Along with a raft of legislative change, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has also introduced new licensing requirements for accountants who work with and advise Self Managed Superannuation Fund (SMSF) Trustees. Only approx. 10% of accountants have complied with these changes to date.
As such if you, as many, consider your accountant would be your 1st port of call for Financial Advice, they will likely advise you, they are unable to provide the information you require & should consult a qualified Financial Adviser / Planner.
This is general advice only and you should seek expert financial advice from a qualified financial adviser before acting on any of the information covered in these topics.
The Low Interest Rate / Volatility Trap
A recent study by ‘Schroders’ revealed that investors were in need of more education around their investment strategies.
A potentially dangerous cocktail of unrealistic investor expectations, coupled with historically low interest rates, was driving investors into riskier investment bets.
Approx. 27% of the 25,000 investors surveyed worldwide indicated they had shifted a significant proportion of their investments into riskier assets.
Even with interest rates at low levels & in many economies negative, investors still expected returns of 10.7% with one in six expecting returns of 20%.
The study also revealed that despite investors understanding investment plans are long term, the majority still react strongly to short term market volatility.
As such investors should seek out expert qualified Financial Advice, when looking to construct their investment portfolios, to help protect against unexpected portfolio drawdowns caused by portfolios drifting in higher volatility asset allocations
“Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be” – Abraham Lincoln
