People

Angela Ashton, founder and director of asset consultant Evergreen Consultants, suggests that TINA – or ‘There is No Alternative,’ to equities, that is – will be one of the driving themes of 2021 for investors. After outperforming the Chant West superannuation benchmarks, delivering a return of 4.93% from its balanced option for 2020, Evergreen now…

After a lifetime in super administration, David Orford has realised another long-held ambition. This week he announced the final piece in what he believes is the best retirement solution in Australia, which will be manufactured in conjunction with Generation Life. Optimum Pensions, controlled by the Orford Foundation, which is the beneficiary of most of Orford’s…

In a year of bushfires, cheap money, a US Presidential election and a global pandemic, investors were exposed to a rollercoaster ride of mixed emotions, panic selling, and dizzying bouts of volatility. Reflecting back on the calendar year 2020, it is interesting to see which group of companies outperformed. Large or small caps? Tech or…

A small coterie of now well-heeled technology entrepreneurs is responsible for much of the progress seen in that segment of the Australian investment advice landscape for the past 25-or-so years, mostly starting in the days of dial-up modems. Two of them have just joined the board of the latest financial adviser systems firm, the four-year-old…

High conviction Australian equity manager Blackmore Capital has flagged a major shift in its portfolio ahead of what CIO Marcus Bogdan suggests is a ‘V-shaped recovery’ in corporate profits over the next 12 months. Bogdan cites improving economic indicators including forward looking manufacturing PMI releases as a key reason to be more positive on the…

Platinum Asset Management’s lead portfolio manager on its $5.2 billion Asia-ex Japan fund, Joseph Lai, resigned suddenly over the Christmas period and has left the firm. He had signed off, however, on a stellar year for the group’s top-performing strategy. Lai took over running the Asia ex-Japan managed fund (and the $492 million listed version)…

This week we spoke with Angela Ashton, founder of Evergreen Consulting, who recently launched her Investment Research business. Angela, can you tell us a little about yourself; what has been your favourite weekend activity in COVID-19 lockdown? Watching Netflix, walking, and drinking rosé. And your favourite holiday destination pre-COVID 19?Too many – I love New…

This week we had the pleasure of speaking with the exceptional Fabio Ferro, Director of Scala Private Wealth. Specialising in investment advice for high-net-worth families, Fabio is an avid writer and outspoken market commentator. Here’s what he had to say: Favourite weekend activity in COVID-19 lockdown? Heading out cycling with my boys. What was your…

This week we interviewed Co-founder and Co-CEO Orni Daniel from Gefen Technologies, an Israeli-based digital distribution platform that has been initially aimed at Australia’s insurance market. The company is looking at an ASX listing towards the end of the year. After speaking with Daniel, it was immediately apparent that Gefen Technologies has built what looks…

Another fintech is heading for the ASX screens, with online mortgage provider Lendi poised to push “go” on an initial public offering (IPO) that could see it list at a market capitalisation of between $500 million-$550 million. Lendi specialises in the home loan market: its software platform matches borrowers with more than 35 lenders. The…

We are pleased to speak with Luke Laretive of Seneca Financial Solutions this week. Luke Laretive must be one of the most prolific sharemarket writers in the market, filling LinkedIn with insightful weekly insights. Laretive offers a unique view of the industry having started in a full-service broking house before going out on his own…

The Rajiv Jain-led global equity manager, GQG Partners, was this year named ‘Undiscovered Manager of the Year’ by independent research house Morningstar.