With uncertainty over the prospects for global equity and fixed income markets, many advisers are considering how they go about constructing portfolios to meet the new investment environment.
Even the most seasoned investors succumb to emotion when making decisions. However, understanding some of the common investment pitfalls will keep your emotions in check and provide a far more profitable experience for you and your clients.
Advisers are spoilt for choice amongst professionally managed Australian small cap equity funds. The small cap fund peer group has performed exceptionally well, with the average fund returning 14.0 per cent over 2013 – exceeding the benchmark by 14.8 per cent.
If “objective based” or “real return” funds are to have some longevity and not just be a flash in the pan, then how should they be used in a portfolio context, asks Zenith Investment Partners, Director, David Wright.
Following years of lacklustre performance, non-residential real estate is delivering some standout returns, writes Adrian Harrington, Folkestone’s Head of Funds Management.
With soaring property prices, the additional cost of lenders mortgage insurance can keep first-time buyers out of the market. Gareth Bird, Head of Adviser Services, Investec Australia, looks at the alternatives.
Picking the right managers and funds can be challenging. However, spending the time to look beyond fund managers’ slick sales pitches and impressive marketing campaigns to really understand a manager and their business can avoid major disasters and create rewarding long-term partnerships.
One of the current product, advice and portfolio construction trends is the emergence (or is it just relabelling?) of ‘real return’ funds and ‘objective-based investing’. The whole concept that objective or goals-based investing is new is, in itself, worrying. If we weren’t advising clients to invest with a clear objective previously, one questions what the industry was doing!
As with all things worthwhile and rewarding in life, it is not easy. Taking advantage of asset allocation opportunities means going against the crowd, something we all struggle to do, writes netwealth’s Matt Heine
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