1. ASSET ALLOCATION
The decision on how to allocate funds across Asset Classes (ie fixed interest, property and businesses) is the most important decision in the process as this has the most material impact on the performance of the portfolio. A study completed by Ibbotson and Kaplan (2000) concluded that Asset Allocation policy accounted for about 90% of the variability in returns across a universe of Balanced Mutual and Pension funds over time.
With the above in mind, SA Wealth Management dedicates a lot of time to determining the right mix of Assets Classes for clients. A number of factors are examined including a combination of aspirational measures (eg financial goals of the client) and attitudinal measures (eg attitude to price movements) to determine the appropriate mix.
Determining the appropriate mix of Assets Classes is termed ‘Asset Allocation’. This process starts with defining each of the Asset Classes to create a set of portfolio building blocks necessary in assembling client portfolios. SA Wealth Management defines these Asset Classes as:
- Cash
- Fixed Interest/Bonds
- Property – Listed Real Estate Trusts
- Australian Equities – Direct and managed
- International Equities
- Alternative Assets
The intent of SA Wealth Management is to stay true to the Strategic Allocation over time with a tolerance for Asset Class ‘drift’ of +/- 10%. This said, SA Wealth Management may apply a ‘Tactical Overlay’ that may see a deliberate tilt to a particular style/market depending on prevailing Macro-economic conditions/themes.
Overseas Currency is managed through having both an allocation to hedged and unhedged assets, which in turn provides two different sources of return.
2. INVESTMENT MANAGER SELECTION AND BLENDING
Once the Asset Allocation has been determined, it is then a matter of appointing an appropriate panel of specialist Investment Managers to run the process of stock and security selection. True to SA Wealth Managements philosophy of diversification, a number of specialist Investment Managers are employed across and within the Asset Classes.
The selection of the Investment Managers starts with an ‘Approved List of Investments’ that is generated and researched by the Licensee. This list is then filtered down further with the help of research partners and a number of Investment/Portfolio Managers directly.
Each Investment Manager selected is subjected to thorough and rigorous investigation and research. The following factors are considered:
- Benchmark unaware – truly ‘active’ funds management
- Tax aware – managers understand the consequences of reckless turnover
- Robust research process
- Investment experience and track record
- Ownership – Both institutional and boutique managers are employed
- Once the appropriate panel of Investment Managers is determined, sophisticated software developed by Morningstar is used to determine the optimum blend in terms of weightings to each of the underlying managers.
3. IMPLEMENTATION
You and your adviser will then agree on how the recommendations and responsibilities will be carried out. With a dedicated implementation team, we are likely to carry out the recommendations and administer any strategies to be implemented to alleviate any administration burden. You will be kept updated as to the progress of the implementation stage.
4. REVIEW
SA Wealth Managements approach to managing client’s money is an interactive process. In addition to constant monitoring of incumbent managers, SA Wealth Management also has an Investment Committee that meets once a month to discuss both the role of incumbent and potential Investment Managers (‘the reserve bench’) in the Model portfolios. The committee also draws on research provided by research partners to determine if macro-economic themes warrant tactical responses to the range of Model Portfolios. This approach allows us to take a structured, disciplined and consistent approach to building client portfolios and to maximise in-house and external experience and knowledge for the benefit of all our clients.
