THE FEDERATION FINANCIAL BLOG
The Sequence of Our Behaviour
It was a party at the house of a hedge fund manager in the wealthy New York enclave of Shelter Island. In attendance were the famed writers, Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller. Long-time friends, Vonnegut turned to Heller and informed him that their billionaire host had...
December Quarter & 2020 Review
Market Overview Asset Class Returns The following outlines the returns across the various asset classes to 31st December 2020. Sharemarkets around the world offered positive returns in Q4 to ensure the year finished with modest gains, a position unthinkable to many...
Australian Sustainable Finance Roadmap
Last month saw the launch of the Australian Sustainable Finance Roadmap. The Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative (ASFI) – comprising more than 140 participants from over 80 organisations across major banks, insurers, super funds, government, regulators, civil...
The Pizza Pandemic
By Jim Parker Vice President - Dimensional The global pandemic wrought by COVID-19 has created great uncertainty among policymakers, investors, workers and consumers, but it’s worth noting that its repercussions on the economy and the share market have not been all in...
‘Low Risk’ Term Deposit Alternatives
Tough to earn a buck for nothing these days. While that’s always been the case for our labour, there was always the illusion of some free cream from our money in the bank. Illusions, being illusions, this wasn’t strictly true. There was always tax and inflation...
SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENTS: HOW DO THEY COMPARE FINANCIALLY AND ETHICALLY? (PART 2)
(This is adapted from a presentation Dave Rae gave to the Financial Planning Association member CPD webinar series) You can find Part 1 - here. What is Ethical (or Sustainable) Investing? ESG: Environmental, Social, Governance – the three pillars widely used to assess...
Federation Financial in the News
In April 2019, Federation Financial Adviser Dave Rae spoke on a panel session for the Responsible Investment Association Australasia's virtual conference. The topic was on responsible investing in light of the new FASEA Code of Ethics which came into effect for...
Sustainable Investments: How Do They Compare Financially and Ethically? (Part 1)
(This is adapted from a presentation Dave Rae gave to the Financial Planning Association member CPD webinar series)
Ethical and sustainable investing has become highly topical over the past 6 months. What has been happening?
Covid-19 Update
Firstly, some positive news. Locally it has been encouraging to see compliance with the government’s social distancing rules. We’ve been in regular contact with overseas colleagues in the US and New Zealand. It’s pleasing to hear people understand the...
Sticking to Principles
(Note: This educational content is provided courtesy of DFA Australia) A famous American football coach once said, “You don’t rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training.”1 The implication is that, in times of great stress, the most reliable recipe...
COVID-19 – Federal Government Stimulus & Support Package
The news around COVID-19 continues to move fast. Governments are moving to alleviate the impact on individuals and businesses. This weeks stimulus included these measures.
Coronavirus & You
The Corona Virus. For weeks there was calm. Then suddenly there was panic. Admittedly, it was surprising. Markets have been moving upwards without a hitch for a while and initially they shrugged the Coronavirus off. Australia investors, getting little joy from cash, may have been pushing into the market. The US has been offering solid economic growth to underpin its market.
The Sustainability Revolution
In October 2019, we held a seminar titled – The Sustainability Revolution. Sustainable investing is becoming a major part of the investment landscape both in Australia and globally. Increasingly consumers and investors are choosing to spend and invest their money in alignment with their values….
What Are the Key Issues for Responsible Investors?
What are the main issues of concern for Australians wanting to invest responsibly? In order to assist investors, the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA) has made it easy to search and compare products. The Responsible Returns Investment tool allows searches across superannuation, banking and investment….
The Decade Ahead
It’s that time of year. When everyone starts talking about what will happen next year. Banks. Brokers. Economists. Lunatic gold newsletter salesmen on Youtube. They’ve all got an opinion. The media goes on holidays while those left manning the fort get extra lazy. We’re all subjected to unfiltered astrology calls on financial markets. It’s termed businessman’s pornography with good reason….
