Practitioners are often reluctant to adopt new solutions because of high risk. "If it has never been done, how do you know it works?". But failure to try new approaches can mean missed opportunities.

Established in 2007, the annual Investment Management Research Symposium presents contemporary investment research. The two-day blended face-to-face and online learning program is designed and curated by our specialist, experienced and independent team, and features an exceptional Faculty of 20+ leading finance and investment thinkers from around the world. Each presents research related to this year's theme, "We are living in exceptional times".

Financial regulators have been reluctant to dish out jail terms. A new research paper finds that prison terms can be a cost-effective governance mechanism. A second paper gauges the impact of self-control on investment behaviour.

Ron Bird | 2 comments | 1.00 CE

Alpha still matters and an active approach can enhance portfolio returns, creating extra saving to be spent in retirement.

Thomas Poullaouec | 0.50 CE

The conversation with retirees needs to move away from projections based on averages and volatility risk measures, towards a probability-based assessment of running out of money.

Jacqui Lennon | 0.50 CE

Although influenced by logical factors, changes in investment markets are often irrational and illogical. A whole-brain approach to seeking alpha is necessary to win in the investment game.

Philipp Hensler | 0.50 CE

Great eyesight depends on more than just clarity of vision - peripheral awareness, eye co-ordination, depth perception, focus and colour sensitivity all play a crucial role, without which our vision is impaired. Strategies Conference 2019 looks ahead at the issues that will dominate the 2020s and beyond to provide greater clarity in building quality portfolios.

Established in 2002, Strategies Conference has gained a reputation as THE portfolio construction strategies conference of the year. The two-day, blended face-to-face and online learning program is designed and curated by our specialist, experienced and independent team and features our Faculty of 50+ leading investment thinkers from around the world. Each offers his/her best high conviction ideas on contemporary and emerging portfolio construction strategies, in the context of the program theme, 20/20 vision.

Two recent research papers explore the impact of investors' increasing appetite for environmentally responsible investments.

Ron Bird | 1.00 CE

Portfolio construction is multi-faceted and should be iterative. Five key components provide a framework to design quality portfolios to meet clients' objectives.

Retirement bucket strategies tie specific expenses to specific portfolios. But looking at categories of spending doesn't necessarily work. A better approach is to segment spending within each category.

A new study shows that retirement savers demonstrate a strong preference for trusted managed fund brands over unbranded funds - but unbranded funds are strongly favoured over poorly trusted fund brands.

Susan Thorp | 0.50 CE

The Investment Management Research Workshop 2019 showcased contemporary academic research that is relevant to investment management.

Only by making the effort to understand and align investment beliefs with values can we get a sharper understanding of our clients' true objectives and provide solutions that will really meet their needs.

More than one third of Australians think there is widespread corruption in the banking and finance sector.

Rebecca Huntley | 0.25 CE

The subtle channels can be so powerful that they communicate information without us knowing it. Body Linguistics, EQ and awareness are the keys to understanding others.

Yvette Alcott | 0.50 CE

Practitioners need to know what words to use and lose - and be able to apply that knowledge - to improve their conversations with clients about fees, regulations and investment strategies.

Gary DeMoss | 1.50 CE

A myriad of factors - psychological, emotional, cognitive and behavioural - impact a client’s financial independence during decumulation, demanding different investment solutions.

Robert DeChellis | 0.50 CE

Individuals live as part of a broader system of interconnected networks and relationships. There are advantages - for you and for them - in thinking about the client as part of a family dynamic.

Joanne Earl | 1.00 CE

There is scientific consensus that five major personality traits explain much of the behavioural differences between individuals - linking to financial outcomes, and preferences for advice.

Herman Brodie | 0.50 CE

Helping clients is about more than just educating them as to the right decision, it's also about helping them to actually take action.

Michael Kitces | 1.50 CE

The way investors respond to the language of financial services can be influenced by using the right words, avoiding others, and structuring messages to overcome skepticism.

Gary DeMoss | 0.50 CE

This panel, which considered key takeouts from Finology Summit 2019, commenced with an overview of a 2018 global study on how well financial advisers know their clients.

Expert Panel | 0.50 CE

Behavioral diagnostics represent the cutting edge in understanding clients, detecting what clients reveal about themselves through their decisions.

Pat Spenner | 1.00 CE

Helping clients is about more than just educating them as to the right decision, it's also about helping them to actually take action.

Michael Kitces | 0.75 CE

It is time to align client portfolios with risks they face - requiring a deep understanding and evidence-based approach to uncovering and forecasting client goals.

Wade Matterson | 0.50 CE

Persistent earnings revisions ultimately drive share price performance. Understanding and capturing this predictable pattern enhances portfolio returns.

Nikki Thomas | 0.50 CE

There is evidence to suggest that biases lead to behaviours that can negatively impact Australian investor portfolios.

Peter Brooke | 0.50 CE

The complexity of multiple and often conflicting investment objectives is matched by an increased desire to simplify - giving way to some dangerous misinformation.

Rudi Minbatiwala | 0.50 CE

Stars are celebrated yet funds management is a team pursuit. Behavioural finance tends to focus on individuals' biases, but teams' behaviour determines results.

Douglas Isles | 0.50 CE

Emerging markets are full of undiscovered opportunities and hope. Assuming failure may seem a counter-intuitive way to invest, but it is an effective way to avoid behavioural biases.

Every financial adviser has access to the same products and portfolios – we must differentiate our advice value and specialisation, innovate new business models, and focus on the client experience.

Michael Kitces | 0.75 CE

We must fully understand a fund’s performance to achieve best practice portfolio construction and recommend client solutions that truly reflect their investment beliefs and avoid unwanted biases.

Michael Furey | 0.50 CE

Helping clients is about more than just educating them as to the right decision, it's also about helping them to actually take action.

Michael Kitces | 0.75 CE

The Big Five personality traits offer insights into the behavioural headwinds (or tailwinds) clients might encounter in achieving their financial goals, and the most effective way of dispensing advice to them.

Herman Brodie | 1.00 CE

Human beliefs, biases and behaviours are central to the behaviour of financial markets, causing financial and economic instability to persist.

Finology Summit is THE behavioural finance ("fin") and investment psychology ("ology") program of the year. The blended live and online learning program features an exceptional Faculty of experts from around the world. Each offers his/her best high conviction ideas - on the relationships between people and money, behavioural economics and behaviour change - and how people's different beliefs, biases and behaviours about investing, impact investment markets and influence portfolio construction philosophy and practices.