Trade Wars, the US Election, Brexit 3.0, natural disasters and pandemic risks are causing fear and uncertainty in Australian equity investors. The key to capturing opportunities is to focus on what matters to long-term returns.

Financial decisions are among the most important life-shaping decisions we make. Two recent research papers provide further evidence as to how practitioners can help improve clients' financial decisions.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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