Opinion

Magellan Financial Group (ASX: MFG) last week released its long-awaited new retirement product, called FuturePay. The product launch comes at an important time for the investment and superannuation industry in general, which has seen very little innovation or new product releases focused on delivering more sustainable retirement incomes. So, what is Magellan FuturePay? The product…

Inflation has dominated the headlines in May, with one higher-than-anticipated print in the US triggering a broad consensus that the Federal Reserve is wrong, and will be forced to act far quicker than expected. Yet as with most economic “consensus,” it’s important to look beyond the headlines. This is what respected government bond manager Jamieson…

Zenith CEO David Wright has warned that advisers are turning away from alternative assets at a time when they may become more important than ever. Speaking to media on Thursday, Wright voiced concerns that advisers were abandoning alternative assets despite the possibility of “stronger than forecast inflation” and heightened market volatility. “There does appear to…

Conversations on investment matters are wide-ranging. Many enjoy the ethereal world of big picture debates. Identifying these in the long run has been critical, but only a handful matter. Interest rates are the perennial, though rarely has the consensus been right. Over much of the past decade the expectation has been that rates will inevitably…

When COVID-19 found its way to Australia the health advice was to mandate social distancing by closing businesses deemed non-essential and restricting people’s movement. The economic consequences were tragic – both at the aggregate level and because certain industries and occupations were far more heavily impeded. A broad and bold policy response was required, and…

The Inside Network welcomed financial advisers, asset consultants, and family offices from around the globe for its first Equities and Growth Assets Symposium this year. At a packed-out event, some of the brightest minds collaborated and discussed the challenges and opportunities in equity markets at a time when the world is seen to be entering…

Passive management is often considered an economical way to get market exposure, with good risk diversification and few surprises beyond what the market delivers. However, indexing also means any return is limited to benchmark performance. What if there was a compromise? Read article.

One of the (many) headaches of the current financial market setup is the lack of return on cash or term deposits that can hold onto the real value of money. This is a modest but important ask. Many investors want an unreasonably large liquidity pool that will have no risk of capital loss well beyond…

Advisers all have financial benefit from promoting investments through an advice fee, or percentage of FUM. This is not a value judgement, simply a statement of how this industry and many others work. No one has come up with an alternative model that can balance all the conflicting requirements. Yet, as we know, there will…

After a quick scare in February, which delivered the worst month on record for Australian bond markets and a rare loss for the ‘low-risk’ asset class, markets have quickly normalised. Bond yields continue to retreat despite growing evidence that the global economic recovery is stepping up another gear. Despite this feeling of normality, and perhaps…

The world of investing has for a long time been viewed as a game most suited to older people, who have had the time to accumulate capital, or finance-oriented people with the experience to understand what is happening, and to be able to keep up with the constant volatility of trading on the share market….

Emerging markets have been among the most popular targets for allocations from financial advisers in recent months. Whether it is the strength of the economic recovery in Asia, or the more attractive yields available on sovereign and corporate debt, Australian advisers are finally embracing the sector. One group with extensive experience is Eaton Vance, a…