Regulatory compliance continues to dampen platform development expenditure
The December 2014 Platform Report, released to Investment Trends’ clients in December, is an in-depth study of the investment platforms used by Australia’s financial planners. The report covers 466 key characteristics of each platform and its service offering, providing a unique insight into the competitive standing of each provider and emerging trends across the industry.
January 19, 2015
BetaShares Australian ETF Review: Year End 2014
In a hallmark year, the Australian exchange traded fund (ETF) market saw a number of key metrics reach record levels in 2014, according to BetaShares Australian ETF Review: Year End 2014. The industry recorded its highest ever annual growth in 2014, with funds under management increasing by $5 billion (up 50% on 2013) to end
January 19, 2015
Steve Tucker’s advice firm takes first steps as Koda recruits two financial planners
Koda capital, the financial planning business headed by former MLC chief executive officer Steve Tucker and former JBWere chief executive officer Paul Heath, has appointed its first financial planners, with Sean Abbott and Peter Dunn joining the firm. Before joining Koda, Abbott established Aqua Private Wealth, in Neutral Bay on Sydney’s lower north shore, and previously
January 19, 2015
Real improvements in the quality of advice are driven from the bottom up
Real and meaningful improvements in the quality of financial planning can only be driven from the ground up, and cannot imposed from the top down. About the most helpful thing that any institution or a licensee can do is just create a structure and a culture that allows financial planners to get on with the
January 19, 2015
Hammering away at asset allocation is only part of the retirement income solution
If the only tool you have is a hammer, the temptation to view everything as a nail can be overwhelming. For much of the financial services industry, asset allocation – and investors’ ongoing need for growth assets – is the nail which is currently being pummelled. But no amount of hammering will make this problem
January 19, 2015
Australians’ appetite for overseas assets rises as domestic confidence drops
According to the Certitude Global Investing Intentions Index (CGIII), net demand for overseas assets from Australian active investors reached an 8-month high in December 2014. The CGIII also reported a spike in demand for overseas assets among High Net Worth investors (HNW, $1m+ in investable assets) reaching its highest level since January 2014. The December
January 16, 2015
PJC proposals could achieve the goal of restricting the term ‘financial planner’
The terms “financial planner” and “financial adviser” will effectively be enshrined in law if recommendations proposed by the Parliamentary Joint Committee (PJC) inquiry into professional, ethical and education standards are adopted. The chief executive officer of the FPA Mark Rantall (pictured, on the right), says the PJC has recommended modifications to the planned register of
January 16, 2015
Mandatory fee-for-service life insurance is not an option: Deloitte
A fee-for-service remuneration model for life insurance is not a viable alternative to commissions, according to a senior partner at Deloitte. Paul Swinhoe, life insurance partner at the global consultancy firm, argues a mandatory fee-based model ignores the costs financial planners face in advising on and establishing life insurance policies. He believes this would also
January 16, 2015
Smarter Money Active Cash outperforms peers in 2014
The boutique fund manager Smarter Money Investments (“SMI”) is delighted to reveal that researcher Morningstar’s 31 December 2014 data show that the Smarter Money Active Cash Fund has convincingly outperformed competing active cash and short-term fixed interest products over every measurable period since its inception in February 2012. “The latest Morningstar results indicate that Smarter Money Active
January 15, 2015
Greasing the wheels of consumers
Our economic story for 2015 is simple: low interest rates, the halving of oil prices, healthier private sector balance sheets, improving labour markets and reduced fiscal drag should lead to a meaningful improvement in the global economy after three years of below-trend growth. That said, we also expect stronger growth to come with significant divergences,
January 15, 2015
Living Super Balanced Option assigned ‘Recommended’ rating by Lonsec
The ING DIRECT Living Super Balanced Option, the first Balanced option available to all Australians with no administration, contribution or management fees, has been assigned a ‘Recommended’ rating by Lonsec in its first review. Commenting on the rating, Mark Woolnough, Head of Third Party Distribution at ING DIRECT, said: “Living Super is a great superannuation
January 15, 2015
Lonsec Stockbroking unveils new desktop tool for advisers
Lonsec Stockbroking has further strengthened its unique wholesale broking offer to financial advisers, significantly growing its team and rolling out new technology to help planners better manage their client portfolios. In an industry-first, Lonsec has partnered with GBST to offer clients a white label FrontOffice solution. It will plug into Lonsec’s research capability as well
January 15, 2015
