Advice

The Banking Royal Commission was a watershed moment for the financial advising industry, and almost two years on, has there been change? In one word, yes. Too much change. So much change, that Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Morrison government, along with a long list of industry leaders are all  saying  that…

Loftus Peak, Australian global equities boutique, has become the second manager to launch a “quoted managed fund.” This looks set to become a strong trend in retail distribution, with a host of managers lining up for the new form of listing and an extra administrator entering this part of the market, Link Fund Solutions. The…

For many advisers, life insurance is an important part of their income. But unless the insurance sector changes its business lines, particularly with troublesome income protection products, they will all feel the pinch come the third quarter next year. The industry will have to re-cut its products, not just with income protection (IP) insurance, according…

New retail investors entered the sharemarket in droves over the first six months of the pandemic’s impact. Contrary to widely held views, for the most part, on average, they did very well. Very well indeed. But one has to be careful of averages. They can often mask skews from big single numbers and rarely do…

It seems to be a rite of passage these days, investment bankers heading out on their own to start asset management businesses. Times are good. So good that the Australian market is flooded with boutique investment managers ranging from global equity to small cap strategies seeking to build their careers and profitable businesses at the…

The pandemic but more importantly the economic restrictions used to limit its spread will have long-lasting impacts on the global economy. As Victoria, and with-it Australia, appear to be nearing the end of lockdowns the northern hemisphere is now facing their own, more deadly second wave, with a curfew installed in Paris over the weekend….

Building a financial advisery practice isn’t easy. From regulation to compliance, overheads to staff wages and client reporting to administration, there are so many time-consuming, ad hoc tasks that take up the time of an adviser which could be better spent dealing with clients. The solution? Streamline and automate manual, time consuming processes. And this…

As much as the industry is improving its professionalism, financial advice remains “cottage.” There are many providers, in many forms, located all across the country. This trend is only accelerating as the major banks and financial institutions finalise their exits from the industry. We all do business and deliver advice in different ways with very…

Dynamic asset allocation (DAA) refers to the process of frequently and significantly adjusting the mix of asset classes in a given portfolio. It sits at the stark opposite end of the strategic asset allocation (SAA) approach implemented by most financial advisers and pension funds, which effectively relies on a set-and-forget allocation with some tinkering around…

While the active versus passive debate rolls on, and on, across the investment world, some active managers have gone to the ‘dark side’, at least partially, by adding more quantitative inputs for new strategies, such as thematic investing. The concept of ‘thematic’ investing, which describes the strategy of identifying sectors of the economy expected to…

4DMedical (4DX, $1.58)Market capitalisation: $418 millionThree-year total return: n/aAnalysts’ consensus target price: $1.70 (Thomson Reuters) Imaging company 4DMedical (4DX) surged on to the ASX screens in its August float, at a 100% “pop.” Issued in the prospectus at 73 cents, the shares opened for trade on August 7 at $1.47, and reached $1.70 in August…

The stellar run in the Nasdaq 100 index, which has seen it reach new all-time highs some 40 times already in 2020, shows no signs of slowing. With such strength and a willingness of investors to look beyond short-term losses, a single-file, socially distanced line of “unicorns” is awaiting their piece of the action. The…