Divorce model reveals the costs of delay
Divorce proceedings can be financially devastating for the parties involved but a new financial-advice modelling tool claims it is possible to cut months off the length of a typical settlement process.
October 16, 2012
Accountants trickle into planning before 2016 flood
As many as 1000 accountants will transition from advising on self-managed super funds to offering a full financial planning service by 2016. While Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation Bill Shorten expects to see up to 10,000 accountants become licensed under the recently introduced limited Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL), which will replace the accountant’s exemption from next year, questions remain over which business models will best manage the new environment.
October 15, 2012
Shot in the arm no good for rising dragon
The US Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing came on the heels of China announcing infrastructure spending. The measures by these two countries highlight the deep divide between the “two-speed world”. Cash-rich emerging markets such as China can employ fiscal firepower to counter economic slowdown, while mature markets with deep budget woes – such as the US – must rely on printing money.
October 15, 2012
IFAs urged to reconsider value proposition
Quality of advice alone does not offer IFAs a “compelling differentiator” from larger groups and rejecting managed funds is the first step to true independence. A compelling differentiator Rethinking managed funds
October 11, 2012
Fund managers bullish on shares, cash loses lustre
Investment managers expect a sustainable turnaround in the Australian share market within the next 12 months, according to a Russell Investments’ Investment Manager Outlook (IMO) survey. According to the IMO, which regularly collects the opinions of around 40 Australian fund managers, 77 per cent of managers expect a turnaround in the local market to occur by the end of 2013, while 63 per cent see it happening by the end of the 2012/13 financial year.
October 09, 2012
The digital economy: a short fuse with a big bang
Identifying real change The length of a fuse According to the report, 32 per cent of the Australian economy in sectors such as media, retail, finance and real estate will face significant digital disruption in the near future – a short fuse with a big bang. There’s bang, then there’s bang for buck
October 08, 2012
Schroder is Fund Manager of the Year
Schroder Investment Management has been named the Fund Manager of the Year, in the Professional Planner/Zenith Fund Awards 2012. Fund Manager of the Year Schroders Bennelong Funds Management, Grant Samuel Funds Management Celeste Funds Management
October 05, 2012
Top fund managers named today
The best fund managers in the county will be recognised this afternoon at an awards ceremony in Sydney, hosted by Professional Planner and Zenith Investment Partners. The awards, based on Zenith’s highly respected research methodology, cover 15 distinct fund categories, as well as Fund Distributor of the Year and Fund Manager of the Year Diversified funds
October 05, 2012
ASIC targets substance in guidance
The regulator’s guidance document on conflicted remuneration goes well beyond industry expectation and allows “very little wiggle room.” In deciding whether a benefit is conflicted remuneration, we propose to focus on the substance of a benefit over its form, and consider the overall circumstances in which the benefit is given. The guidance states:
October 02, 2012
In Focus: Insurers locked and loaded, consumers yet to engage
When the market research firm Investment Trends delved into how financial planners are involved in providing advice on risk insurance, it found a market that appears to be close to saturation. Based on almost 930 responses, Investment Trends found that 93 per cent of financial planners are actively involved in providing advice on risk insurance.
October 01, 2012
October 2012:
Digital content
A guide to the Professional Planner September 2012 edition and links to authors and additional content.
October 01, 2012
China: canaries and
coal mines
China’s economy has slowed; its demand for commodities, most notably from Australia’s point of view iron ore, has fallen significantly The close link between China’s industrial activity and its demand for raw materials means that Australia is very much the canary down the coal mine, a harbinger for economic developments in China.
September 27, 2012
