance debate covers some familiar ground
Let’s take a step back for a moment and consider a debate that has erupted in the past week on the issue of no-commission life insurance. To recap briefly (and to get the acronyms out of the way early), the Financial Services Council (FSC) and the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) formed the Life Insurance
February 16, 2015
Extraordinary circumstances and a drastic impact: how to avoid a perfect storm
As a result of the global financial crisis (GFC) and the collapse of numerous investment schemes, many financial advisers have been exposed to a perfect storm: extraordinary circumstances combining with a drastic impact on advisers and their clients. The following advice situation involves the confluence of three sets of circumstances producing substantial capital losses for
February 16, 2015
IN FOCUS: Doing it in style – a global approach to finding value in equities
Cast your mind back to 1980. Australia’s Alan Jones was crowned Formula 1 World Champion, and Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors slugged it out for the No 1 slot in the men’s world tennis rankings. Richmond won the VFL grand final, and in NSW the Bulldogs won the rugby league premiership. The Empire Strikes Back
February 15, 2015
Bellmont Securities’ smart beta SMA is now available on HUB24
In a pioneering move, Bellmont Securities has been successful in creating Australia’s first ‘smart beta’ SMA (Separately Managed Account), now available on the HUB24 platform. “The case for smart beta strategies is compelling. Investors get access to low cost, tax efficient market exposure, but without being over-exposed to the most expensive companies in the market,
February 13, 2015
Could no-commission life insurance kill off financial planning practices?
A fee-for-service remuneration approach to life insurance advice would create a considerable drop in earnings and overall business values for financial planners, according to the head of Centurion Market Makers. “I don’t think clients would remunerate advisers [through fees] as well for life insurance as commissions currently do…the fees wouldn’t match the current commissions,” says
February 13, 2015
FEATURE: Inside the turnaround that led AMP to the top of the heap
A well-known football commentator once said that watching a fairly solidly built AFL player trying to change direction was like watching “Pavarotti on a skateboard”. Trying to turn around the culture and the philosophy of a giant financial services organisation can be a bit like that, but the managing director of AMP Capital, Stephen Dunne,
February 13, 2015
