Superannuation FundInsurance ProtectionNewsRetirement Planning superannuation statements in Australia

Superannuation Statements – What to Check

Last financial year’s superannuation statements are hitting your mail boxes over the last week.

It is important that you check your details are correct. The type of information you should be checking:

  • What is your balance.
  • Is the balance trending upwards over time – remember the Centrelink aged pension will probably not provide enough for the niceties in life. Chances are you will be relying on your superannuation for a better quality of life in your retirement.
  • Are all this year’s superannuation payments showing on your statement?
    Only recently we had a client whose superannuation guarantee payments from his employer were going into a different fund to the one he thought. And in rare cases, unscrupulous employers have been known not to make their payments at all even though they have a legal requirement to do so.
  • Do you have insurance within your superannuation (life, income protection or total permenant disability)?  Is it still sufficient for your needs?
    Remember that insurance premiums within your super fund are paid from your superannuation returns rather than billed to your directly. This makes them a convenient form of extra financial security, but one which it is easy to overlook.
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NewsInvestment Planning Investment Planning Firm Announces Global Infrastructure Platform

Global Infrastructure Platform from AMP Capital Garners $1 Billion USD in New Commitments

If you are interested in investment planning help here in the Perth area, you may be interested in some recent developments from our parent company, AMP Capital. The AMP Capital global infrastructure platform recently added more than $1 billion USD, bringing it closer to its final close of $2 million USD.*

For its second and third closes, the Global Infrastructure Fund raised close to $400 million USD cumulatively. When the investor commitments are combined with an existing portfolio containing a diversified selection of European infrastructure equity assets, the platform has amassed more than 75% of its target.*

According to Boe Pahari, who is the Managing Partner of the AMP Capital Global Infrastructure Fund, “Investors….understand the many benefits that infrastructure provides to a portfolio.” These include: inflation and GDP linkage, high yield, low volatility, as well as low correlation with equities. Mr Pahari is encouraged because of the “increasing demand” for the platform.*

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NewsInvestment Planning Climate Change a Factor in Investments

Is Climate Change a Factor in Investments?

Investment planning in Perth and beyond has been introduced to a relatively new factor in potential investment performance: climate change. More specifically, greenhouse gas emissions are an important factor in evaluating Australian and global equity portfolios.*

Ian Woods is the Head of Environmental, Social and Governance Investment Research for our parent company, AMP Capital. Recently, Mr Woods published an insight paper on the AMP Capital blog called “Greenhouse gas emissions: risks and challenges for portfolios.” We would like to share some of his thoughts on the subject with you.*

Mr Woods used the Paris Climate Change Agreement as an example of a global commitment to acknowledge climate change. He feels that both companies and investors need to assess, communicate and manage risks posed to them by climate change.*

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NewsFinancial Planners Financial Planners on Sharemarkets

Have the Sharemarkets Bottomed Out Yet?

At Approved Financial Planners in Perth, we have more than 40 years’ combined experience in the financial industry. We also have the full resources of our parent company, AMP Capital. One of the best resources AMP Capital has made available to us is their Chief Economist and Head of their Investment Strategy Team, Dr Shane Oliver.

Recently, Dr Oliver wrote an article on the AMP Capital company blog called, “Have we reached the bottom?” It is a concise analysis of our current economic situation and contained his projections for the near future. We would like to share some of his ideas with you.*

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) left the interest rate on hold at 2.0% during their first meeting of 2016. Dr Oliver believes their reasoning to be “reasonably solid economic data within Australia” and “global economic turmoil.” He also projects another rate cut of 0.25% to provide more relief for the Australian economy.*

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NewsFinancial Planners Chinese Spending Habits by Financial Advisors

The Evolution of Chinese Spending Habits and How it Could Affect Investments

It may not seem important right now but the financial advisors in our Perth office are keeping an eye on Chinese spending habits. Change in Chinese spending habits are affecting a diverse lot of Western companies. Last year, Volkswagen, Nestle, Yum and Proctor & Gamble underperformed due to sales in China being weaker than expected. Meanwhile, Mercedes, Starbucks, Adidas and Nike had sales in China that were stronger than expected.*

Recently, Andy Gardner, who is the Portfolio Manager/Analyst of Fundamental Equities for our parent company, AMP Capital, covered the evolution of Chinese spending on the AMP Capital blog. The article, called “The evolution of the Chinese consumer,” explored the recent change in spending habits among Chinese consumers. We would like to provide an analysis for you.*

According to Mr Gardner, China is shifting from being a “developing market” to a “mature emerging market” or a “developed market.” In a developing market, good brands that differentiate themselves tend to perform better than brands that don’t differentiate themselves. Due to the mathematics of its massive size, performance in China can have a huge effect on earnings. As Mr Gardner says, “…if your brand starts to perform badly in China, you can expect (it) to be reflected in stock performance.*

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NewsFinancial Planners Financial Services - Property Returns

How Property Returns are Affected in the Chase for Yield

Among the many financial services we provide to clients in the Perth area is helping to diversify their portfolios. Property investment is one way to diversify. Recently Michael Kingcott, Head of Property Investment Strategy and Research for our parent company, AMP Capital, took a look at how the “chase for yield” is affecting property returns. We would like to provide you with some highlights. (1)

During a period of low interest rates, Australian investors and foreign investors are choosing to invest in commercial real estate. Because yields on bonds tend to be low, investors are searching for a “safe” investment that provides higher yields. Currently, investors searching for a high-yield, low-risk investment are attracted to commercial real estate. (1)

However, yields have compressed during the last decade from a high of 8.7% just before the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) to their current level of 6.6%. Mr Kingcott expects yields to fall even further, matching their 2007 peaks. Some assets may see rates even lower than their 2007 peaks, such as investments with secure high yield, markets with rising prospects for rental growth and trophy assets. (2)

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NewsFinancial Planners Market Volatility with Financial Planners Perth

Causes, Opportunities and Outlook for Market Volatility

With years of experience serving the Perth market as financial planners, we have learned to look for the good in any market variation. Recently, four executives from our parent company, AMP Capital, did just that in a discussion of what recent volatility, especially in oil, the banking sector and emerging markets, could mean to investors.*

The participants: Investment Director Jeff Brunton, Head of Global Fixed Income Simon Warner, Head of Credit Research Sonia Baillie and Chief Economist and Head of Investment Strategy Dr Shane Oliver. We would like to present the salient points of their discussion.*

Current Market Volatility Driven by Global Macroeconomic Uncertainty

Uncertainty can affect markets in a negative manner. Global uncertainty has affected the market in three main areas.*

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NewsInvestment Planning Investment Planning in Investing in Australian Banks

Outlook for Investing in Australian Banks

We have been providing investment planning services to clients in the Perth area since 2005 and have more than 40 years’ combined experience in the financial industry. We are now affiliated with AMP Capital, who provide us with even more resources to help us help you.

Recently, on the AMP Capital blog, Investment Director Jeff Brunton, Head of Credit Research Sonia Baillie and Portfolio Manager and Analyst Tom Young, all of AMP Capital, discussed the outlook for investing in banks from their respective perspectives. We would like to provide you with a “short version” of the information.*

Equity Perspective

In the last 12 months, the major banks have been under some pressure. For some of the banks, share valuation levels are similar to those during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). During the same period, dividend yields of major banks have seen a rise of 2%. Share prices could become more volatile in the near future, as lower commodity prices and a housing market slowdown could exert a “drag” on earnings growth.*

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NewsSuperannuation Fund Self Managed Superannuation Fund Suite with Core Infrastructure Fund

AMP Capital Expands SMSF Suite with Core Infrastructure Fund

If you are one of our self managed superannuation fund (SMSF) clients in the Perth area, you may be interested in this news. Our parent company, AMP Capital, has just added its Core Infrastructure Fund to their SMSF suite due to a growing number of SMSF trustees expressing interest in the class of infrastructure assets.*

Entitled the “AMP Capital Core Infrastructure Fund,” this fund provides retail investors with access to an asset class that is usually available only to large institutional investors: direct infrastructure assets. The AMP Capital Core Infrastructure Fund invests in what AMP Capital calls a “targeted 50-50 mix” of listed infrastructure securities and direct infrastructure. The listed infrastructure securities provide investors with a degree of liquidity.*

According to the AMP Capital website, the AMP Capital Core Infrastructure Fund provides SMSF trustees with the opportunity to own “high quality direct assets” such as Angel Trains in the UK or Melbourne Airport in Australia. The minimum investment for the AMP Capital Core Infrastructure Fund is $10,000.*

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NewsFinancial Planners Financial Planners Discuss Bear Market

The “Bear” Facts about Bear Markets

Perth financial planners are responsible for helping their clients navigate the markets during good times and bad times. At Approved Financial Planners, we have a great resource that helps us do just that. His name is Dr Shane Oliver. He is not only the Chief Economist for our parent company AMP Capital; he is also the Head of Investment Strategy and Economics and is responsible for their diversified investment funds. (1)

In mid-February, shares on the ASX 200 index temporarily entered “bear market” status. It is considered a “bear market” when shares declined 20% from their most recent high. For this instance, that “high” took place in April 2015. Media coverage helped generate great concern for this development. Dr Oliver responded with a post in his “Oliver’s Insights” column explaining why bear markets are “not always of the grizzly variety.” (1)

According to Dr Oliver, it is unfortunate that there is no true definition of what separates a bear market from a correction market. In addition, there is no industry official who is responsible for making that kind of declaration. Dr Oliver prefers to view a correction market as “sharp falls” within a rising market that only last a few months until the market continues its previous trend of rising, reaching a new “high” within 6 months of the low. (1)

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