Ready for departure: this flight is taking off, whether you’ve checked in or not
Last week AMP upped the ante in the financial planning standards stakes when it announced the launch of an online Master of Financial Planning course. The course commences before the end of this year, and AMP has teamed up with no less than Griffith University, an institution at the forefront of the financial planning education
September 17, 2014
Currency markets heat up
Two events are set to grab the most attention this week – the outcome of the US Federal Reserve’s policy meeting and the referendum on Scottish independence. Both are important for currency markets, which is where most of the action has been taking place recently. Dollar domination The US Dollar continues to rally boosted by
September 16, 2014
AllianceBernstein warns Australian investors against taking the slow boat to China
Australian investors risk lagging behind their global counterparts in gaining exposure to China, global asset manager AllianceBernstein said today when announcing it had received a licence under the Chinese government’s Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (RQFII) scheme. The firm, which already manages a number of China investment funds, also said that it would launch three
September 16, 2014
Innergi joins AdviceInnovation hub
Following its launch to market last month, AdviceInnovation, the online hub providing innovative solutions for Australian financial advice businesses, welcomes client education and communication solution, innergi, to the group. Innergi has developed an online Financial Knowledge Centre which allows financial advisers to offer their clients access to branded educational content 24/7. Innergi also allows financial
September 16, 2014
ClearView announces upgrade of LifeSolutions product range
ClearView Wealth Limited (ClearView, ASX: CVW) announced today another market first, the inclusion of Parent Cover in LifeSolutions, its suite of life advice products. A national roadshow will commence this week to promote the updated features and other enhancements to advisers. Simon Swanson, Managing Director at ClearView, commented, “LifeSolutions was launched in late 2011 and
September 16, 2014
Zenith awards ‘Recommended’ rating to two additional BetaShares Funds
Leading exchange traded fund provider BetaShares has been awarded two additional ‘Recommended’ ratings from research house Zenith for the Australian Top 20 Equity Yield Maximiser (managed fund) (YMAX) and the FTSE RAFI Australia 200 ETF (QOZ). YMAX aims to provide investors with exposure to a portfolio of 20 blue-chip Australian shares, along with attractive quarterly
September 16, 2014
PFL Market Overview: ETF Market June 2014
Australian ETF Market Overview and global research from Strategic Insight into global trends in USA, Europe and Asia has been released today. View the Market Overview
September 15, 2014
New Stockspot pinwheel charts Australian ETF boom
Investors for the first time have unprecedented access to compare Australia’s booming $12.4 billion exchange-traded fund (ETF) market with a new interactive Stockspot tool covering the 94 ASX-listed ETFs. The online pinwheel widget enables investors to drill down and compare ETFs based on fees, distribution yield, bid/ask spread and more. Stockspot has rated each one
September 15, 2014
Thomson Reuters Cleardocs integrates with existing Macquarie CMA service
Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, today announced that Cleardocs, its online legal document generation business, has integrated with Macquarie’s Cash Management Account (CMA) application process. The new integration solution allows users to initiate a Macquarie CMA application at the same time as establishing their Cleardocs Self Managed
September 15, 2014
AXA IM launches first ESG SmartBeta global equity strategy in Australian market
AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) has launched its first ever fully integrated ESG SmartBeta strategy in the Australian market. The AXA IM ACWI SmartBeta Equity Fund (the fund) offers long term investors a more efficient way of capturing equity market beta, while avoiding the limitations of both market cap-weighted indices and alternative weighting schemes. Powered
September 15, 2014
FPA offers to ‘give’ FPEC to the profession in a bid to raise education standards
The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) has offered to step back from the Financial Planning Education Council (FPEC) to give the council a chance to be recognised as the peak education standard-setting body for the whole financial planning industry. The chief executive officer of the FPA, Mark Rantall, told a panel session on education
September 15, 2014
Independence is not a synonym for poverty: IFAAA invites planners to peek over the fence
Being an “independent” financial planner by the strict legal definition of the term is not one-way ticket to poverty, says Daniel Brammall, director of Brocktons Independent Advisory and founder and president of the Independent Financial Advisers Association of Australia (IFAAA). Brammall says a majority of financial planning businesses are wedded to asset-based fees, which he
September 15, 2014
