BetaShares/Investment Trends ETF Report – ETF investors top 100,000
The number of investors in exchange traded funds (ETFs) has surged dramatically over the past year to over 100,000, according to the findings of the BetaShares/ Investment Trends ETF Report released today. Investor numbers have increased 50% in the 12 months to November 2013, the fastest growth seen in the last four years. The BetaShares
March 05, 2014
Smarter Money celebrates two-year milestone
Yellow Brick Road Holdings Limited (ASX Code: YBR) (“Yellow Brick Road”) has announced that it will launch YBR Funds Management’s “active cash” fund, YBR Smarter Money, into the financial planning and Asian markets after celebrating an impressive two years of operation since launching in February 2012. Smarter Money is an independently rated managed fund that
March 04, 2014
Zurich says education and advice key to Australians avoiding life ‘mis-insurance’ gap
Zurich today released new research showing many Australians have misperceptions about their life insurance, exposing them to a “mis-insurance” gap, the consequences of which may be equally as damaging as an under-insurance gap. Others are simply mis-informed about the purpose of life risk insurance and so are either uninsured or believe (often incorrectly) they have
March 04, 2014
Gwen Fletcher: an unshakeable belief in the ability of financial planning to do good
Gwen Fletcher AM passed away on February 28, aged 94. Julie Bennett, co-author with Fletcher of Fletcher’s biography, Running Between the Raindrops, remembers her friend and her immeasurable contribution to the development of financial planning in Australia My friend Gwen Fletcher was unshakeably convinced that financial planning had the power to help people reach their goals,
March 04, 2014
Can’t get no satisfaction? Find out how your licensee stacks up
Leading research firm CoreData’s annual Licensee of the Year research is now in the field, and Professional Planner readers are invited to take part in the 2014 research. The research aims to assess how well dealer groups across the industry meet the needs of financial planners, risk advisers, practice principals and paraplanners within their networks.
March 04, 2014
Is online advice a better mousetrap, or just a trap?
Financial Index Wealth Accountants’ development of an online advice service has clearly struck a nerve among Professional Planner readers. In a poll launched on the day Findex formally launched its Movo financial planning website, a clear majority of respondents say they perceive online advice as a threat to the quality of advice provided. At the
March 04, 2014
What if account-based pensions are deemed?
The rules for assessing account-based pensions are set to become less favourable with a move to deeming proposed from January 1, 2015. Louise Biti explores whether this creates a negative impact for clients. The favourable Centrelink and Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) income test assessment of account-based pensions means that often very little (if any) assessable income
March 04, 2014
AMP launches Super product for growing middle market employer segment
AMP has launched a new corporate superannuation solution for the growing middle market, a segment which now accounts for 25 per cent of Australian workers. AMP SignatureSuper Select will offer medium sized companies with between 50-750 employees a sophisticated corporate superannuation product with over 30 investment options, flexible insurance arrangements, a tiered pricing structure and
March 04, 2014
Compliance and admin costing planners at least $15,000 a year too much
Australian financial planners could earn up to $15,000 a year of additional revenue by reducing compliance and administration activities to global averages, new research has found. The CoreData Adviser efficiency: Business Processes in Australia report shows that almost a third of an Australian financial planner’s time is spend on compliance and administration, compared to a global average of
March 01, 2014
Time to take control: financial planners urged to shape the future they want
A particular cohort of the financial planning profession is sometimes referred to as the “old and bold”. But as the profession evolves away from a culture rooted in sales to one focused on service, a new term is needed to describe the advisers who are embracing change and who are committed to the tenets of
February 28, 2014
Across the divide: Key policymakers speak out on amendments to FoFA
The principal architect of the review that spawned the Future of Financial Advice (FoFA) reforms, former Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation Bernie Ripoll, and the man who proposes to amend key elements of the FoFA legislation, Assistant Treasurer Senator Arthur Sinodinos, have spoken publicly about their respective views. READ SINODINOS’S COMMENTS READ RIPOLL’S COMMENTS
February 27, 2014
