UniSuper is to launch a comprehensive income product for retirement within two years that will give members the flexibility to dial up or down income. The flexibility recognises the changing needs of members in retirement, a freedom it will also extend to the accumulation phase by offering the flexibility to members to exchange some of … Read more
Up to 2.5 million people who are paying premiums for group insurance offered through superannuation need to examine their eligibility, as differences between super funds’ policies could mean they have reduced cover, or even none at all. Investment Magazine investigates. For the vast majority, group insurance is working well, providing cover to a nation that has historically been … Read more
The very best legislation often comes about after there is a crisis, an independent investigation with recommendations that turn into laws that cut the chance of the original crisis occurring again. The lack of credibility for the proposed superannuation governance changes, which were defeated in the Senate last week, arose from the absence of a … Read more
The three big trends leading to an increase in investors switching their custodians over the past two years are more competitive prices, greater service provisions and the funds’ greater allocations to overseas investments. This is according to Drew Vaughan, owner of Dymond, Foulds & Vaughan, who will be chairing a session on custodians at the … Read more
With 16 years’ experience Steve Merlicek is the longest serving chief investment officer in Australia; and after spending six of those years at IOOF he is seeing a fine run of performance. When Steve Merlicek arrived at IOOF in 2009 the then United Capital Growth fund was bottom or close to bottom of most performance surveys. He was … Read more
Concerned for a fairer superannuation system based on realistic expectations of what the system can deliver, Tom Garcia, chief executive of the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees says rebalancing tax concessions must primarily improve the retirement outlook for low- to middle-income earners. There has been a welcome shift in the tenor of the debate about superannuation tax reform. Super … Read more
A compulsory best practice code of conduct for not-for-profit funds will be developed by April 30, 2016, following a review of governance by the former RBA Governor and Treasury Secretary. The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) and Industry Super Australia (ISA) agreed to undertake a comprehensive review of not-for-profit fund governance as part of … Read more
The newly merged $3.3 billion Tasplan has increased its commitment to invest in Tasmania, and sees potential to build the allocation up to 5 per cent of the fund. Tasplan’s Tasmanian Growth and Development Fund – a joint venture with Nekon, a local property developer and investor – is expected to invest in areas such … Read more
Global listed infrastructure should not be classified as a separate asset class owing to the similarity of risk adjusted returns to global utility stocks, claims a leading academic. A presentation at the CSIRO-Monash Superannuation Research Cluster annual conference in Melbourne, given by associate professor Robert Bianchi of Griffith University, said the case was true for … Read more
The practice of benchmarking the salaries of senior executives of institutional funds with reference to external financial services firms, instead of the shared objectives of the fund, is a major barrier to their success, according to Professor Gordon Clark of Oxford University and director of Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. Clark sees the … Read more
The first public airing of the government’s proposed objective for superannuation has highlighted a divergence with proposals from both the Financial System Inquiry (FSI) and the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST). Addressing the superannuation industry at the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia annual conference, the Federal Treasurer, Scott Morrison said the government’s preferred … Read more
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Investment Magazine provides in-depth, monthly analysis of trends and developments for all the businesses in which superannuation funds engage‚ including asset allocation, investment manager selection, custody and fund accounting, member administration, group insurance and compliance.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this land upon which Conexus Financial sits, the Cadigal of the Eora Nation. We recognise their continuing connection and unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and community. We pay our deepest respects to them and their culture, and to Elders both past and present.
