Fair go under threat?
Leadership battles, Government rhetoric and billionaire scoldings … and we are only in March Now the Treasurer suggests the notion of a fair go is under threat. According to Mr Swan, Australia’s sense of a fair go is under threat.
March 12, 2012
Looming Greek default highlights policy challenge
The challenge for policy makers is to reduce debt while maintaining as much growth as possible. The recent Greek experience provides a stark example of how difficult this is The problem is, there is no consensus on what the optimal policy actions are.
March 08, 2012
Democracy comes to Aussie fixed income
A slew of new fixed income ETFs will soon be available to the Australian market following recent regulatory changes. Once launched, the iShares fixed income ETFs will track the popular UBS fixed income indices.
March 08, 2012
Professional Planner podcasts
Do you know what makes your clients really tick Why do some clients listen to what you say and stick with the plan, while some never seem to really buy in to the process? The reason it pays to know a client’s money “personality” is that it gives you an insight into why clients behave as they do when it comes to making decisions about money.
March 06, 2012
Global equities win battle of the asset classes
Fidelity’s global equities portfolio manager, Amit Lodha, has won the Sydney leg of the fund manager’s Battle of the Asset Classes, being awarded the bout on points from Fidelity’s Australian equities portfolio manager, Kate Howitt
March 06, 2012
New rules to lead services increase
The Future of Financial Advice (FoFA) regulations are tipped to lead to an increase in the demand for independent licensee services as growing numbers of financial planners consider the best way to provide advice to clients.
March 01, 2012
Eurozone debt fires concern
Jeff Hochman takes a technical analysts's look at the developing situation in the euro zone. With US data more reassuring lately and worries about a hard landing in China lessening, the worsening of the eurozone sovereign debt crisis fuels market concern.
March 01, 2012
Valuation confidence in FoFA compliance
Business valuations under the FoFA regime see significant change, write Stephen Prendeville and Steve Murray, but there is every reason for continuing confidence. The first recommendation for maintaining or improving business value is to move your business to a fee-based model at the earliest opportunity
February 28, 2012
Social media crucial to communication for planners
Yesterday, dealer group Australian Financial Services (AFS) launched a mobile application that will enable it to communicate more effectively with its own advisers, and announced plans for phase two of the project, which will empower its advisers to communicate with clients.
February 23, 2012
SPECIAL REPORT: Big-picture investing
Global thematic investing is an approach to investing that regards “the market” as being a single system or entity, and adopts a “big picture”perspective on the way the world works. Thematic investing
February 21, 2012
ETFs demand a different set of planner skills
Analysing exchange-traded funds (ETFs) requires different skills from analysing traditional managed funds, and using ETFs in client portfolios places a greater responsibility on financial planners, according to the US-based head of research firm AltaVista Research.
February 21, 2012
Will PIIGS in space come down to Earth?
Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain (the so-called PIIGS) are all suffering from financial Euro-fatigue It’s understandable why investors and voters are fed up with democratically elected politicians Technocrats have little credibility when it comes to the euro
February 21, 2012
