Budget reaction: Financial planning and allied industries respond to Federal Budget 2014
In the wake of the Federal Government’s handing down of Budget 2014, Professional Planner brings you reaction from across the financial planning industry and allied sectors. This page will be updated regularly, so keep an eye on this link as the day unfolds. From independent consulting business StrategySteps: The Government delivered a tough budget that was
May 14, 2014
Financial planners not fleeing banks any time soon: MLC
Shifting consumer dynamics will have a greater impact on the number of bank-owned versus non-institutional financial planning businesses than regulatory reform, according to the head of a leading Australian institutional licensee. James Meade, general manager of Garvan and MLC Financial Planning, agrees the industry is cyclical in the way financial planners shift between institutionally owned
May 14, 2014
Buying or selling a financial planning business, it’s always a challenge
Whether it’s the purchase or sale of a financial planning business, the success of the transaction hinges on several critical areas. Ray Henderson explains. The ageing of the population – including financial advisers and the broader community – is well documented; and the challenges are significant to ensure that the future is bright and indeed prosperous
May 14, 2014
US share market headed for a multi-year bull run: Fidelity
The US equity market is poised to rise in coming years and the S&P 500 Index could reach 2,300 from just under 1,900 now, says Dominic Rossi, the Chief Investment Officer, Equities, at Fidelity. Amid the challenges facing the world and the US economy, equity investors are not fully recognising how rapidly the US economy
May 13, 2014
Emerging market investors at risk of playing too safe, says AllianceBernstein
Investors who are taking a cautious or defensive approach to emerging markets because of concerns about slowing economic growth in the sector are at risk of missing a major opportunity, global asset manager AllianceBernstein said today. “Emerging markets have largely missed out on the risk rally seen in developed markets over the last two years,
May 13, 2014
Former Godfrey Pembroke GM to spearhead FPA membership drive
The former head of the National Australia Bank-owned financial planning dealer group Godfrey Pembroke, Tom Reddacliff, has joined the Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) as general manager of membership growth and marketing. Reddacliff starts on June 2 with a brief to oversee the FPA’s ongoing drive to professionalise the financial planning industry, and to
May 13, 2014
New way for financial planners to bypass property spruikers
Getting direct property into clients’ investment portfolios has traditionally been a somewhat convoluted and fraught process for financial planners, involving multiple stakeholders and various challenges. One of these was highlighted recently by Fiona Navarro, general manager of Apogee: “We’ve got this issue where, we’ve got a segment of the market that’s property spruiking, and lending
May 12, 2014
If financial planners don’t ‘get’ professionalism now, we never will
Unless financial planners are truly serious about reform, they will continue to suffer the consequences, as Robert MC Brown explains. The reputation of the financial planning industry is surely in deep trouble when our ethics are mocked and satirised on Shaun Micallef’s TV show, Mad as Hell. In a recent segment, a financial planner, looking every bit the
May 12, 2014
What history tells us about where share returns are heading
In the last few years, the extraordinary policy measures of major central banks – especially the US Federal Reserve (the Fed) – have provided enormous support to share prices globally. Short-term interest rates close to zero and historically low bond yields have encouraged investors into higher risk assets, like shares, in search of higher returns.
May 12, 2014
Benefits of ETFs to the tax-aware investor
Investors can seek to minimise the impact of capital gains taxes by choosing tax-efficient investment products and keeping an eye on investment costs. Among their many advantages—intraday liquidity, transparency and ease of use— exchange traded funds (ETFs) are highly touted for their tax efficiency and low cost. (Note that tax efficiency refers to how well
May 11, 2014
Assets of ETFs and ETPs listed globally reached US$2.49 trillion, a new record
ETFs and ETPs listed globally gathered US$34.0 billion in net new assets in April which, when combined with a small positive market performance in the month, pushed assets in the global ETF/ETP industry to a new record high of US$2.49 trillion, according to preliminary data from ETFGI’s April 2014 Global ETF and ETP industry insights
May 11, 2014
New ASX offering could alter state of play for independent financial planners
ASX mFund could bring a substantial shift in the terms of engagement between investors, platform providers and fund managers, according to one of the new managed funds settlement service’s foundation members. Having officially launched yesterday, after a years-long process that included significant regulatory hurdles, mFund is an electronic processing service allowing investors to buy and
May 09, 2014
