Mark Beyer

A FEW months is a long time in financial markets, as investors who switched to fixed rate housing loans will have discovered to their cost.

AUSTRALIAN investors can select from a small but growing number of ‘index’ funds.Vanguard Investments, the global pioneer of index funds, offers an Australian Share Fund, which aims to track the S&P/ASX 300 index, before fees and expenses.

THE growing popularity of master funds and wrap accounts has been one of the main themes of the managed funds industry over recent years.Westpac CEO David Morgan acknowledged as much when he announced the purchase of BT Financial Group last month.

AUSTRALIA’S listed in-vestment companies mostly defied the sharp downturn in equity markets to post positive returns last year.

ADMINISTRATION platforms may not sound like an exciting concept, but they are generating hot competition in the financial planning industry.

THE latest prospectus from investment manager Direct-Portfolio neatly illustrates some of the emerging trends in investment styles.

ASSISTANT Treasurer Helen Coonan has dismissed concerns that Australia’s superannuation system will leave many people with inadequate retirement incomes.

WHEN the Reserve Bank decided earlier this month to leave interest rates unchanged, it caught most pundits by surprise.

THE impact of commissions continues to be one of the most contentious issues in the financial planning industry.