Another record high for ETF industry as investors get defensive
The Australian exchange traded fund (ETF) market continued to break new ground in March, reaching a record high of $10.5 billion in funds under management, according to the BetaShares Australian ETF Review. Approximately $200 million of new money flowed into exchange traded products in March, with inflows coming almost exclusively from new money rather than
April 10, 2014
Financial planners’ unpaid FOS penalties exceed $7.6 million
Financial service providers (FSPs) that have been subject to an adverse finding by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) since January 2010 have outstanding compensation payments of more than $8.3 million, with clients facing an uphill battle to be paid what they are owed. Financial services providers (FSPs) whose primary business is financial advice owe wronged
April 09, 2014
Revealed: all the Chant West|Conexus Financial 2014 Super Fund Award finalists
Chant West, in partnership with Conexus Financial, will present its second annual superannuation and pension awards on May 21. The winners will be announced at a black-tie function at the Ivy Ballroom, Sydney, co- hosted by Conexus Financial, publisher of Professional Planner and Investment Magazine. Once again, Chant West will take its deep industry knowledge
April 08, 2014
Factor investing gives investors new scope for diversification and returns, says AllianceBernstein
The key for investors to improve their potential risk-adjusted returns doesn’t always lie simply in taking a rounded view of the companies whose stocks comprise their portfolios, global asset manager AllianceBernstein said today. “Fundamental considerations such as the nature of a company’s business, the quality of its management and its ability to perform well in
April 07, 2014
Savvy advisers seeking value beyond miners and banks
Stock research application house, Skaffold, has said that the long-standing faith in stalwart shares may at last be on the wane with advisers. According to analysis of the latest user data, financial advisers are no longer focusing mainly on traditional mining and banking stocks and are instead looking at service industries. The research behavior of
April 07, 2014
CFS FirstChoice Lifestage achieves $1 billion in FUM
Colonial First State (CFS) has today announced that FirstChoice Lifestage has reached $1 billion in funds under management, achieved in less than 300 days since its inception in June 2013. FirstChoice Lifestage is CFS’s flagship MySuper product, after CFS was the first retail fund in Australia to receive APRA product authorisation for MySuper last year.
April 07, 2014
New program allows financial planners to shed C- and D-class clients
The vexing question of how to handle so-called C- and D-class clients has a new solution with the development of a program by DeltaPlan Financial Services. The program invites financial planning businesses to “sell” their lower-value clients to DeltaPlan in return for a 50 per cent share in the future revenue that DeltaPlan generates from
April 07, 2014
Ageing boomers highlight estate planning opportunity for financial planners
The unprecedented inter-generational transfer of wealth looming for Australia, driven by a huge baby-boomer demographic that holds a significant proportion of the nation’s assets, highlights the importance of estate planning like never before. However, it’s an area that individuals often overlook, with some 45 per cent of Australians not having a Will, according to recent
April 07, 2014
As India goes to the polls, is it poised to emerge from the shadows?
India has fallen from investors’ minds over the past few years as attention has focused on the other Asian giants, China and Japan. Expect that to change in the next few weeks as election fever comes to the boil in the world’s largest democracy. Indians love elections as anyone who has been caught up in
April 07, 2014
William Blair opens up the world to Australia
Australian investors will have greater global investment choices following the launch today of William Blair’s first unit trusts in Australia. The Chicago-based asset manager has opened its Global Leaders Equity Fund, Emerging Market Leaders Equity Fund and its Dynamic Diversified Allocation Fund to Australian institutional and wholesale investors (via platforms). William Blair’s Global Head of
April 04, 2014
Focus on longer-term fundamentals
Standard Life Investments, the global investment manager, believes that although emerging market concerns have recently affected market sentiment, investors should remain confident about the longer term fundamentals that drive positive returns in portfolios. The latest edition of Global Outlook emphasises that, in a change from recent years, big macro calls are becoming less important for
April 04, 2014
AFA highlights role of financial planners in salvaging direct life sales
The underwriting terms of some direct life insurance products could be damaging the reputation of the broader life insurance sector, says the head of the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA). The chief executive officer of the AFA, Brad Fox, says when consumers suffer a poor experience with direct-sold insurance products it is often financial planners
April 04, 2014
