News

Robin Bowerman  SMSFs took a more conservative stance with asset allocation last financial year, lifting their cash holdings and reducing direct shares. The number using financial advisors also declined, according to the latest survey by Vanguard Investments and researcher Investment Trends. The survey of about 4,000 SMSF trustees and 500 financial planners, conducted every two…

Stephen Knight by Greg Bright It took a while – 15 months in the evaluation and another 15 months to implement it – but the formation of NSW’s largest fiduciary investment fund within NSW Treasury Corporation (TCorp), with more than $70 billion under management, is starting to deliver benefits in both tangible and intangible areas….

Don Smith The combination of emerging markets and small caps can deliver an enduring premium for patient investors. That is certain, or as certain as anything can be in the investment world. Some big global managers, such as BNP Paribas Investment Partners, are combining them with interesting results. According to Donald Smith, who was recruited…

Tim Craighead  There’s a disconnect happening with the Connect, says Tim Craighead, with the hint of a smile. The difference between China A shares, listed on the Shanghai exchange, and China H shares, in Hong King, has blown out despite the Shanghai-Hong Kong Connect stock passport system. Craighead, the director for Asia Pacific at Bloomberg…

Geoff Wilson The three things that don’t fly with investors for listed investment companies are funds of funds, private equity and Asia, according to Australia’s LIC guru, Geoff Wilson. But what does fly, he is discovering, is a multi-manager product with very low fees and a charitable cause attached. Wilson last week finished up a…

Tom Hancock  Tom Hancock, well-known recruiter in the financial services industry, has returned to the fold after a one-year sabbatical in real estate. He has re-started his Thomas Hancock & Associates agency, based in Sydney. Hancock was the first career recruitment executive to concentrate on financial services in the 1980s, later establishing his own firm…

Victor Dominello With the endorsement of NSW Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation, Victor Dominello, Ian Dunbar’s portal-come-community for Australian and New Zealand fintech, called Afiniation, was formally launched last week. A mix of more than 50 start-up hopefuls and established players crammed into the NSW Department of Industry’s offices in Sydney’s MLC Centre to…

Andy Karpisek  In a rare offering, veteran Australian inventor Andy Karpisek, 91, has put his entire portfolio of about 70 R&D projects and patents on the market for private sale. The projects are in various stages of development and cover a range of industries, including cleantech. Helping to promote the sale, publisher Victor Bivell of…

George Lucas A major survey of financial services professionals – including trustees, fund managers and advisors – has confirmed that readership habits have splintered dramatically due to the mushrooming dominance of online information sources. The survey, of 644 financial professionals, based primarily in Australia, showed that mainstream media had been marginalized in the rapidly evolving…

Ross Martin Ross Martin, the former chief executive of Media Super and an experienced advisor to corporate super funds, has joined the listed wealth manager and planning group Fiducian Financial Services in a new role as head of superannuation. Martin left Media Super at the end of 2012 after nine years with the fund and…

by Greg Bright Mercer is about to appoint a new securities servicing partner for its $25 billion under management in investment and super trusts – Northern Trust – following a review. The news, is another blow for incumbent NAB Asset Servicing. The review commenced last year and by earlier this year it was clear that…

Mark Fordree Robo-advice firm Ignition Wealth has made two senior hires ahead of its September 1 launch, building its investment capabilities alongside the online technology. The fintech company, controlled by Mark Fordree and Mike Giles, is the first of its kind to get an AFSL licence. Mark Clayton has joined from Mercer as head of…