Introduction The Australian market declined sharply from the 20 February high of 7,160 to the 23 March low of 4,536, and has since recovered to over 6,000 at the time of writing. The decline was driven by fears and uncertainty of the extent of the medical crisis, and the economic consequence of isolation and the […]
Most clients cannot meet their financial objectives without the design and implementation of an investment strategy. Judging by complaint categories, this can be a contentious area and one in which ethical behaviour and absolute professionalism is paramount. This article, proudly sponsored by GSFM, examines the varied investment ‘suppliers’ and examines ethical practices through an investment […]
17
Jun
2020
Introduction Any list of the hottest topics in investment management circles over the last few years is almost certain to contain ‘Factor Investing’. Sitting between highly active, alpha seeking investing and low-cost, index hugging investments, factor investing is effectively a ‘third pillar of investing’, combining the transparent, rules-based and low-cost nature of passive investing with […]
16
Jun
2020
While reviewing the overnight market on the 21st of April 2020, no doubt we were not alone in taking a moment or two to comprehend the number we saw. West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark set out of Cushing, Oklahoma, was showing a price for the May contract as low as negative USD 37 per […]
04
Jun
2020
The market is becoming focused on whether the Federal Reserve (Fed) will take rates negative. Admittedly, Powell has thrown a bit of cold water on it by saying that they haven’t considered it, and almost every economist I have read seems to be saying it’s not going to happen. But that doesn’t mean the idea […]
03
Jun
2020
Most financial advice practices have referral partners they send business to, or receive business from. You may also use any number of third party outsource providers for non-client facing elements of your service offering. This article examines your obligations with respect to those relationships and FASEA’s Code of Ethics. Ethics and trust go hand in […]
02
Jun
2020
Introduction Compounding the impact of ongoing licensee consolidation and new professional development requirements, the LIF driven reshaping of adviser remuneration for life insurance advice – in the form of lower up-front commissions and higher renewal commissions – has left many advisers no choice but to rethink, and, in many cases, fine tune their business models. […]
01
Jun
2020
There remains much uncertainty regarding the depth, breadth and length of the COVID-19 recession. For example, the Global Economic Policy Uncertainty Index (compiled by academics from Stanford, Chicago, and Northwestern) stands at a record high and almost twice its level during the global financial crisis (GFC). Bill Priest, CFA, Executive Chairman, co-CIO and portfolio manager […]
21
May
2020
Uncertain times generally mean anxious clients. The double whammy of a health and financial crisis means the need for you to connect with clients is more important than ever, but comes at a time when face to face communication is not possible. The first part of this article, sponsored by Zurich Australia, examined the first […]
18
May
2020
Introduction It’s hard to pick up any news publication today and not find some discussion on the topic of mental health. This ubiquity isn’t a recent phenomenon; the increasingly poor state of mental health across communities – and the associated social and financial impacts – has been documented for several years now. In Australia – […]
13
May
2020
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