Super assets down $8.9 billion
22 July 2003
The Australian super industry suffered a blow last quarter with assets reaching $507.7 billion – that’s almost $9 billion down on the previous quarter…
Life Insurance
AFA: don’t drop accountants
15 July 2003
The Association of Financial Advisers has joined the growing clamour against a Federal Government decision to exempt accountants from aspects…
Australia bucks mutual fund assets trend
15 July 2003
A global decline in mutual funds assets hasn’t been noted in Australia, where they increased by 5.9% to $US377 billion…
IFSA wants private pension reforms
08 July 2003
The Investment and Financial Services Association wants national reforms to boost private pension uptake after its quarterly retirement income stream report…
Financial advisers: compliance doesn’t equal good advice
01 July 2003
The Association of Financial Advisers believes the ASIC/ACA financial planners survey earlier this year focused too much on compliance, and the advice given in the survey…
AMP puts NPI into run-off
24 June 2003
AMP is putting the life insurance operations of its ailing British operation National Provident Institution into run-off, laying off another 900 staff in the process…
Alternative Tower deal in the wings
24 June 2003
Trans-Tasman financial services group Tower is the subject of much attention after key shareholders’ attempts to come up with an alternative capital-raising plan to overthrow…
AMP sets out to sell demerger
17 June 2003
It’s been a tough few weeks for AMP CEO Andrew Mohl, and it’s not going to get any easier in the immediate future as he sets off around the world to try to sell…
PI premiums are ‘causing bad advice’
10 June 2003
Financial planners say the high cost of PI premiums are preventing them from doing their job properly…
Promina, Vero, and now – Asteron
10 June 2003
Promina’s Royal & SunAlliance Financial Services has changed the name of its Australian and NZ operations to Asteron…
Tower in defence mode over GPG deal
10 June 2003
NZ-based financial services group Tower has hit out at a NZ Shareholders Association suggestion that Tower has given Guinness Peat Group “a cheap-ride into a 30% stake”…
Associations unite to build guides
03 June 2003
NIBA has joined with IFSA and the FPA to devise a “plain English” guide for statement of advice completion and a model financial services guide…
Genetic testing report lays out insurers’ role
03 June 2003
A two-year study into the impact of genetic testing on Australia has been welcomed by life insurers…
Split super proposal
27 May 2003
The Federal Government will implement a new superannuation system that focuses on allowing employees to choose their own super fund…
Bid to drive out bad planners
20 May 2003
Still reeling from the negative impacts of the recent consumer/ASIC survey that found too many financial planners with real problems…
FPA to meet needs of boutique planners
20 May 2003
The FPA has also appointed two new staff to look after the needs of its small boutique dealer members, who make up 75% of its membership…
ASIC: planners will struggle with basics
13 May 2003
After a spate of bad press following their disastrous showing in two recent surveys, financial planners have copped it again, with a senior ASIC officer saying most of them…
Planners promise to lift their game
06 May 2003
The Financial Planning Association has launched an “ambitious” national campaign to raise the bar on Australian planners’ professional standards after the recent disastrous survey…
John Pearce joins IFSA Board
06 May 2003
Colonial First State CEO John Pearce has joined the IFSA board of directors…
Elderly law gets a makeover
29 April 2003
New Zealand’s 95-year-old Life Insurance Act is finally destined for a makeover…