Greg Sword the outgoing chief executive of LUCRF has revealed how his fund is arguably the best prepared in the industry to take advantage of SuperStream changes. The fund’s Blue Door powered administration system has its own Gateway and clearing house and will offer the service free to all employers that use it when SuperStream … Read more
A desire for diversification is diluting the best ideas of active managers, shows a study carried out by Professor Ron Bird, a director of the Paul Woolley Centre. A study of stocks held by US mutual funds from 1995-2012 has led Bird to the conclusion that many would be better off sticking to their best … Read more
If Robert Litterman were a CIO of a public pension plan he would not try to hit an “unrealistic return target”. There is a serious problem with US public pension funds and the “unrealistic commitments and unrealistic return targets” they have set, says Robert Litterman, co-developer of the Black-Litterman Global Asset Allocation model and risk … Read more
Tom Garcia, chief executive of the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees weighs up the impact of pensions at 70 Retirement is about people and policies must work to improve the lives of all, not just those whose work/life experience neatly tracks the actuarial forecasts. While many of us will indeed be living longer and be … Read more
David Hartley, chief investment officer of Sunsuper, talks about the exclusive unlisted asset deals his fund is entering into, as banks curb the amount they are lending. There is a view that a mid-sized fund has optimal economies of scale and stealth in manoeuvre and the ability of anything larger to outperform is dulled. But … Read more
The question of who makes the investment decisions needs to move to the top of superannuation fund agendas believes Fiona Trafford-Walker director of consulting for Frontier Advisors. “Expect internal governance to become the new black,” she told delegates at the Fiduciary Investors Symposium at Lilianfels, Blue Mountains. She identified the challenges for funds face as … Read more
Rigorous Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) management can deliver an extra 40 basis points per month according to Saker Nusseibeh, CEO and head of investment at Hermes Fund Managers. “Where it [ESG] really matters for performance is in consistently avoiding bad governance. You can add 40 basis points per month… Per month!” Nusseibeh told a … Read more
Don’t expect economic growth to translate into emerging market equity returns: that’s the warning from one of Australia’s investors as stock valuations begin to look more attractive. Joshua Bloom portfolio manager of Sunsuper described the five years up to 2003 as “quite special” and a boom that could not go on indefinitely into the future. … Read more
“Building on the move by the former Government to increase the pension age eligibility to 67 by 2023, this Government will gradually increase the age of eligibility to 70 by 2035. That is over two decades away.” Joe Hockey, the Treasurer of Australia. The eligibility for the age pension will rise to age 70 … Read more
Met Life has scaled back its variable business in Australia, ending its nascent deal with Local Government Super, but staying committed to its RetireSafe product with MTAA Super. A spokesperson for MetLife confirmed that its Max range of products, which include accumulation investments, transition to retirement products and a lifetime growth annuity were currently halted. … Read more
Restoring trust in the funds management industry, through improved personal integrity, is mutually beneficial to the end investor and to funds management firms, a panel of industry participants said at a CFA Society lunch yesterday, launching the “Putting the Investor First” week. http://www.cfainstitute.org/learning/future/getinvolved/Pages/community.aspx Investor First Week is part of CFA Institute’s global Future of Finance … Read more
AustralianSuper is seeing increasing member enquiries on how their super is invested, as funds generally report greater member engagement. Hilary Spear, head of corporate affairs, AustralianSuper revealed the heightened interest in environmental, social and corporate governance at the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees’ Employer Engagement Symposium, held in Melbourne last week. She said: “Shareholder activism … Read more
The investment intelligence behind Australia’s largest asset owners and their teams
In-depth interviews with leaders, experts and visionaries in the institutional investment community
Updates on the latest industry policy developments and regulation
The challenges and innovations of custody, technology and operational due diligence
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.
