Super

A prospective Labor government would strike out Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s proxy advice reforms – if Parliament doesn’t do it first. The proxy advice reforms will in be Labor’s crosshairs as Parliament resumes, with shadow minister for financial affairs Stephen Jones calling them “one of the worst policies I have seen in my 10 years in…

Opposition to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s proxy advice reforms is growing, with one key Liberal senator questioning his use of the regulations power and warning of a possible disallowance. While not disagreeing with the reforms in principle, senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells – head of the standing committee for scrutiny of delegated legislation – questioned why Frydenberg had…

Labor wants to “super-charge” the Australian economy by putting our largest pool of capital to work both at home and away. But on Your Future, Your Super, they won’t be throwing the baby out with the bath water. The Your Future Your Super (YFYS) reforms represent one of the most daring political plays by the…

Frontier Advisors has nabbed a contract with Western Australia’s Government Employee’s Superannuation Board (GESB). Frontier Advisors has won a $12.2 million multi-year contract with GESB, replacing incumbent consultant JANA Investment Advisers. Frontier will provide “tailored investment advice to help the Government Employees Superannuation Fund meet its investment objectives; insights on financial market opportunities and risks;…

As the retirement product race heats up in superannuation, funds and advisers need to confront a simple fact: people will live a lot longer than they think. Average life expectancy remains the main metric for determining the planning horizons for retirees. But research from the Actuaries Institute of Australia found that the tools used by…

Despite their surging popularity, risks lurk within illiquid assets that put member outcomes and portfolio quality at risk – and there’s little regulation for handling them. Illiquid assets – anything from infrastructure and commercial property to venture capital and private equity – are experiencing a surge in popularity as institutional investors face down a future…

ASIC’s investigation into potential “insider trading” at a number of superannuation funds appears to be approaching its end – but the issue seems far from settled. Accusations of “insider trading” at some of Australia’s largest super funds were first made by Liberal MP Tim Wilson, who accused unnamed executives and employees of switching from investment…

APRA’s decision not to include private credit in the Your Future Your Super fixed interest benchmark creates an opportunity for super funds to outperform without compromising tracking error, according to a new report by Atchison Consultants. APRA’s chosen benchmark for fixed interest – the Bloomberg AusBond Composite 0+ index – only captures the government and…

Super Rewards is looking to expand its partnership program with big super funds as a way to help them lift member engagement, particularly among women members. The company, launched by former financial services marketer-turned entrepreneur Pascale Helyar-Moray in 2019, allows cash-back incentives from selected retailers across all household spending from day-to-day shopping through to prescription…

Manufacturers and super funds alike need to do more on the burning issue of retirement products. So far, they’ve failed to innovate. A full generation of superannuants are about to enter the decumulation phase, with little idea about what to do with the nestegg they’ve built up. And despite the new retirement income covenant, superannuation…

A significant chunk of super fund advertising could now be on ice, with APRA finding that marketing expenditure could not be shown to have improved members’ financial position. As stapling puts a nail in the coffin of default distribution, many of Australia’s biggest super funds have turned their attention to the dark art of advertising…

It’s probably too early to pick the winners in the transition to net-zero. But the lack of a solid plan at the Federal level is making things even more complicated. The interest in renewable energy has grown substantially over the past 18 months, and particularly in the leadup to COP26, where world leaders aim to…