The contentious proposals from the board of Australian Wealth Management to increase directors fees, grant 2.2 million options to its managing director, Andrew Barnes, and gain approval for its remuneration report were comfortably passed by shareholders last week.
Merrill’s deal with BlackRock to prompt ‘large-scale consolidation’
The purchase of Merrill Lynch Investment Management (MLIM) by BlackRock Inc – the biggest funds management acquisition ever – is likely to be followed by similar mergers and acquisitions, according to analysts and the chief executive of BlackRock himself, Laurence Fink.
Investment risk should be as simple as counting to five, ACA chief says
Peter Kell, head of the Australian Consumers’ Association (ACA), has called on the regulator and manufacturers to apply a risk rating system to financial products.
Fee-for-service needs clarification, ASIC tells Senate…
The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) admitted in a Senate Estimates committee last week that it had not examined the details of ANZ Financial Planning’s fee-for-service model before issuing a press release praising the move.
… as 50 planners to face investigation over Westpoint sales
ASIC is investigating about “50 individuals”, most of them understood to be financial planners, over their role in the Westpoint fiasco, according to Labor Senator, Nick Sherry.
TWUSuper tilts to alternatives
The $1.6 billion TWUSuper fund has allocated $210 million to alternative investment strategies after a review headed by Mercer Investment Consulting.
Profit generation: how to manage a smooth handover of a family business
Like many of the Metro Midlands Financial Planners’ clients who are facing the challenges of generational change, Vicki Hagley too is designing the future of her Perth-based practice along with its founder – her father and mentor, Cliff.
Women counterintuitive when it comes to risk, survey finds
Managed fund investors, unlike investors in directly held shares, are more likely to act rationally when making a decision to sell – holding onto their winners and selling their losers, according to a major research effort by BT Financial and the University of Western Australia (UWA).
AXcess self-managed super
AXA launches a one-stop-shop administration service for self-managed super funds.
Perennial Global Property Securities Trust
Perennial offers wholesale investors a portfolio of international property securities.
Perennial Value High Yield Shares Trust
…and a tax-effective, high yield shares portfolio ideally suited to low tax status clients.
Master trusts bridge performance gap, but industry funds to win super race
The investment performance gap between industry funds and commercial master trusts is likely to narrow further but industry funds will still be the major winners of increased market share over the next five years, according to the latest report from superannuation consultancy Chant West Financial Services.
