Investing in low-growth marketsMon, 19 Dec 2011 The world might be turning Japanese as it faces a decade of lost growth, says international author Satyajit Das.
ETF Strategy Day: The low cost advisory modelWed, 12 Oct 2011 Tria Investment Partners' Andrew Baker discusses the essential elements to consider when developing a low cost advice business and the role ETFs can play in this process.
Masterfunds: Platform world tipped on its headThu, 06 Oct 2011 A panel discussion on the effect of mergers and acquisitions on platform providers and the difficulty with retaining legacy products.
Masterfunds: Adviser world tipped on its headThu, 29 Sep 2011 A lively panel discussion on what the mergers and acquisitions between platform providers mean for advisors.
Masterfunds: Retirement policy and potential portfolio solutionsFri, 16 Sep 2011 Challenger's Jeremy Cooper and Ibbotson Associates' Daniel Needham discuss issues surrounding retirement policy and portfolios.
Masterfunds: A perfect worldTue, 13 Sep 2011 Closing speaker at the recent Masterfunds conference, Bernie Ripoll, gives an insight into the philosophy behind FoFA reforms and a view on how regulators and legislators would like the platform industry to operate.
Masterfunds: The good, the bad and the uglyTue, 13 Sep 2011 Keynote speaker at the recent Masterfunds conference, industry veteran Wayne Wilson, discusses the major challenges facing platform providers.
FSC Conference: Ann ByrneFri, 12 Aug 2011 Australian Council of Super Investors (ACSI) chief executive Ann Byrne talks about a recently launched guide that helps companies improve and simplify their environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting.
VIDEO: FSC Conference: Mathias CormannThu, 04 Aug 2011 The Shadow Minister for Financial Services discusses Bill Shorten's decision to reconsider a ban of risk commissions inside super
VIDEO: FSC Conference: Greg MillerThu, 04 Aug 2011 MLC General Manager talks about engaging consumers through scalable advice.
VIDEO: FSC Conference: John BrogdenThu, 04 Aug 2011 FSC CEO John Brogden talks about one of the main points on the FSC agenda: action against insurance 'churning'.
VIDEO: FSC Conference: Greg MedcraftThu, 04 Aug 2011 ASIC chairman Greg Medcraft talks about his first 100 days on the job and the challenges ahead.
Financial planners brace for changeThu, 07 Oct 2010
The next reporting seasonThu, 01 Jul 2010 It�s two months away but Morningstar strategist Ross Bird gives us a preview of what we can expect.
Funds for a market correctionMon, 07 Jun 2010 What does a market correction mean for investors with managed funds and what types are favourable?
Why fixed interest remains a vital part of your portfolioTue, 20 Apr 2010 They may not be as exciting as some, but fixed interest investments play an important role.
Where has the HNW gone?Tue, 20 Apr 2010 Investor sentiment has taken a dip, so what are investors intending for the rest of 2010?
The tasks ahead - what's on ASFA's hit listFri, 05 Feb 2010 What's on the to-do list for the superannuation industry and its representative organisation? We asked ASFA's Pauline Vamos
Make the nest egg last the distanceFri, 05 Feb 2010 Retirees face the risk of running out of money. We asked Macquarie Funds Group's head of longevity risk solutions Andrew Robertson how this can be avoided
FSC Conference: Andrea SlatteryTue, 09 Aug 2011 SMSF Professional's Association of Australia CEO Andrea Slattery talks about issues with tax agent registration.
Retirement incomes roundtable part 4 of 4Mon, 01 Aug 2011 The fourth and final video in our roundtable series. A whole generation of Australians are about to enter retirement, the need for a dependable income streams in the immediate future top of mind.
Retirement incomes roundtable part 3 of 4Tue, 26 Jul 2011 Part three of our four part roundtable video series. A whole generation of Australians are about to enter retirement, the need for a dependable income streams in the immediate future top of mind.
Retirement incomes roundtable part 2 of 4Mon, 18 Jul 2011 Part two of our four part roundtable video series. A whole generation of Australians are about to enter retirement, the need for a dependable income streams in the immediate future top of mind.
Retirement incomes roundtable part 1 of 4Wed, 13 Jul 2011 Part one of our four part roundtable video series. A whole generation of Australians are about to enter retirement, the need for a dependable income streams in the immediate future top of mind.
What financial planning fiduciary duties meanTue, 21 Sep 2010 An overview of the implications and importance of the imposition of a fiduciary duty on the financial planning industry.
The aftermath of the Cooper reviewMon, 13 Sep 2010 An assessment of some of the superannuation review assumptions and recommendations.
Getting SMSF taxes readyTue, 20 Jul 2010 We�ve put a line under FY09/10 but how do we best prepare our taxes for the year.
Do SMSFs seek advice?Mon, 07 Jun 2010 SMSF members like control but do they eschew advice?
Cooper, super and SMSFsMon, 07 Jun 2010 Understanding the Cooper review�s proposed changes to our super and SMSFs.
Beware capital gains tax on SMSF rolloversThu, 27 May 2010 Certain activities in running a self managed super fund can trigger capital gains tax liabilities.
Insurance gets built-in for longer livingTue, 20 Apr 2010 Lifetime income guarantee funds make sure your money won�t run out.
Hefty tax for exceeding capsThu, 18 Mar 2010 What to do if you exceed the superannuation contribution caps.
New innovations to address longevity riskThu, 18 Mar 2010 Andrew Barnett discusses longevity risk and some new solutions to the problem.
Penalties for your SMSF's poor reportThu, 18 Mar 2010 SPAA chair Sharyn Long talks about the auditor contravention report and how SMSF trustees can best deal with them.
Ensuring your auditor is qualifiedThu, 18 Mar 2010 SPAA accredited auditors have now become approved auditors under the SIS Act.
Keep your super in the familyFri, 05 Feb 2010 Is your SMSF for the whole family? Grant Abbott discusses if you should have insurance or other products included.
Make the nest egg last the distanceFri, 05 Feb 2010 Retirees face the risk of running out of money. We asked Macquarie Funds Group's head of longevity risk solutions Andrew Robertson how this can be avoided
Penalties for your SMSF�s poor reportFri, 05 Feb 2010 SPAA chair Sharyn Long talks about the auditor contravention report and how SMSF trustees can best deal with them.
New TPD insurance regulationsThu, 28 Jan 2010
SMSF ReservesThu, 28 Jan 2010
Will your SMSF pass these tests?Thu, 19 Nov 2009 How Australian is your SMSF? Dire consequences await those funds that fail to meet requirements.
The SMSF in-house asset ruleThu, 19 Nov 2009 Darin Tyson-Chan speaks to SMSF Strategies principal Grant Abbott about the amended in-house assets rule for SMSFs
Trustee responsibility (pt 1) Thu, 19 Nov 2009 Trustees often trip over the law with SMSFs, lawyer Peter Townsend warns in the first of this two-part interview.
Trustee responsibility (pt 2) Thu, 19 Nov 2009 The second part of this SMSF discussion provides tips for trustees
Maximum earnings and super contributionsThu, 19 Nov 2009 Salary sacrificing? Understanding the 10 per cent maximum earnings rule is a must.
SMSFs and gearingThu, 19 Nov 2009 Administrative considerations with Andrew Biviano and Darin Tyson-Chan
Trustee EducationThu, 19 Nov 2009 Liz Westover gives her recommended changes to superannuation trustee skill and knowledge.
Christine St Anne:
China's insatiable appetite for resources has been credited for buying the Australian mining and energy sectors, even sheltering the Australian economy from the global financial crisis. This appetite is based on Chinese domestic growth of an amazing trajectory. But as we enter the Year of the Tiger, some observers are asking how long this growth can continue.
Brian Parker:
And I think when you look at what the Chinese authorities are doing now, they are taking steps to try and reign in the economy. You have seen a big surge in, say, investment activity, a big surge in property activity. And this kind of needs to be reigned in before problems emerge down the track. But medium to long term, the China story is still a pretty good one.
Christine St Anne:
Brian Parker is head of the investment strategy of MLC and a China optimist.
Brian Parker:
I think the big issue for China is, how do you get Chinese consumer spending to grow in a really sustained, powerful way? Because at the moment, Chinese consumers households save a very large percentage of their income because there really isn't an adequate social sentiment.
Christine St Anne:
Not all fund managers are optimistic, however. According to a fund manager survey from the Bank of America Merrill Lynch, just seven percent of global fund managers think China's economy will strengthen in the coming 12 months, the lowest rating since March, 2009.
Christopher Selth:
In order to engineer the kind of change they're trying to do at the speed they're doing means there's risk.
Christine St Anne:
Christopher Selth, chief investment officer at Five Oceans Asset Management has just returned from China and still remains upbeat about the country's economic prospects.
Christopher Selth:
Under normal circumstances a bubble doesn't build that fast. Having said which, they pump a lot of money in here in an act of necessity or desperation. And the shock waves of the deceleration are likely to cause, and have already started causing a degree of fear in the markets.
Christine St Anne:
Manufacturing slowed in February according to China's purchasing manager's index. And there are reports that China is at least facing a property bubble. House prices in Shanghai rose 40 percent last year.
Brian Parker:
The one reason I would not call it a bubble is that you don't at this stage have the credit difficulties emerging. For example, a large number of Chinese property buyers pay cash. So credit doesn't enter into the equation. The level of mortgage debt outstanding isn't all that great.
Christine St Anne:
The country is facing rising inflation running at an annualized rate of four percent over the last six months, according to a report by AMP.
Morningstar analyst Mark Taylor believes the Chinese hunger for resources, especially those from Australia won't be satisfied any time soon.
Mark Taylor:
The thing you've got to remember about China is that while some of the numbers seem very, very large, you've got a very large population that's underlying that. And you've also got this urbanization and progression towards development that's occurring. So when you're looking at consumption of commodities in GDP growth and all these sorts of things, it's not just a question of can it keep growing like that in growth terms. You've got to look at what's happening at the grass roots level. And in China, as the population urbanizes and becomes more wealthy, then the rate of consumption of raw materials is going to increase. At the moment it's still very, very low on up ahead of population basis. So there's masses of room for growth in consumption of raw materials.
Brian Parker:
What happens when an economy develops? You end up with quite a growing and very affluent middle class. And what sort of things do middle class consumers spend their money on? Well in the emerging markets, middle class consumers increasingly spend their money on the same kind of things that you and I spend our money on.
Now, who supplies those things? Well, some of those are supplied by Chinese companies, for example. So there's going to be benefits to be had by investing in a number of Chinese companies that are clearly going to benefit from the emergence of a Chinese middle class. But the winners out of this emerging middle class in China and India and other parts of the emerging world, the winners could be listed anywhere.
Christine St Anne:
It isn't possible to discuss the long term prospects of the Chinese economy without mention of the communist government.
Christopher Selth:
I think there are risks in China because of the planning questions from the Chinese government. And they are yet to be fully exposed. As long as China can maintain its momentum, it will gloss over some of those problems. But unquestionably, some do exist.
Brian Parker:
Within, let's say, 20 or 30 years, China will be an overwhelmingly private sector economy with an affluent population, a very burgeoning middle class. And it will be the second largest economy in the world. India, of course, will be the largest by sheer weight of numbers. Well, how do you marry that situation with the communist party dictatorship? Now the answer is, you don't. But how do you get from point A to point B while still maintaining social stability in China? And I think what we're likely to see is that over the next 20, 30, 40 years or however long it will take, China will take steps towards democratization. China will take steps towards some semblance of a multi party system. But the Chinese will move at their own pace.
Christine St Anne:
In the meantime, world economists will be looking for clues in China's economic work report due to be submitted to the National People's Congress later this week.
A new low-cost, simple super product was launched last week. Sound like an industry fund? No, it's the latest product from retail giant AMP. ... read more »
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How many times have we heard about it? Industry funds versus retail funds and the various arguments about differing methods of remuneration employed by advisers associated to the funds.... read more »
