News

“If there’s one thing, I can tell everyone… is that gold is fire insurance, even better, gold is portfolio insurance,” said Ganesh Balendran speaking at The Inside Network’s Equities Symposium. Delivered in a unique technology-driven Pecha Kucha format. Balendran challenged delegates to consider the expanding use cases of ETFs amid a surge in volatility and…

Leading sustainable investment manager Australian Ethical has recruited a number of industry veterans for its investment committee as it enters merger talks with Christian Super. Sean Henaghan, former CIO of AMP’s Multi-Asset Group and current CIO of Aurora Capital, will join Australian Ethical’s investment committee. Also joining are Sandra McCullagh, current non-executive director (NED) of…

One of Australia’s fastest growing wealth management and financial advisory firms, Akambo Financial Group, this week announced a merger with Melbourne-based First Financial, effective immediately. The group will combine to manage more than $3 billion on behalf of a diverse range of clients. It marks one of the most significant deals in the financial services…

Following on from the Banking Royal Commission of 2017-18, the growing popularity of boutique independent financial advisers has grown consistently, with clients seeing value in advisers that are building strong personal relationships and providing a consistent high-quality service to their clients. Boutique advisory firms typically have a niche area of expertise where they can differentiate…

As an adviser, you want your clients to be educated on the importance of financial advice.  Research has shown that a one-size-fits-all approach to communication isn’t the most effective tactic and while it’s near impossible to customise messages person to person, it turns out that it’s quite easy to customise them by one big factor…

Leading responsible and sustainable investment manager Australian Ethical (ASX:AEF) this week announced their intention to merge with industry fund Christian Super. If completed, the combined entity would manage some $9 billion and serve around 100,000 members across the country. Christian Super, and similar religious-leaning super funds were some of the earliest adopters of the ESG…

“(The biggest benefit) of late stage venture capital is the uncorrelated nature of the asset class,” said Kevin Moss, president and portfolio manager at late stage venture capital manager Liberty Street Advisors (LSA). “Everybody’s looking for the capital gains of course, but this really differentiates the asset class… And history will tell you that periods…

Asset manager Perpetual has made a bold $2.4 billion takeover bid for asset manager Pendal, which it says would create a “leader in the Australian asset management market”, and analysts are upbeat on the deal, with some saying a higher bid could emerge. Perpetual has launched a conditional, non-binding proposal to buy 100 per cent…

The “widow-maker” in the Australian investment context has long referred to those willing or stupid enough to take a short position on the “big four” banks. Being such a huge part of the benchmark and with clear government support, betting against the sector has carried too much career risk for many. But in 2021 and…

Global investment consultant and support network to the pension fund industry, bfinance, this week released its latest Market Intelligence and Market Trends report, covering the final quarter of 2021. While the world has changed dramatically since the calendar turned over, there are some powerful insights for financial advisers and other asset allocators. According to its…

Australians are the richest they have ever been, with household wealth jumping to a record $14.68 trillion in the December quarter of 2021, a rise of 4.5 per cent from the September quarter, while wealth per capita increased to an all-time high of $566,541, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Almost…

Last year’s global economic rebound, combined with increases in the prices of shares and property, have boosted the number of ultra-wealthy people worldwide, with their number rising at a faster pace in 2021 than in 2020, despite the lingering Covid-19 pandemic. The number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), or those with US$30 million ($40 million) or…