Survey finds scaled advice a big opportunity for public sector super fund
More than 80 per cent of members would consider seeking scaled financial advice, according to a study conducted by State Super Financial Services (SSFS). With a membership base of around 60,000 people from the Australian public sector, the research finding supports its push to develop new technology-enabled scaled offerings. “It was an interesting statistic and
September 22, 2014
Arnhem Investment Management: The case for equities in retirement
Conventional wisdom would suggest that as you approach retirement you should move all your savings into income producing investments rather than leaving them in growth assets. Indeed there is a great deal of merit in constantly reviewing your mix of assets but one should not lose sight of the fact that the average life expectancy
September 19, 2014
CANSTAR releases annual Life Insurance Ratings report
With approximately 11% of all adult deaths in Australia occurring before age 60 and an estimated 18.5% of the population having some form of disability, life insurance should be seen as a must for most Australian adults. Particularly those with a family to support, with debts to pay, with a business to retain or an
September 19, 2014
Why would you choose an institutional licensee over an independent one?
Much has been made of the blow-ups that have occurred in the financial advice businesses of some of Australia’s largest financial institutions. But are there advantages to being under the institutional umbrella, both for you as a planner and also your clients? Meritum Financial Group is an Australian Financial Services licensee owned by National Australia
September 19, 2014
Rumours of financial planning’s demise have been greatly exaggerated
Financial adviser numbers have not fallen off a cliff as a result of the Future of Financial Advice (FoFA) legislation, according to an Australian Securities and Investment Commission review. The regulator has released the results of interviews it conducted with 60 Australian Financial Services (AFS) licensees between October 2013 and April 2014. It found that
September 19, 2014
Options for generating income from shares while protecting against volatility and loss
As an increasing number of Australians are approaching or entering retirement, demand is growing for investment solutions that can provide predictable income and more security of capital. With traditionally “safe” investments no longer providing enough income to sustain retirement lifestyles, many investors are considering shares as a source of retirement income. Traditional low-risk sources of
September 19, 2014
ASX offers to invest in Yieldbroker
ASX and Yieldbroker today announced that ASX has made a binding proposal to Yieldbroker’s shareholders to acquire a 49% shareholding in Yieldbroker for a total of $65 million. This would make ASX a significant investor alongside ANZ, CBA, Citi, Deutsche Bank, J.P. Morgan, Macquarie, NAB, RBC, RBS, Toronto Dominion, UBS and Westpac. If completed, ASX’s
September 18, 2014
SMSF assets hit record $557bn – exposure to ETFs growing
The assets of Australian self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) surged in value to a record $557.1 billion in the June 2014 quarter, according to ATO data released last week, creating a huge opportunity for the local exchange traded funds (ETF) market to attract funds from this sector, according to Arian Neiron, Managing Director of Market Vectors
September 18, 2014
Industry assesses ripple effects of van Eyk Research voluntary administration
The retail research sector was late yesterday assessing the potential ramifications of van Eyk Research’s move into voluntary administration on Monday afternoon, with more pessimistic observers suggesting it could spell the beginning of the end for the research house. A rival research business executive, who spoke to Professional Planner on condition of anonymity, said it
September 17, 2014
Expressions of dissatisfaction – effectively dealing with client complaints
Every day, thousands of Australian consumers voice their dissatisfaction about the services they receive (or fail to receive, as the case may be) from the professionals they deal with, across a broad range of industries. The financial services industry is certainly not immune from such discontent – in fact, some might argue that client complaints
September 17, 2014
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
