Financial planners must make time to make time
I would like to follow on from last month’s column and explore how you might devote a greater proportion of your working week to engaging with your clients. You may recall that I had concluded that what advisers most enjoy about their work is what they deliver for their clients: great trusted relationships; clever solutions
December 05, 2014
Look beyond the yields of unlisted debt securities, says Morningstar
Morningstar today published a special report summarising the key issues and risks investors should consider before investing in unlisted debt securities. Key Takeouts – Low interest rates, continuing demand for yield, and attractive headline returns are prompting many investors to invest in unlisted debt securities without fully investigating the accompanying risks and whether these risks are
December 04, 2014
A new online tool helping advisers engage with clients
National dealer group Affinia Financial Advisers has developed a new online tool that enables advisers to quickly and easily create their own personalised marketing collateral. The tool, which allows advisers to use their own branding and contact details, gives advisers the opportunity to illustrate their own claims data and stories, or industry data and stories,
December 04, 2014
Risk market inflows up 12.9% for year ending September 2014
Individual Risk Lump Sum Premium Inflows Inflows into the Lump Sum sub-market grew by 7.0% with most companies reporting increases in business. Among the market leaders, TAL (7.1%) and OnePath (5.5%) experienced the highest percentage increases in their Inflows year on year. Individual Risk Income Premium Inflows Risk Income Inflows increased 6.8% over the past year.
December 03, 2014
New sustainable bond fund aligns with personal and social values
Altius Asset Management has launched the Altius Sustainable Bond fund, a diversified Australian fixed interest portfolio that is designed to align with investors’ personal and social values without compromising investment returns over the long term. The fund was launched after a successful book build period in late November. Bill Bovingdon, chief investment officer of Altius,
December 03, 2014
Claims data and stories made personal
National dealer group Affinia Financial Advisers has developed a new online tool that enables advisers to quickly and easily create their own personalised marketing collateral. The tool, which allows advisers to use their own branding and contact details, gives advisers the opportunity to illustrate their own claims data and stories, or industry data and stories,
December 03, 2014
Housing affordability improves for September quarter 2014
The September Quarter edition of the Adelaide Bank/REIA Housing Affordability Report has found that nationally, housing affordability improved, with the proportion of income required to meet loan repayments deceasing slightly by 0.5 percentage points to 30.4%. Commenting on the report’s findings, Damian Percy, General Manager of Adelaide Bank said: “The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) retains
December 03, 2014
Dealer groups urged to embrace innovation in new post-FoFA environment
Financial planning practices are demanding greater freedom of choice in the service providers they use, according to the director of financial advice software start-up Adviser Intelligence. “There’s still just so much arrogance and disconnect between the platform providers and the dealer groups, and the tools of what the independent financial advisers are needing,” Jacqui Henderson
December 03, 2014
FoFA fiasco creates financial advice confusion
The recent disallowance of a package of Future of Financial Advice (FoFA) refinements put through by the Government creates yet more confusion in the advice world, writes Michael Vrisakis. Due to the disallowance, the FoFA Regulations that came into effect on 1 July 2014 have ceased to have effect. Accordingly, the FoFA laws implemented by
December 03, 2014
The ABC of setting up a self managed super fund
Whether it’s naming the super fund, or naming the corporate trustee, Bryce Figot advises clients to keep things simple – or risk running into problems further down the track. After years of experience in the superannuation industry, I have formed some opinions on what works best – and what doesn’t work so well – when
December 03, 2014
Rates hold as RBA continues to wait and see
At its final board meeting of 2014, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has kept interest rates unchanged at 2.50 per cent. Loan Market Chairman, Sam White says the decision to leave rates unchanged is the right one, particularly as there are some early indications of property market moderation. “While activity has remained solid, we’re starting to see
December 02, 2014
Aussie equities manager urges investors to embrace innovation in 2015
The clear winners in the year ahead will be Australian companies positioned to profit from innovation and disruption, which means investors should be choosing their stocks accordingly, according to Mark Arnold, Chief Investment Officer at Hyperion Asset Management. The effects of disruption and innovation on the investment landscape is a key theme in Hyperion’s year
December 02, 2014
