Navigating the shifting sands of the proposed PAF changes
The philanthropic landscape in Australia is on the cusp of significant change, with the Productivity Commission’s proposed reforms to Private and Public Ancillary Funds (PAFs), soon to be rebranded as ‘Giving Funds.' There could be unintended consequences, particularly in the potential effect on impact investing, writes Barwon Investment Partners' Joss Engebretsen.
Biodiversity fund to target high-net-worth investors, family offices
The Kunming-Montreal Global Diversity Framework is to biodiversity what the Paris agreement is to climate change, and local investment firm Skjander aims to ride its growing investment appeal across the globe.
The strategic case for centralised investments
The wealth management industry is undergoing a profound transformation, with change arriving through many vectors. Decentralised advice models, in which advisers control both the client relationship and investment decision-making, are beginning to show their limitations.
You wouldn’t credit what could help solve the housing supply crisis
To paraphrase one of Paul Keating’s more memorable lines, if you walk into any pet shop in Australia, the resident galah will be talking about the under-supply of housing. But what’s not being discussed is the real supply issue behind it: access to flexible capital for developers and builders.
Private credit: What to look for in an asset manager
With private credit garnering plenty of media attention lately, it’s important for investors to understand the underlying variations across this asset class. Lauren Ryan from non-bank lender Thinktank discusses some key points about private credit funds and how they work, as well as some key differences between them.
Close your eyes, relax and enjoy the wealth
Relax, stop worrying; you’re well-off. Australian household wealth per person is now $623,000, putting us right up there with the richest in the world. Not all may feel it, however.
Like Melbourne weather, adviser education standards change again
Not happy with the government's settings on adviser education standards? Well, wait five minutes and they'll change. Is the latest change a return to the bad old days, or simply common sense prevailing?
ETFs soar on face value and market performance, despite elevated risks
Whether there's an ETF bubble brewing or not is moot, and the debate only obfuscates the real risks. When markets do recalibrate, how will a new generation of fervent ETF believers react?
Navigating the AT1 hybrids transition: Yarra Capital Management
Pushing bank AT1s into extinction well before APRA’s 2032 cut-off is of natural concern to many fixed income investors. Roy Keenan, Yarra Capital's co-head of fixed income, looks at the implications and opportunities.
Super funds push 'vulnerable' bank stocks into stratosphere, elevating risk levels
The super funds' collective willingness to pay inflated prices for bank shares is starting to make them look like outliers. With about 30 per cent collective ownership of the banks, APRA sees "stability risk" as a salient concern for all stakeholders that can't be ignored.
Government, not super funds, should be guiding decumulation: Grattan
The inertia that rules the retirement system means bigger ideas are needed if members are going to get the best outcome in retirement. And with millions set to retire in the next few years, time is of the essence.
Why investors should embrace change in the Year of the Snake
It's been an astonishing two years for US equities, but the same can’t be said for global asset markets. 2025 could be a year to explore out of favour markets, according to Ruffer's Jasmine Yeo.
In 2025, it’s MAGA versus the bond vigilantes: Ruffer
The vigilantes aren’t back – yet. But the United States’ fiscal position is worse and the spectre of inflation has returned, and this time they would have a much stronger case, according to Ruffer’s Steve Russell.
'Nonsense and fiddlesticks': Making sense of the private credit mania
All strategies work – until they don’t. But while private credit may not be everything it's cracked up to be, the risks need to be weighed with a sense of pragmatism.
Is China the ugly duckling you should invest in right now?
Investors may have settled into an Anything But China mantra, and they may have good reason, but for calculated risk takers there may be a different case to make according to Ruffer's Duncan MacInnes.
Advisers in the lurch as Clearview 'terminates' $1.5B WealthFoundations retirement product
Clearview and trustee ETSL have raised eyebrows and confused advisers by shifting the popular WealthFoundations super and pension product to investment platform provider HUB24. "It's like a power plant being run by a battery," says adviser Jason Poole. "It makes no sense."
'Not talented enough': Vanguard indulges in hubris as active equity managers slide
As the biggest ETF provider in Australia, Vanguard has the right to crow about another knockout performance over active equity. But invective commentary is a red flag, especially when it's based on something as changeable as recent market performance.
Healthcare property sector poised for a 'second wind' of growth
By investing in healthcare property, specialist teams can offer both stable income and the potential for capital growth. But it's the idiosyncratic characteristics of property healthcare that make it so attractive according to Barwon.
Industry innovates on advice access models while Govt dithers on reform
The move from Viridian and CFS to provide personal advice in a scaled manner highlights a growing willingness within the industry to fix its own problems in lieu of waiting for the government.
'Still weak': Listed asset managers need to evolve rapidly to escape ETF obliteration
With traditional equity managers losing the fight against passive product providers, diversification into more specialist classes of asset management may provide a more sustainable path. But that's a pricey endeavour, and easier said than done.
