AMP Capital’s outlook for real assets in 2015
AMP Capital, a long-term investor in real assets, expects further demand for prime real estate and infrastructure assets in 2015 as institutional investors such as global pension funds, insurers and sovereign wealth funds continue to search for more consistent income and capital preservation. AMP Capital expects the real assets sector – incorporating listed and direct
December 09, 2014
Zenith identifies reasons for global managers underperforming benchmark
Global Active fund managers have delivered excellent returns for investors over the past few years. However, many have done so whilst consistently underperforming their benchmarks says Zenith Investment Partners in their 2014 Global Sector Review launched last week. To help put that in perspective, for the three year period ending 30 September 2014, global equities,
December 09, 2014
AIA Launches Accelerator Program to support innovation
AIA Group Limited has announced the launch of a 12-week accelerator program to support innovative business and entrepreneurs on their paths to delivering break-through innovations and technologies. The initiative is a collaborative effort between AIA and Nest, a Hong-Kong based investment incubator led by angel investor Simon Squibb, aiming to create opportunities for innovators across
December 09, 2014
AMP Capital joins mFund service
AMP Capital has today joined ASX’s mFund Settlement Service. This takes the number of partners connected to mFund to 10 issuers representing 70 funds and 23 fund managers, nine distributors, and nine registrar service providers. Ian Irvine, Managed Investment Services Manager at ASX, said momentum had picked up over the last two months following the
December 08, 2014
Hands-on best for teaching kids money smarts
· Most parents say the home is the best place to teach children about money · Only a fraction of parents say schools do a good job teaching children to be money smart · Only 1 in 10 believe financial literacy comes with age Australian parents believe home is the best place to teach children
December 08, 2014
FSI keeps up pressure on planners to lift standards, education and disclosure
The final report of the Financial System Inquiry (FSI), released yesterday, is no game-changer for the financial planning profession, but it continues a clear course set by recent regulatory reforms and singles out risk commissions, education and ownership disclosure for special attention. If there was any lingering doubt as to who holds the whip hand
December 08, 2014
Platform dominance under threat from direct investment channels
Financial planners are increasingly turning away from large-scale centralised investment platforms in favour of more flexible, cheaper direct channels, according to the head of Bell Direct. “I think as a general trend, and not just in financial services, the world of clients and intermediaries are moving to business models and service models that are open
December 08, 2014
There is a lucky country, but it might not be who you think it is
Australians like to think they live in the “lucky country” but that label is surely better applied to the US today. You could hardly envisage a more benign backdrop for the US economy and stock market than the current environment of tumbling energy prices, low inflation, narrowing deficits, competitive industry, a popular currency and, consequently,
December 08, 2014
Professional Planner Dealer Group Research Forum 2014 – photo gallery
December 05, 2014
Australia’s ETP market hits record milestone surpassing $14 billion: Market Vectors ETFs
The strong performance of global share markets in November 2014 has attracted substantial investment into exchange traded products (ETPs) pushing market capitalisation over $14 billion, according to ASX figures cited by Market Vectors, the exchange traded fund business of Van Eck Global. Exchange traded funds (ETFs) make up the majority of ETPs. Over $450 million
December 05, 2014
Adelaide practice prefers non-alignment for flexibility and control
The father-son directors of Adelaide practice Planning for Prosperity, Bob and Daniel Budreika, decided just two years after launching that their institutional AFS licensee didn’t provide the flexibility they wanted. “When we were coming up with our own way of running the business, from a clean slate, we worked out ‘hang on, we want to
December 05, 2014
If more education is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, what is the point?
The Australian financial services industry is highly regulated, especially when it comes to the provision of financial advice. Even so, there is still concern about the inadequacy of education levels among advisers. In recent years, this concern has been aggravated by the high-profile collapses of advisory firms Westpoint and Storm Financial, where poor financial advice
December 05, 2014
