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Edition 4

1 March 2013

Welcome from Chris Cuffe

I find demographic trends fascinating. They show where our country is heading and they should act as early policy warnings. I’ve often thought the best way financial planners can encourage their clients to save more is to show them long-term demographics, and how long they may live after retiring.

According to the respected medical journal, The Lancet, most people born since 2000 in developed countries will celebrate their 100th birthdays. Bruce Gregor runs the long-term numbers on four major issues - economic growth, capital allocation, public finance and retirement income. He sees lower growth facing our economy, and is not optimistic that retirement planning will be adequate for most Australians.

The Super System Review was chaired by Jeremy Cooper and it handed its Final Report to the Government on 30 June 2010. So it’s useful to obtain an update from Jeremy, and he highlights issues we face in the retirement phase of superannuation. Don Stammer also discusses the consequences of our switch from defined benefits to defined contributions and continuously changing superannuation legislation.

On a more upbeat note, my article reports on an excellent conference I attended, focussing on whether it is possible to outperform the market based on readily identifiable ‘systemic’ factors rather than manager skill in stock-picking. Also, Rick Cosier gives his thoughts on the need to maintain a diversified portfolio, noting some underweight exposures for many Australian investors, and Graham Hand has prepared a short satirical video on pitching a new fund. Chris

Top articles from Cuffelinks, 1 March 2013, Edition 4

Outperformance: unique skill or free gift? Chris Cuffe
Is defined contribution super fit for retirement? Jeremy Cooper
Superannuation is losing its lustre Don Stammer
Demographic insights: living longer with low growth Bruce Gregor
Is your super fund adequately diversified? Rick Cosier

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1 March 2013

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