Volume 4, Issue 2

Investment
CHRISTOPHER BURTON , ANDREW KARSH  |  SATURDAY, 10 JAN 2009
According to Christopher Burton and Andrew Karsh commodities offer significant diversification opportunities which may reduce overall portfolio risk and improve returns. Commodities pay no interest and offer investors no share of any future profits ... Read more
MATT CHRISTENSEN  |  SATURDAY, 10 JAN 2009
Matt Christensen is Executive Director of Eurosif which is the premier European think tank and industry association for sustainable investment. Eurosif defines Sustainable Investment as an investment philosophy that combines investors' financial objectives ... Read more
DYLAN GREENWAY  |  SATURDAY, 10 JAN 2009
Dylan Greenway provides a brief introduction to agricultural schemes which have recently had such bad press. Greenway argues that agricultural schemes which typically last from 6 to 25 years have low or negative correlation to traditional investments. ... Read more
Ethics & Governance
DAVID ANDERSON  |  SATURDAY, 10 JAN 2009
Even in these difficult economic times employers are saying that it can be hard work finding quality employees. This important Mercer research presented to us by David Anderson in his paper compares what employers think employees believe is important ... Read more
Communications & Marketing
SAM AYLETT  |  SATURDAY, 10 JAN 2009
Sam Aylett tells us how to market smarter not harder and proactively not reactively. He details how the AXA Financial Advising Network has developed tools to help their advisers. AXA based advisers are able to develop a "Real Business Plan" ... Read more
Applied Financial Planning
DEBORAH WIXTED  |  SATURDAY, 10 JAN 2009
This paper considers some of the key issues financial planners should evaluate if they wish to go about incorporating advice on aged care needs into their financial planning business. Aged care is more than just hostels and nursing homes; it also includes ... Read more
HUGH BANNISTER  |  SATURDAY, 10 JAN 2009
Hugh Bannister of Optimo Financial has spent most of his working life building computer software modelling tools for the energy and finance leasing industries. Through the years Bannister has also received personal financial advice that has not served ... Read more
Superannuation
Alex Wernbacher
ALEX WERNBACHER  |  SATURDAY, 10 JAN 2009
Alex Denham is a well known technical analyst at Challenger. This paper describes what options small fund trustees have when the complying pension they have been paying is not able to get actuarial sign-off as being financially viable. She particularly ... Read more
Insurance
HELEN MENTIPLAY , PETER RIDDELL  |  SATURDAY, 10 JAN 2009
Helen Mentiplay and Peter Riddell are lawyers at TurksLegal. In this paper they explore the implications on income protection policies of a 2008 NSW Supreme Court case (Carolyn Philips (née Durrand) v Tower Australia Ltd). The case involved an ... Read more
ROSS HIGGINS  |  SATURDAY, 10 JAN 2009
When Ross Higgins joined Austock, he was asked to develop a new type of Insurance Bond. As Ross points out the Insurance Bond market has been moribund for many years because, "the Life Industry failed to move insurance bonds with the times by introducing ... Read more