Real Estate
Blackstone remains ‘high conviction’ on travel and entertainment assets
While hospitality assets that were convention oriented will probably take longer to recover back to pre-COVID levels, these activities will come back and this mega trend will continue, Blackstone's Kathleen McCarthy says.
Jessica SierMarch 3, 2021
Real Estate
Nascent specialty real estate opportunities now coming of age: Heitman
The dislocation caused by Covid will push along growth in specialty real estate fundamentals at the same time as managers are improving their systems and liquidity enters the market, Heitman's Caleb Mercer says.
Jessica SierMarch 3, 2021
Real Estate
Public-private inefficiencies driving real estate opportunities: AXA
It's the inefficiency inherent in real estate that provides opportunities for investors to take advantage of illiquidity and price discovery at certain inflection points, AXA's Justin Curlow explains.
Jessica SierMarch 3, 2021
Real Estate
Office in flux: Deciphering the COVID impact
The pandemic and its associated lockdowns have inspired a rapid pivot towards more effective digital communications and remote working, accelerating a trend that was already in play, Lendlease's Micah Schulz says.
Jessica SierMarch 1, 2021
Real Estate
Real asset risk assessment requires digging deeper: AEW
Environmental Social and Governance policies are commonplace in global investment firms, but addressing risks to physical assets like property take investment teams deeper in their due diligence and studies of investment risk, experts explore.
Jessica SierFebruary 26, 2021
Investment Strategy
Specialist investor Kayne Anderson bets on student housing mispricing
Remote learning and widespread US university closures completely recalibrated student housing prices and offered the Florida-based firm opportunities to snap up premium new developments.
Jessica SierFebruary 26, 2021
Investment Strategy
Property value dislocations push allocators into unfamiliar territories
Aware Super is being more direct in its real assets investment strategy, a new approach that coincides with unique conditions for deal execution, a panel of asset allocators have discussed.
Matthew SmithFebruary 26, 2021
Investment Strategy
Chris West on thinking about risk outside the box
Peer risk, fee constraints, and overall career risk are all factors weighing heavily on the minds of individuals on investment teams at super funds, the former WA Super CIO said.
Matthew SmithFebruary 22, 2021
Policy and Regulation
Performance ‘argie-bargie’ not helping industry’s cause: Rowell
APRA will have “significant input” into the government’s proposed YFYS performance test which is not yet set in stone, APRA's Helen Rowell noted, before expressing frustration with industry interactions relating to performance measurement.
Matthew SmithFebruary 1, 2021
Policy and Regulation
AustralianSuper calls out retail fund dividend payments
The government's proposed treatment of dividend payments by retail funds as "out of scope of the best-financial interests test" doesn't reflect the policy intent of the measure or members’ best financial interests in any sense, an AustralianSuper policy submission has noted.
Matthew SmithJanuary 21, 2021
Policy and Regulation
How the performance test could be tougher
The proposed performance benchmark understates performance when it comes to adjustments for withholding tax and benchmarking credit exposure with traditional fixed income indices, meaning that relative performance is overstated, David Bell writes.
David BellJanuary 21, 2021
Governance
Aussie super funds 4th most transparent, new benchmark finds
Across the globe the transparency of disclosure varied greatly, both between countries and between funds across all the factors that were measured. In some instances there are wild variances between the best and worst performers, the new benchmark reflects.
Amanda WhiteFebruary 17, 2021
Governance
‘We were never in a liquidity situation’: HostPlus
The $50 billion fund's deputy CIO - brought onto the panel to replace a sick Sam Sicilia - said the fund had enough liquidity amidst the early release scheme to manage "well beyond even the worst scenario we could imagine".
Tahn SharpeFebruary 10, 2021
Governance
Innovate to avoid forced mergers: Fairley
Greater transparency brought on by new regulatory requirements will lead to funds quickly realising the writing is on the wall to merge, but time might be running out for some, Togethr and Equipsuper's Andrew Fairley says.
Matthew SmithFebruary 8, 2021
Leadership
Leadership in the trenches with Wayside’s Jon Owen
Like many people charged with the fate of others, imposter syndrome is something Wayside Chapel CEO and pastor Jon Owen deals with regularly. Reaching out, he believes, is the key to getting through it. "Loneliness is the leprosy of the developed world," he says.
Tahn SharpeFebruary 10, 2021
Leadership
Chasing scale at Cbus a priority for new CEO
Former Blackrock and Victorian Funds Management Corporation executive Justin Arter says he wants Cbus to sit among the largest funds in Australia.
Ben HurleyJanuary 13, 2021
Leadership
Top podcast interviews from 2020
In its first year, Investment Magazine's Market Narratives podcast series have traversed some of the most pressing issues facing heads of investment teams, asset class specialists, influential consultants and those at the helm of the country's largest superannuation schemes.
Staff WriterDecember 16, 2020
Insurance
‘Some merit’ in group insurance review: Hume
The minister expressed support for the productivity commission’s 2018 call for an independent inquiry into the “increasingly unviable” group insurance industry, while her counterpart Stephen Jones put the onus on the industry itself to demonstrate its value.
Tahn SharpeFebruary 3, 2021
Insurance
Screws tighten on trustees to justify rising insurance premiums
The recently announced duty to act in members’ best financial interests increases the likelihood that trustees will come under pressure to justify rising insurance premiums, particularly in respect of MySuper members who hold default coverage.
Richard WebbDecember 9, 2020
Insurance
AIA Australia’s Mu voices support for stapling reforms
It’s time to take the opportunity to think differently about insurance in superannuation, AIA Australia chief executive Damien Mu has said.
Matthew SmithNovember 20, 2020
Retirement
Simplicity and confidence key to retirement puzzle: Challenger
Finding better retirement solutions will require more than just ‘age and balance’ metrics, but the industry will need to keep things simple to retain members’ faith and their confidence to spend, according to Challenger’s Aaron Minney.
Tahn SharpeNovember 2, 2020
ArticleRetirement
Moral outrage at super system ‘justified’: Daley
The former Grattan Institute CEO isn’t pulling any punches in his assessment of the “sharp knife” that is our super system. The “20 to 30” billion dollars it costs to run our retirement savings each year may be terrific for people working in the industry, he says, but not for the rest of the country.
Tahn SharpeJuly 22, 2020
Retirement
Pension Loan Scheme provides a comfortable retirement
Most Australians believe they are ineligible but changes to a Government loan scheme may augment retirement income for many, says Rice Warner chief Andrew Boal.
Meredith BoothJune 24, 2020
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March 16, 2021
Redefining Leadership – Dr John Fraser
We are delighted to be partnering with MLC Wealth for the Redefining Leadership Series where we talk with some of the finest minds in society on questions of geopolitics, medicine, AI, fiduciary investing and mental health to explore the leadership qualities required to offer us all future confidence as global citizens.
March 23, 2021
Investment Operations Conference
SUITABLE FOR: Superannuation funds, investment managers, regulators, technology innovators, fund managers, custodians and other investment back-office specialists.
The conference is for all those involved in the middle office of an institutional investor. The event offers leading content from industry experts and unparalleled networking opportunities. It brings a practical focus to the challenges and innovations shaping investment operations in Australia.
March 30, 2021 - March 31, 2021
Fixed Income and Private Credit Forum
Suitable for: Heads of fixed income and credit, portfolio managers, CIOs and asset consultants
The Fixed Income and Private Credit Forum forum provides an examination of the opportunities and the factors affecting the increasingly broad spectrum of loans and credit both domestically and internationally. This forum will cover the market conditions and opportunity sets across all forms of asset backed securities, such as collateralised debt obligations and mortgaged back securities.