The IMAP Managed Account Awards recognise excellent practice, by both advice firms and investment managers.

The Institute of Managed Account Professions (IMAP) says the Awards are “important for both clients and those working in the industry as the best service providers have proven processes, are well resourced, and have a clear investment philosophy with solid track records.”

The ethos behind Ethos Portfolios

“At Kearney Group, we’ve long believed that good investment is responsible investment,” says CEO, Paul Kearney. “Short-term gains that come at the expense of our community and planet, aren’t really ‘good returns’.”

He explains that Ethos Managed Portfolios are designed to explicitly consider environmental, social and governance (‘ESG’) factors in fund manager selection and investment decision-making processes.

Paul stressed that “ESG factors are considered, not only because they’re ‘nice to have’ but because they’re strong indicators of high performance and long term value.” This is a view supported by research from the RIAA which confirms that “responsible investment funds outperform mainstream funds over most time frames and asset classes.” ^[1]

Quality finalists, expert panel

“IMAP have been industry and thought leaders in the Managed Accounts space for many years,” says Kearney Group COO, Matt Englund. The IMAP Managed Account Awards are judged by an expert panel of investment professionals.

The panelists boast “experience on investment committees, in running managed account and fund portfolios, and through their hands on involvement in the development of managed account portfolios,” says IMAP.

“To be considered by such an eminent panel for the inaugural ESG award is a credit to the team here at Kearney Group and our partners at Zenith,” Matt concludes. Winners announced in August. Award winners will be announced at the annual IMAP Awards Ceremony on August 24 in Sydney, Australia.

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[1] Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

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David Wright

Demand for Zenith Investment Partners managed account services continues to grow amid the uncertainty and volatility in investment markets sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Zenith’s CEO David Wright said it is not unexpected that advice firms were proactive in seeking additional investment, research and client communication support during these times.

“As market volatility spikes, and investors become more anxious about their portfolios, adviser workloads can increase considerably. There are many benefits of having a solid investment team behind you.

“This is particularly evident for those advice businesses operating with a managed accounts structure for their clients. Whether it is to review and rebalance multiple portfolios promptly during extreme volatility, or to quickly investigate specific funds or managers and make a more portfolio-specific change, the ability to adjust and communicate portfolio changes immediately on behalf of multiple clients when required can be invaluable.

“The benefit of a more customised managed account solution for clients,” said Wright, “is that it can be fully tailored to meet the best interests of an advice practices’ specific client base demographics along with the investment philosophy of the advice firm.”

Recently, three more advice businesses have launched customised managed account solutions using Zenith’s Investment Management services.

Melbourne-based Kearney Group has developed models with a strong focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) for their client’s investment solutions.

Matt Englund, Kearney’s Chief Operating Officer, said “Kearney Group believes that ESG themes are key determinants of future value and sustainability for organisations globally. Working with Zenith we aim to identify and include funds that support this theme in their investment criteria.”

Innate, which is also Melbourne-based, has worked with Zenith to develop a series of income and growth focused portfolios, in addition to a number of ESG solutions.

And Perth-based group Boutique Advisers has partnered with Zenith to develop portfolio solutions that further support the existing investment philosophy for their growing number of clients whilst also providing increased investment reporting, insight and compliance rigour for the practice.

Zenith has been providing managed account solutions to advisers for their clients for 4 years being one of the early adopters in the space, including both customised and public offer platform menu solutions.

“We believe managed accounts provide advisory firms with best practice portfolio management through an efficient administration and trading structure, professional investment management compliant reporting to both investment committees, advisers and the end client.  As such, this is an area of financial services that will continue to grow quickly,” Wright added.

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Matt Englund

Securitor has been ranked by advisers as the best dealer group in the financial planning industry, according to research published by Investment Trends 2013 Planner Business Model Report.

Measured by Net Promoter Score or NPS, Securitor has the highest level of advocacy from its planners with an NPS of +49%. This is based on the level of support, flexibility and proactivity advisers believe they are receiving from Securitor.

A high NPS indicates advisers have a high regard for their dealer group as well as high satisfaction levels with the services they are being provided.

“This is a great result for our advisers we support and for their clients,” says Mr Matt Englund, Managing Director of Securitor and Licensee Select.

“Our number one focus is to support advisers and help them deliver the best solutions for their clients. It is terrific that planners believe we are helping them achieve this.”

Investment Trends conducted the research from April to May this year. The research included 1141 surveys completed by financial advisers, RG 146 compliant accountants and dealer group managers who give advice.

Advisers were asked for their feedback on a number of topics including dealer group’s support on software and processes, business development, new clients, staff and client retention, research and IT.

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Matt Englund – Managing Director – Securitor

Securitor has launched a social media capability for advisers across Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn, providing advisers with another tool to help engage with their clients and their community.

This highly tailored social media offering helps advisers use social media effectively, as well as to drive new opportunities for growth.

It also assists in the provision of content to help support the delivery of ongoing service to clients.

Securitor managing director Mr Matt Englund says Securitor’s social media strategy has been built with the deliberate goal of bringing its value proposition to life.

“Our business is built on the value of community, connecting a community of like-minded professionals. For Securitor, social media is about cementing our adviser relationships, expanding our community of influence, and encouraging transparency by demonstrating the value of advice.”

Securitor’s social media solution has a clear strategy with a focus on sustainability. For this reason it was developed in house using industry expertise of clients needs while leveraging the scale and resources of BT Financial Group to implement.

“I think many advisers have been wondering about social media and wanting to get involved, but have not known how,” says Mr Englund. “This has led to an ad hoc approach by both dealer groups and practices.”

Securitor’s social media approach addresses these issues through social media training which involves webinars and masterclasses as well as policies and etiquette guides so advisers can implement a social media strategy for their own businesses.

This launch follows a redesign of Securitor’s website and the launch last month of its ‘Facts and Figures’ app to provide advisers with up-to-date information for client meetings and to facilitate better client conversations.

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The tools are two of several initiatives rolled out by Securitor this year to give its advisers an even stronger and better-resourced offer.

The first tool helps advice businesses budget and project the results they want to achieve in their business and monitor how they are tracking against these targets.

According to Securitor’s Managing Director Matt Englund, in a tough market planners are looking for market-leading services tools and support that will help them achieve their business potential and the best results for clients.

“Advisers are telling us they want to step it up, and that with our help in developing the right services, tools and programs, we are helping them do this.”

He adds: “They know, with our experience and reliability, we can deliver them what they need. They trust us to listen to their needs and respond.”

Feedback from business leaders and advisers about the tool highlights better decision making and staff engagement, as well as richer information to use when engaging with financiers.

“All the business productivity surveys point to a direct correlation between managing the financials of a business and achieving success. This tool helps advisers bridge that gap,” says Mr Englund.

In another initiative, Securitor has partnered with industry consultant Bstar to provide advisers with a comprehensive business valuation methodology. This gives business owners in-depth insights around their service delivery, client propositions and profitability.

Mr Englund says by working closely with their Practice Development Manager, advisers can implement an action plan on how to increase the value of their business, further maximising the benefits of both of the above initiatives.

“This program is about taking control,” says Mr Englund. “By using metrics, and having business leaders coached, they are more empowered to achieve business success.”

These initiatives follow the release of two very successful programs launched earlier this year. The first was a pricing program to help businesses more accurately assess the value of their advice and ensure they price fairly for it. The second was the Accountants Offer released in June for accountants looking to provide advice in the new regulatory landscape. This offer encompasses a comprehensive education program to support accountants wanting to enter the financial planning arena.

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AFA CEO Richard Klipin said the AFA is delighted to welcome Securitor on board. “We have great pleasure in welcoming a licensee of the calibre of Securitor to the AFA and look forward to working with them.”

BT Financial Group Head of Dealer Groups, Matt Englund said the decision to join the AFA was based on the group’s ongoing commitment to supporting the financial planning industry and its professionalism. 

“All of our authorised representatives must be members of a professional association,” Mr Englund said. “We want to provide Securitor practices with access to professional industry associations that can represent their interests. We have been impressed by the quality of the AFA’s membership program, their commitment to the industry and their passion for representing advisers.”

Mr Klipin said, “It is part of our ongoing strategy to welcome more licensees to the AFA so that the voice of advisers is heard more distinctly and more strongly in our communities and in Canberra.” 

Mr Klipin said the AFA has experienced 26 per cent membership growth over the calendar year, a fact he attributes to the AFA’s strong ethos and adviser focus.

“Given all that is happening around the Future of Financial Advice reforms, recruiting more licensees to the AFA is part of the ongoing mission. It has never been more important to ensure that the voice of advisers is heard in our communities and in Canberra. The more voices we have, the louder our concerns will be heard.”

The AFA now represents more 7000 advisers through its relationships with licensees across Australia and individual members.

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MQ Financial Services (MQ) has offices in Upper Mount Gravatt, Gold Coast and Kawana. MQ has 14 authorised representatives providing strategic, quality advice. They currently manage $600m and have a target to grow revenue by more than 300 per cent. 

Watts has over 30 years in banking and wealth management with his most recent role being  ten years as CBA’s area manager retail sales and service for the far north coast of NSW and prior to that he was with Westpac for over 20 years in various roles covering financial planning, insurance and sales. 

When asked why the boutique firm had taken the plunge and appointed a CEO Watts said “Essentially MQ is a group of highly successful planners each in their own right but collectively they recognised that they needed a corporate overlay to take their business to the next level. 

“Our mission is simply to be regarded as Australia’s finest boutique private wealth practice,” he added. 

Matt Englund, head of dealer groups at BT Financial Group said “This is a smart move by MQ – investing in their business and getting set for success. 

“BT Financial Group is committed to supporting our aligned practices to grow and develop their businesses no matter which model they choose,” Mr Englund added. 

MQ operates under the Magnitude Dealer Group license which is part of BT Financial Group.

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