This is an exciting moment for me, showing you the first glimpse of our financial services reality TV show about our own Australian investment management industry that is set to launch on Channel 9 on Saturday 7th May.
It is a milestone for many reasons. In our view, it’s our best work to date. Our editors, producers, marketers, sales people and strategists all agree.
We have an absolutely stellar cast this season. We’ve had Platinum’s chief executive Kerr Neilson join the panel of fund managers providing a fascinating insight into one of Australia’s most successful investors.
We have exclusive access to the next big thing in risk profiling from the head of Berkeley Economics Department at the University of California. More on that later…
We also have privately-owned boutique Orbis put a face to their business for the first time in Australian retail investing. Their portfolio counsellor Ben Preston came out from London to share his global view on investing. Orbis is an intelligent and considered addition and I have learned a lot from them.
Industry veteran Greg Paramor, the managing director of Folkestone, and ex-chairman of LJ Hooker rejoins the cast from the boardroom of the Sydney Swans, where he is a board member to share his 35 years of experience in building property empires for Mirvac and his own billion dollar business.
It’s great to have Allan Gray back on the program. They have been a supporter since inception, where we were joined in series one by the iconic, incredibly talented Simon Marias. Tragically, Simon passed away last year at the age of 50 and we were shocked to hear of his cancer diagnosis at such a young age. He was known in the press as the “CEO slayer”, and he was truly a giant in intellect, attitude and height.
The incredible legacy Simon has left that business is the selection and hand training of some of the brightest portfolio managers you will meet. Richard Whiteoak joins this season – the doctor Simon recruited to be an investor with a scientific brain.
UBS is back again. Another supporter since our start, the group’s head of UBS Asset Management in Australia and New Zealand, Bryce Doherty has delivered major talent once again. Anne Anderson, the head of fixed income, Asia Pacific and the only person I have met who can actually teach the art and beauty of the global bond market joins the show this season, and follows in the footsteps from seasoned investor Tracey McNaughton who taught us in seasons one and two.
Another manager back with more to offer is Blue Sky Alternative Investments. The group’s chief investment officer Alex McNabbrings to the show his innovative approach for investing and opens the eyes of many to a different asset class – mine included.
Tribeca is another of Grant Samuel’s unique and talented managers. Damien McIntyre has always promised us talent we would love, and has always delivered. To be joined in season one by iconic Wall St manager Bill Priest, from Epoch Investment Partners was an incredible learning opportunity. His quant super brain Simon Ho from Triple 3 won a legion of admirers in season two, and Sean Fenton from Tribeca describes a way of investing in this current series that has us all intrigued with his left brain right brain challenges.
Australian Ethical joins us for a second time, with their chief investment officer David Macri who makes a compelling case for investing in our planet. After spending time with him talking about how ethical decisions can be profitable, it seems crazy not to be doing it.
And for the first time we are joined by the first Australian-owned exchange traded fund (ETF) provider, Betashares We all know ETFs need a lot of explaining but I have to say after spending time in the kitchen with managing director Alex Vynokur, he has made understanding ETFs as easy as watching Masterchef. Amazing.
In addition to our fund managers, our guardians have joined us again for a third season. It’s been an incredible learning experience working with Lonsec as they went about the science of constructing model portfolios, which were inspired by the TV show and designed for investors, and to suit specific lifestyle goals. The conversations I have had with joint chief executive Amanda Gillespie, and her chief investment officer Lukasz de Pourbaix have been some of the most educational and insightful on model portfolios and why our industry has created these highly diversified investment opportunities.
Matt Heine from netwealth returned this year, and offered viewers a way to access our managers, and our model portfolios, via their platform. As the largest independent platform in the market, Matt always asks our managers insightful and practical questions –and is always trying to ask the questions that investors should be asking.
And our research veteran, David Wright from Zenith, is also back. His questions are sometimes tough, always intelligent and come from a voice of experience and integrity.
Earlier I mentioned a new risk profiling tool which has been included in the series. It’s a game which was developed by Professor Shachar Kariv, from the Berkeley School of Economics and can actually diagnose an investor’s preferences for risk – or as we call it, their economic fingerprint. We are joined on the show by the managing director of Capital Preferences, Bernard Del Rey who helps us to give real investors access to the game. It will change the way you think about risk profiling.
All this sounds too good to be true? I almost feel that way too! The fact that our program is screening on Channel 9 is significant for our industry as it allows it to be viewed by a broad range of Australians, interested in its talent, ideas and possibilities. We have three leading advisers in the program in David Rae, Andrew Rocks and Dominque Bergel-Grant. Each of these advisers have grown significant practices, and take their own clients on a journey to change their relationships and their conversations. They also show the role of an adviser as vital in helping investors explore their wealth options and create a long term plan for success.
Our relationship with the Financial Planning Association (FPA) has also allowed us to help Australians find a quality adviser after watching the program.
We created this show for both the industry and the general public. This is part of a bridge we will be continuing to create via entertaining education which aims to bring people to the financial services industry. It is our mission to be part of the reason more people build a life of wealth, health and happiness.
If you are an accountant, adviser or broker, and want a new way to engage your clients and prospects around a wealth creation conversation, send them an email and invite them to watch the program. It’s a conversation that can spark a new way of looking at long-term wealth creation and how more Australians can access it.
