Financial Standard

Research digs into HNW investment preferences

MATTHEW WAI   According to new research from Praemium, high-net-worth (HNW) investors with stronger balances are typically tipping more into alternatives.

Dixon Advisory clients should be heard at Senate inquiry: Anderson

ANDREW MCKEAN   Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) general manager of policy, advocacy, and standards Phil Anderson has urged the Senate Committee inquiry into Dixon Advisory to hear from ex-clients.

CC Capital outbids Bain again, increases Insignia offer

JAMIE WILLIAMSON   CC Capital Partners has topped the most recent bid by Bain Capital to acquire Insignia Financial, lobbing a fresh offer of $4.60 per share.

APG to invest exclusively for ABP

ANDREW MCKEAN   APG, the Netherlands' largest pension asset manager, will exclusively manage investments for ABP, the country's largest pension fund, starting around 2030.

Colonial First State completes group insurance review

JAMIE WILLIAMSON   Following a review of its group insurance arrangements, Colonial First State (CFS) has renewed its mandate with AIA.

MLC Life and Resolution Life Australasia to merge

ELIZA BAVIN   The merger, which also includes a rebrand, is set to create one of the largest life insurance businesses in Australia.

SMSFs surpass $1tn milestone

MATTHEW WAI   The latest statistics from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) show the total assets held within self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) hit $1.02 trillion at September end.

Growth of SMSFs, Div 296 opportunity for advisers

MATTHEW WAI   A new report published by the SMSF software provider has revealed growing opportunity for financial advisers and demonstrates the potentially detrimental effect of the proposed Division 296 tax.

Dimon 'cautiously pessimistic' on US economy

KARREN VERGARA   Despite the raging bull market, and lower inflation and unemployment levels, JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon is "cautiously pessimistic" about the US economy in 2025.

Unemployment edges up despite jobs added

ELIZA BAVIN   Employment rose by 56,000 people in December, smashing expectations, but the unemployment rate still edged up slightly.

TPB welcomes stay of sanctions against disqualified agents

MATTHEW WAI   The Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) has declined to stay or suspend sanctions imposed by the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) against disqualified tax agents in three separate cases.

FAAA accuses of government of crucial CSLR failure

MATTHEW WAI   The Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA) believes the government may have failed in its obligations when introducing the Compensation Scheme of Last Resort (CSLR) by skipping a key step.

Salter Brothers bolsters equities team with iPartners hire

MATTHEW WAI   Alternative fund manager Salter Brothers has welcomed Emily Mohan as investment director, strengthening its capabilities in equities.

ASIC names new chief executive

MATTHEW WAI   The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has named a chief executive, following Warren Day's abrupt exit in June last year.

Coalition members call for superannuation guarantee reform

ANDREW MCKEAN   Coalition members have called for reforms that would give workers the choice to limit their superannuation guarantee (SG) - to receive higher take-home pay.

One in five pension funds face liquidity risks

KARREN VERGARA   Nearly one in five pension funds face liquidity risks particularly as they increase allocations to private assets, a new survey shows.

Traders left scrambling over ASX settlement outage

MATTHEW WAI   The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) suffered another glitch last week that disrupted two days' worth of trades.

First Sentier expands mandate with Northern Trust

MATTHEW WAI   Northern Trust will offer a range of front-to-back solutions as third-party administrator for First Sentier Investors under an extended agreement.

Family offices turn to start-ups, M&As: PwC

KARREN VERGARA   Family offices have increasingly shunned real estate in favour of direct company investments over the last decade, a new report from PwC reveals.

Australia home to 43 billionaires: UBS

KARREN VERGARA   Australia has consistently produced billionaires over the last 10 years and is home to 43 of the richest people in the world, according to a new report from UBS.