In Practice

Global investment manager Pacific Investment Management Corporation (PIMCO) released the results of an extensive survey of Australian investors this week. The first of what will be a regular temperature check for investment markets, questioned 2,500 individual investors aged over 35 with liquid assets exceeding US$100,000 on key market indicators. The survey spanned five key Asia…

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…

Map My Plan is the all-in-one ‘digital’ financial planner that does it all. Founded in 2014 by Paul Feeny, Map My Plan is a platform that doesn’t attempt to replace the skill and experience of a financial planner, but intends to service the “80 per cent of unadvised Australians” that don’t have a financial planner…

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…

Here’s the fourth instalment of our series on the fascinating ASX cohort of medical device developers. ImpediMed (IPD, 8.1 cents)Market capitalisation: $83.8 millionThree-year total return: -52.7% a yearAnalysts’ consensus target price: 14 cents (Thomson Reuters) You would not know it from the share price performance over the last few years, but Brisbane-based ImpediMed has put…

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…