Retail managed fund flows: signs of recovery?

We’re in the midst of preparing the latest edition of the Tria Retail Managed Funds Review – a quarterly subscription report that provides regular insights into the Australian retail funds landscape¹ – so we thought this week’s Trialogue would be a nice opportunity to share some high-level observations from our June 2014 release. The last […]

Press release content coming soon

LICs: making a comeback – but tread carefully

Listed Investment Companies – or LICs – have been making something of a comeback lately with the net number of new LICs on the ASX at levels not seen since 2005, as today’s chart shows. It hit fever pitch when Investors Mutual raised $185m into the newly minted QV Equities – well above their minimum […]

Hunting for growth in a mature market

Why does growth matter?  This is a question we field more often than you might expect. It’s a question which will be confronted more often in a super industry where growth generated from members and net cashflows is now only marginally positive in many cases. “Why does growth matter” is an easier question for the […]

When will the super system reach maturity?

  When will Australia’s super system reach maturity? This is an important question for management teams across the industry, whether working for a super fund, an asset manager, or a service provider. What does maturity mean anyway?  In a typical industry, it refers to the top of the industry “S” curve, where revenue growth has slowed […]

SMSFs’ compelling value proposition

Wealth industry executives sometimes struggle to understand the steady stream of their members to SMSFs. In a recent ASFA debate of the Pros & Cons of SMSFs (click here for an edited version of the slides), we worked through the case for SMSFs, concluding that the SMSF value proposition can be irresistible, particularly to high […]

Lowering super’s cost structure – what are the trade-offs?

What are the trade-offs involved with reducing the cost structure of super? One of the problems with the Grattan Institute view is that it essentially argues that a free lunch is available – ie you can slash costs in super, such as removing active asset management, without any negative consequences. Not only is this highly […]

FSI Interim Report – super gearing gets the thumbs down

If the Financial System Inquiry (FSI) interim report raises some difficult questions for collective super funds, it also does the same for the SMSF segment, particularly in respect of gearing. The FSI interim raises the idea of restoring the general prohibition of gearing within super, other than for liquidity purposes. It notes the SMSF gearing […]

FSI Interim Report – cut super costs, cut active managers

Financial System Inquiry – how do you cut the costs of super? The interim report of the Financial System Inquiry runs to 460 pages, with 30 pages devoted to the efficiency of the super system. We’ll look at some of the main issues over the coming weeks. The key observation is that there is limited […]

Welcome to NMG world

ANDREW WARREN Hello and welcome to the new NMG Benefits website. As part of the multi-national company NMG Group, we have joined our sister companies, NMG Consulting and NMG Capital in re-launching our web presence. I have the privilege of leading NMG Benefits, the South African business with more than 400 staff across South Africa […]