News archivos - Page 399 of 572

International Wealth Protection Shares Its Key to Success

International Wealth Protection comparte los secretos de su éxito — Mary Oliva in a screenshot of the documentary video. International Wealth Protection Shares Its Key to Success

In the last Transamerica’s annual Sales Summit meeting Mary Oliva was featured in a documentary style video shared with other life insurance professionals in attendance. The work was created by Transamerica to provide other life insurance sales individuals insights on how someone successful in working with ultra-high-net-worth approaches the opportunity.

In the video she describes: why and how she started International Wealth Protection, her team model approach, her personal experience in working with ultra-high-net-worth global citizens and how life insurance can be an effective solution to their wealth management risk needs, successes and challenges in this arena, as well as how she trains and mentors staff to also serve the needs of International Wealth Protection’s client base.

Vanguard Names New Managing Director for UK and Europe

| For Fórmate a Fondo | 0 Comentarios

Vanguard nombra nuevo responsable de los negocios de Reino Unido y Europa continental — Photo: John James, Managing Director-Vanguard Australia. Vanguard Names New Managing Director for UK and Europe

John James, Managing Director-Vanguard Australia, and Colin Kelton, principal of Vanguard’s Retail Marketing & Communications group in the United States, have been named to new roles on the leadership team of Vanguard’s International group, reporting directly to James M. Norris, Managing Director, Vanguard International.

James will transition from his current position as Managing Director-Vanguard Australia, assuming responsibility for management, distribution, and operations of Vanguard’s UK and European businesses.

He replaces Thomas M. Rampulla, who after seven years of leading Vanguard’s operations in the United Kingdom and Europe, will return to the US to head Vanguard’s $1trn (€930m) Financial Advisor Services division by mid-year. Rampulla will join Vanguard’s senior executive team and report directly to Vanguard CEO Bill McNabb.

Mr. James joined Vanguard at its US headquarters in 2008 as head of Broker-Dealer Sales and Distribution, and then moved to the International division and was the global business lead for the group’s strategic review of The Vanguard Group’s non US business and distribution efforts. In 2010, Mr. James returned to Australia to lead Vanguard’s Australian operation.

Prior to joining Vanguard, James was the CEO of Australian Football League team Port Adelaide for four years. In addition, he brings more than 15 years of executive leadership experience with prominent Australian financial services companies.

In Australia, Colin Kelton will assume the position of Managing Director-Vanguard Australia, with responsibility for all aspects of management, distribution, and operations of Vanguard’s Australian business.

Kelton started with Vanguard in 1990 as a service associate and has held various positions of increasing responsibility in Vanguard’s Retirement Resource Center, Retail Operations, and Retail Services.

James Norris, Managing Director, Vanguard International, comments: “We are very pleased to retain John on Vanguard’s international leadership team. He is a tenured professional in the investment management industry who will bring his experiences from the US and Australia to benefit our European business and our clients.”

The Pension Protection Fund Appoints Northern Trust for GB£20 Billion Mandate

| For Fórmate a Fondo | 0 Comentarios

The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) ‘the UK’s pension lifeboat fund’, has appointed Northern Trust to provide global custody, securities lending, collateral management and performance measurement services for its GB£20 billion (approximately US$31 billion) in pension assets.

The PPF offers compensation to eligible members of defined benefit schemes if their employer does not have sufficient assets to payout. It now has over 200,000 members and gives comfort to around 11 million people in the UK who belong to over 6,000 defined benefits schemes. It is a highly sophisticated asset owner, deploying multiple asset managers and investing across the full spectrum of asset classes.

This latest appointment reinforces Northern Trust’s leadership position in the UK pension fund market, where it now provides services to five of the top 10 pension funds in the UK, together representing more than GB£240 billion in assets and approximately one fifth of the entire UK pensions market.

“We are proud to have been appointed by PPF as they evolve in terms of scale and sophistication,” said Penelope Biggs, head of Northern Trust’s Institutional Investor Group in Europe, Middle East and Africa. “The retirement market in the UK faces dramatic change, particularly around defined benefit schemes, and our expertise and proven track record positions us to support the PPF with flexible and creative solutions tailored to their specific needs.”

Northern Trust currently provides solutions to 31 percent of the top 100 UK pension schemes, and 37 percent of the total local government pension scheme market in the UK.

Old Mutual Global Investors Awarded With Two Major Accolades at the 2015 European Funds Trophy Awards

| For Fórmate a Fondo | 0 Comentarios

Old Mutual Global Investors won two major accolades at the 2015 European Funds Trophy Awards in Paris last week.

The company scooped the award for Best Long Term Management of a range of funds, in the 41-70 rated funds category and Best International Large Cap Fund for the Old Mutual Global Equity fund for the second year running.

Now in its ninth year, the European Funds Trophy rewards the best European asset management companies and funds for the global quality of their European fund range. The shortlisted managers are assessed for quality by a panel of five professional jurors from the finance industry.

The awards are organised by FUNDCLASS in cooperation with media from across Europe including La Stampa, Le Jeudi, Tageblagt, El Pais, L’Opinion and LCI.

This is the third year Old Mutual Global Investors have been awarded a top accolade at the European Funds Trophy Awards. They won Best European Asset Management Company in the 8 -15 rated funds category in 2014 and Best United Kingdom Asset Manager in 2013.

Allan Macleod, Head of International Distribution at Old Mutual Global Investors, comments:

“We are delighted to have been acknowledged again at these prestigious awards. Europe continues to be a key market for Old Mutual Global Investors and being awarded for the long term management of our funds clearly demonstrates that we are highly regarded within the European market place.

“With over 84% of our funds ranked above the median of their investment sectors and 74% in the first quartile over three years, we see this award as independent recognition that we are a top class asset management company, which is important to us as we look to further enhance our distribution in Europe in 2015.”

Latin America in Focus for Axa IM Growth Plans in 2015

| For Alicia Miguel | 0 Comentarios

AXA IM alcanza récord de activos con la vista puesta en la expansión global — Photo: bachman01. Latin America in Focus for Axa IM Growth Plans in 2015

AXA IM has announced its assets under management at the end of December 2014 hit a record €623bn, up 14% per cent from €547bn in 2013.

Net new inflows accounted for €19bn, dominated by third party clients, and €58bn came from market and foreign exchange rate impact.

Andrea Rossi, CEO of AXA IM, said: “Our priority as a business is to grow our third party assets, while continuing to serve and support the AXA Group around the world. I am therefore delighted to see that the majority of our €19bn in net new money inflows in 2014 came from non-AXA clients across both the institutional and wholesale markets. Positive growth in net new money, AuM, revenues and underlying earnings provide a solid base from which to accelerate our growth in 2015.”

Expansion plans for AXA IM in 2015 are targeting several areas. AXA IM wants to make its third party business growing in both the US and Canada. In 2014, in the US, the company strengthened its teams into boosting the RFP team and hiring a new head of Client Group, Stephen Sexeny. A participating affiliate agreement was established, that means the firm will be able to sell in the US market products managed in the UK.

After the hire of a team dedicated to the service of its Nordic clients in February, the firm plans to strengthen its presence in Latin America focusing on Mexico, Colombia and Peru and also targets to develop business in Chile, “where the company has been active with local pension fund clients for over 10 years.”

For the Asia Pacific area, AXA IM is also seeking a growth of its profile, client base and product offering. The company underlined its joint ventures in this area were performing well in 2014 and made “a strong contribution” to net new money inflows.

Rossi commented: “We are becoming more and more global. Today, we employ over 2,300 people, including 250 portfolio managers, in 28 cities across 21 countries. We now employ more than 150 people in the US and over 100 in Asia, not including our JVs. We will continue to expand our global footprint, but in a targeted fashion.”

He added: “We want to accelerate our growth in key mature markets where we don’t yet have a significant market share, such as the US, Japan and the Nordics. In high growth markets, such as Asia and Latin America, we will continue to develop our distribution coverage. We will also strengthen our historically robust positions in Europe by reinforcing our presence in the retail and unit-linked markets.”

Nearly 30% of U.S. HNW Investors Define Themselves As Self-Directed Investors

| For Alicia Miguel | 0 Comentarios

Global analytics firm Cerulli Associates finds that nearly 30% of high-net-worth investors in the United States define themselves as self-directed investors, according to their High-Net-Worth and Ultra-High-Net-Worth Markets 2014: Addressing the Unique Needs of Wealthy Families report.

In the report, Cerulli analyzes the U.S. high-net-worth (HNW) (investable assets greater than $5 million) and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) (investable assets greater than $20 million) marketplaces. The report focuses on the three constituencies of investors, providers, and asset managers.

“This helps explain the dispersion of assets among providers, and although the direct channel’s surge in the high-net-worth marketshare gains have stemmed in more recent years, providers continue to boost their high-net-worth capabilities and presence among younger, tech-savvy wealth creators,” states Donnie Ethier, associate director at Cerulli. “For wealth managers, they represent increasingly worthy competitors that will likely test traditional managers’ willingness, and aptitude, to adapt to next-generation investors.”

The immense balances that many of these investors have within their self-directed accounts are further proof. This also helps explain where assets have flowed as investors have expanded their provider relationships. According to Cerulli’s research, more than half of high-net-worth investors have direct or online trading account balances between $500,000 and $1 million.

“The self-directed model becomes less favorable relative to other advice models as assets increase,” Ethier explains. “Logically, as assets increase, so does the complexity of portfolios, lending more credence to taking on an external advice sources and provider relationships. In addition to dealing with complex portfolios, advisors are an added expenditure, which can explain their lower use among retail clients.”

“High-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients that are using a self-directed model represent a significant opportunity for asset managers that pass due diligence screenings. In the end, direct providers are yet another avenue for external managers to reach the pool of high-net-worth assets,” Ethier continues.

Opportunities to capture additional walletshare of these investors certainly exists for wealth managers and their advisorforces, although they should know going in that many high-net-worth investors use direct accounts to test their own investment ideas, provide liquidity, and even to shelter assets from their primary advisors.

U.S. Investors Call U.S. Equities Best Opportunity for 2015, Maintaining or Increasing Equity Allocation

| For Alicia Miguel | 0 Comentarios

According to the 2015 Legg Mason Global Investor Survey, 85% of 458 affluent U.S. investors surveyed said U.S. equities “offer the best opportunities over the next 12 months” among all domestic and global asset classes. This is an increase over the 74% who said the same going into 2014.

In addition, 63% said they are maintaining their equity allocation in 2015, while more investors (32%) expect to increase their allocation to equities over any other asset class. Only 6% said they intend to decrease their allocation to equities in 2015. The majority (89%) said they are optimistic about their investments for 2015.

The U.S. portion of the Legg Mason Global Investor Survey was conducted among 458 affluent investors with a minimum of $200,000 in investable assets. The online survey was conducted by Northstar Research Partners from December 2014 to January 2015.

“Investors are looking for the U.S. equity market’s strong run to continue,” said Matthew Schiffman, Global Head of Marketing for Legg Mason. “Last year, investors told us they had great confidence in U.S. equities for 2014 and they were right: The S&P 500 was up over 11 percent. This year, we’re seeing even more investors expressing confidence in the U.S. equity markets, and this is concerning.”

Mr. Schiffman continued: “Overconfidence can lead to a degree of complacency that could prevent investors from paying close attention to their overall financial plan and how they have allocated their assets as their own needs change. Investors have not changed their asset allocation since we started measuring investor sentiment three years ago, which could be another sign of complacency creep.”

U.S. Investor Asset Allocation

U.S. investors entered 2015 with an average asset allocation almost identical to their allocation going into 2014 and slightly more aggressive than in 2013.The average asset allocation among investors who considered themselves “aggressive” included 52% in equities going into 2015; 40% of aggressive investors said they intend to increase their allocation to equities in 2015.

The top three issues that investors worry could “derail the progress” of their investments in 2015 are:global economic instability; economic instability in the U.S.; and increasing market volatility.Only 11% are concerned about inflation and just 5% are concerned about rising interest rates/yields.

Going Global

Investors surveyed have an average of 13% of their assets invested internationally; 41% of investors said they “will be more focused on international investments in the next year compared to last year.”

“Investors may be more willing to travel abroad than invest there,” Mr. Schiffman said. “This goes back to the potential for complacency creep as investors continue to show a preference for investing at home. Opportunities abound globally and should be a consideration in any strategic asset allocation.”

The top three benefits respondents hope to gain by investing internationally are: Diversifying risk across different markets; potential for higher returns than in the U.S.; greater range of investment choices.

Investors see China and Japan as the countries representing the best non-U.S. market investment opportunities over the next 12 months. According to the respondents, the top ten countries (excluding the U.S.) are: China, Japan, Australia, Brazil, India, Europe excluding the UK, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico.

Good News for Income-Oriented Investors: Investment “Income Gap” Shrinks Again

Since 2012, Legg Mason has been measuring the investment “income gap” – the difference between what investors seek from their income-producing investments and what they actually receive. This year’s survey reveals that the income gap has been cut in half since inception.

Having income-generating investments is considered a priority to 82% of investors surveyed. Investors also said that on average, 51% of their portfolios are invested in income-producing assets. The top three asset classes they invest in to meet their income needs are:Equity income funds; investment grade bonds and high yield bonds.

Mr. Schiffman stated: “Clearly, only time will tell if investor confidence in the U.S. equity markets will be rewarded again. Regardless of the market’s performance, we encourage investors to be mindful of overconfidence and complacency creep. We also encourage investors to work with financial advisors who will help them take a realistic, active approach to managing their assets recognizing that markets, and their needs, change over time.”

Loomis Sayles Announces New Chief Executive Officer

| For Fórmate a Fondo | 0 Comentarios

Loomis Sayles anuncia el nombramiento de su nuevo CEO — Photo: Kevin Charleston, new CEO and President of Loomis, Sayles & Company. Loomis Sayles Announces New Chief Executive Officer

After 20 years as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Loomis, Sayles & Company, Robert J. Blanding has decided to transition his CEO responsibilities to Kevin Charleston, President, effective May 1, 2015. Bob Blanding will retain the Chairman position and actively participate in the strategic direction of the organization.

“Having partnered with Kevin, Jae and each individual on our management committee for over a decade (and some for many more), I have every confidence in our ability to work collaboratively for the future growth and success of Loomis Sayles.”

“This is the right time to transfer my day-to-day responsibilities as CEO,” said Bob Blanding. “I’m proud of the work of our management committee and tremendously confident about its ability to continue delivering the quality of services that our clients have come to expect.”

Bob became Chairman and CEO in April 1995 after joining Loomis Sayles in 1977. During this time, he has transformed the organization structurally and significantly extended its global reach. Bob oversaw an increase in assets under management from $38 billion (in April 1995) to $240 billion today.

“It has been a privilege,” said Dan Fuss, Portfolio Manager and Vice Chairman, “to work in partnership with Bob to meet our goal — superior investment results for our clients — while providing a vibrant, supportive environment for our employees. I am pleased that we will continue to benefit from Bob’s guidance as Chairman.”

Dan also expressed his full confidence in the leadership of Kevin Charleston and Jae Park, Chief Investment Officer (CIO) who oversees all of investment management. “Having partnered with Kevin, Jae and each individual on our management committee for over a decade (and some for many more), I have every confidence in our ability to work collaboratively for the future growth and success of Loomis Sayles.”

Jae Park joined Loomis Sayles in 2002 from IBM where he was Director, fixed income investments. Kevin Charleston joined Loomis Sayles in 2000 as Chief Financial Officer and was named President in April 2014.

“I am honored to assume my new role. Bob Blanding has set an outstanding example for me,” said Kevin Charleston. “Our definition of success remains the same – the achievement of consistently strong investment results for our clients. As CEO and President, I will continue to partner closely with Bob, Dan, Jae and the rest of the leadership team to deliver those results.”

The Urban Megatrend: Long Term Investment Opportunity?

| For Fórmate a Fondo | 0 Comentarios

Accelerating urban expansion offers rich investment opportunities that coincide with the need for institutional investors to look beyond short-term gains as they seek new ways to build long-term strategies. The urban megatrend holds promise particularly in the areas of urban infrastructure, real estate, an evolving agricultural supply chain, and consumer goods and services, according to a white paper released today by Prudential Investment Management

The white paper, entitled The Wealth of Cities, offers a new view of opportunities provided by urban expansion, with specific investment ideas in emerging and developed markets across a range of public and private vehicles that offer attractive avenues for investors.

“Understanding how megatrends affect asset classes is crucial as CIOs move toward a long-term strategic portfolio management approach that takes them beyond simply beating short-term benchmarks,” said David Hunt, CEO of Prudential Investment Management. “As we considered urbanization, we drew from expertise in our global investment businesses specializing in public and private fixed income, public equity, and real estate, to examine its impact across asset classes and share our best thinking on new investment ideas for capitalizing on the long-term opportunities created by expanding cities around the world.”

About 60 to 70 million people will be added to the urban population annually for the next 30 years, showcasing the unparalleled pace at which cities are growing. With this in mind, Prudential Investment Management published The Wealth of Cities, which outlines 10 investment ideas arising from the urbanization boom that are easily accessible to institutional investors.

The paper highlights several trends that offer attractive opportunities, including:

Creating technologically advanced wired cities: By 2020, the number of global Internet users is projected to double to four billion people, resulting in a global opportunity for public and direct private investments in IT infrastructure, broadband, data centers and cell towers.
Expanding transportation capacity: As new cities in emerging markets reach populations in excess of five million, the expansion of primary airports, major seaports and high-speed inter-city railways will present investable opportunities.
Launching anti-pollution initiatives: About half of the world’s urban population is exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution. Companies providing solutions like clean energy, waste management and water treatment serve as attractive investment candidates.
Capitalizing on interest in the urban lifestyle: New mixed-use developments, both residential and commercial, are highly attractive investments as people and companies alike become increasingly attracted to urban lifestyle.
Growing retail outlets and logistics support: One billion new urban middle class consumers in emerging markets now have money to spend on retail purchases, allowing for direct and diversified investment opportunities.
Industrializing agriculture: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the world will need to produce 70% more food by 2050. Creating an efficient agriculture supply chain will require, among other things, improved transportation infrastructure, along with innovative and sustainable production methods over the long term.

Financial Services Industry Falls Short in Serving Women Investors Pershing Study Says

| For Fórmate a Fondo | 0 Comentarios

Pershing today released a new report entitled, Women: Investing with a Purpose, exploring what drives women to invest and how advisors can best serve them based on those influences. While financial services firms have been ramping up their efforts to reach women investors, the report provides insight into critical gaps that still exist when it comes to what women want, what they need and what they are receiving from their financial advisors and firms with which they work.

Of the women who work with a financial advisor, 72% said they are very satisfied with their primary financial advisors. This finding points to room for improvement in advisors’ interactions with their women clients. Compared to men, women investors were more likely to want improvements related to their advisors’ soft skills. Women tended to highlight more than men “understanding my goals,” “listening to my needs,” and “patiently answering my questions.” Women were less likely than men to suggest their advisors could improve in “picking investments that perform better” (27% of women compared to 36% of men). Interestingly, nearly half of women (47%) said there was nothing that their advisors should change when asked what areas their financial advisor can improve.

“While there are common threads among all investors in terms of their expectations of their financial advisors, these findings suggest that an important factor is being overlooked by advisors working with women investors, and that is the purpose behind the reasons they invest,” said Kim Dellarocca, managing director at Pershing. “This missing factor may contribute to why 35% of women respondents who do not use a financial advisor say they don’t trust financial advisors are working in their interests. The reality is that a woman’s desired level of understanding can be different, which requires advisors to explore concerns, goals and trade-offs with greater directness and rigor.”

Underlying many of the survey findings are unique challenges that women face later in life that stem from realities including their having longer life expectancies, lower incomes during their working years, potentially higher medical costs and a greater motivation for the beneficiaries of their investments to extend beyond themselves. Given these challenges, increased clarity of clients’ goals can influence the ideal blend of solutions that may create more confidence and better experiences for women investors.

According to the study, retirement, education, flexibility and legacy are four common goals that drive women to invest.