Industry Updates

The state of giving

Simon Mumme takes a closer look at Australia’s philanthropic industry. During a recent antipodean visit, Kingsley Aitkins, president and chief executive of the Ireland Funds, a global network of philanthropic vehicles funding social projects in Ireland, outlined the booming philanthropic industry overseas. The world’s 1.4 million non-profits hold $2.2 trillion in assets. Philanthropy, once a

December 01, 2007

Giving advice

The groundswell of philanthropic giving provides new challenges for those providing advice, Simon Mumme reports. The inherent goodwill underpinning philanthropic advice does not come without potential pitfalls. “We must understand clients’ objectives and not throw products at them,” Bruce Christie, a financial planner with Centric Wealth says. “We’re selling advice, not products.” Christie says that

November 01, 2007

Asking the question

How and when should philanthropic advice become a part of the client relationship? Simon Mumme investigates. “It isn’t at the forefront of a financial planner’s mind to tell a client how to give money away,” Tim Hardy, philanthropy consultant with Enrich Australia, says. But for many advisers, gifting clients’ money in agreement with their aims

October 01, 2007