Super bodies lobby for death benefit reform to fend off abusers

A joint initiative between the SMC and ASFA, alongside not-for-profit Women in Super, has called on the federal government to introduce reforms that stop family violence perpetrators from receiving their victim’s death benefit payment, in a bid to give trustees more legal power to fend off claims from abusers.

Data centres: ‘Green’ is in the eye of the beholder

Green data centres are hot assets in an even hotter sector, as investors get to grips with the existential need to make these power gobblers energy-efficient. But a real estate ESG expert says the exact meaning of the word “green” is hard to define in this context.

FSC pushes back on YFYS expansion

The peak body for retail funds and asset managers, the Financial Services Council, has argued the Your Future Your Super performance test should stick to monitoring simpler financial products, like MySuper and basic Choice. The FSC believes the performance test is best applied to set and forget products, rather than via channels that cater to personalised and advised channels.

Retail funds making inroads but too soon to declare comeback

After years of being outperformed by industry funds, retail funds are making the most of their improved performance in FY24, boosted by a strong sharemarket. However, industry experts suggest it might be too early to declare that the retail super sector is turning around, and that “stablising” might be a better description.

Study gives evidence of value-add from TPA over SAA

The funds that take a total portfolio approach added 1.8 per cent per annum over 10 years above those that use strategic asset allocation, according to a recent Thinking Ahead Institute study of 26 asset owners, including the Future Fund. And the systems-thinking TPA approach, with the benefits of dynamism and joined-upness, will help asset owners in an environment of increasing complexity according to the report’s author, Roger Urwin.