Capital protection has become a hot topic after many Australians had their savings savaged by the GFC. Capital-protected product providers tell IFA's capital protection roundtable that flexibility is the key to making these investment vehicles work. Victoria Papandrea and Wouter Klijn report.... read more »
Financial services companies are once again hiring and candidates are returning to the job market in droves following the global financial crisis. Julie May reports.... read more »
Margin lending has taken a battering from the global financial crisis and the collapse of Storm Financial. Kate Kachor and Vishal Teckchandani take a look at how the main players are faring and what new lending regulations mean for the industry. ... read more »
To what extent are financial planners to blame for investor losses as a result of recent corporate collapses and what are advisers' rights in these situations? Kate Kachor and Vishal Teckchandani report.... read more »
The SMSF sector has continued to perform strongly against its industry competitors and amid the turmoil from the global financial crisis. Now, a new statistical summary of the sector has provided a more in-depth picture of how the sector is travelling. Wouter Klijn, Julie May and Darin Tyson-Chan look at how the sector is doing and what's in store for 2010.... read more »
After a phenomenal bounce back in Australian equities last year, investors are wondering what to expect from the market in 2010. IFA's Vishal Teckchandani and Kate Kachor spoke to a number of the industry's leading fund managers about their forecast for the year ahead.... read more »
The hardened insurance market cycle has hit financial planners renewing their professional indemnity cover, but underwriters have also come under considerable pressure in recent years. Victoria Papandrea reports.... read more »
The GFC put cost savings at the top of many financial planning practices' agendas, however, this failed to translate into the uptake of low-cost advice software. Even so, market dominators IRESS and Coin are facing competition from niche players and cannot afford to take their eye of the ball. Wouter Klijn reports.... read more »
While confusion may reign for many regarding the right price for advice, work has begun to help Australia's advice sector start on a path to find answers, reports Kate Kachor.... read more »
Next year is tinged with some uncertainty about the level of recovery in the share market and the outcome of various parliamentary inquiries. Darin Tyson-Chan and Julie May take a look at what may be in store for 2010.... read more »
The turmoil of the past year wreaked havoc on Australia's financial services sector, with the collapse of investment firms, parliamentary inquiries and a concerted push to abandon commission-based fees. Kate Kachor and Wouter Klijn examine the events of 2009 and their impact on the investment environment.... read more »
The Ripoll inquiry has released its much-anticipated report into financial services and products in Australia. Vishal Teckchandani examines the parliamentary committee's recommendations, the industry's reaction and the report's findings on the collapse of Storm Financial.... read more »
For consumers, finding a financial adviser in the vast and variable pool of authorised representatives may be akin to looking for a needle in haystack. Victoria Papandrea reports.... read more »
A decade on from its first issue, IFA marks the occasion by revisiting the top 10 issues, as nominated by the industry, impacting on the sector in that time. Three past editors of the magazine also look back on their time at the helm of the publication.
The global financial crisis (GFC) might not have thrown conventional investment wisdom out of the window, but it certainly has shaken its foundations and made many investors take a more cautious approach towards risk. The multi-manager approach has often been seen as one method of mitigating this factor.... read more »
Evidence is emerging that poor management, not bad advice, was behind the downfall of Great Southern and Timbercorp. Kate Kachor examines whether financial planners are among the victims of these agribusiness collapses.... read more »
The global financial crisis prompted many financial planners to consider offering life insurance and related risk products as part of a more holistic advice solution for clients. Victoria Papandrea reports.... read more »
As a result of the global financial crisis, approved product lists could become more conservative in their recommendations. However, they are still likely to remain a relevant part of the overall advice process. Julie May reports.... read more »
A year ago, the collapse of financial services giant Lehman Brothers propelled the world's economies and markets into a full-blown crisis. Wouter Klijn examines the damage to Australia's financial services industry and looks at what the future may hold. ... read more »
The wisdom of investing in international equities has come under scrutiny in the wake of the global financial crisis. Vishal Teckchandani examines the pros and cons of investing in global shares.... read more »
The market downturn may have cut the number of referrals financial planning practices are receiving from existing clients, but there are a number of other sources an adviser can tap to generate new client leads, irrespective of the market climate. Victoria Papandrea reports.... read more »
The global financial crisis has put the need for practice principals to have a concrete succession plan well and truly in the spotlight. Julie May examines the importance of having a succession plan and the benefits it can bring to a practice.... read more »
The SMSF sector is building as a new and lucrative area for advisers to service. Darin Tyson-Chan looks at what financial advisers interested in the area need to look out for and what sort of advice needs to be provided.... read more »
The platform sector has largely withstood the negative impact of the global financial crisis, with the major operators reporting steady inflows during the downturn. Kate Kachor examines where to next for the platform market. ... read more »
A number of emerging market economies have weathered the global financial crisis and are tipped to come out of the turmoil with a vengeance. Investment experts are urging financial advisers to consider including this asset class in their investors' portfolios. Vishal Teckchandani reports.... read more »
While family offices have been popular in the United States and Europe for some time, this niche offering is now gaining a foothold in the Australian financial advice market. Victoria Papandrea reports.... read more »
It began as a sub-prime mortgage meltdown afflicting the United States and snowballed into the global financial crisis (GFC), decimating household wealth and pushing economies to the brink of collapse.... read more »
If former treasurer Peter Costello could have seen the faces of financial planners when he unfolded the plans for Simpler Super on a Tuesday night in May 2006, then he would have been confronted by a sea of puzzlement.... read more »
Consumer confidence in the financial services industry in the past decade is probably best described in a nutshell as a love-hate relationship.... read more »
The latest commercial for industry superannuation funds uses the tagline "From little things big things grow", and in the case of these funds, nothing could be more accurate when you look at the influence they have had on the superannuation sector in the past decade.... read more »
The proposed regulatory moves across Australia's financial advisory sector that promise a wind of changed professionalism may also help double the number of people seeking financial advice, industry research has claimed.... read more »
