Those financialalert spoke to nominated a variety of issues for our annual "the good, the bad and the ugly" roundup - and for what advisers should be doing over the break to prepare for 2014.

We are introducing three new investment scenarios for 2014 - our base case, Low for Longer; our bull case Growth Breakout, and our bear scenario, Imbalances Tip Over.

Today's long period of very easy money and very low yields has distorted the financial system. This will cause unintended consequences in the near future as QE ends.

Even our positive expectations of the much anticipated Third Plenary session of the Communist Party of China were exceeded.

If I only had a dollar for every time I've read the US is safe from recession as "the yield curve is positively sloped."

Conference 2013 facilitated debate on the markets, strategies and investing with particular focus on how to better construct portfolios for the whole of an investor's life so that they are more likely to achieve their goals.

Advanced-country central banks are putting on the line their independence and credibility.

Three key shock risks will affect investors over the next decade, requiring a real difference in how we construct portfolios for retirement.

In this second of our two-part feature on ageing and how advisers need to adapt for this growing client base, we take a closer look at the personal and demographic effects.

Central banks are likely to dominate investment news for years to come. Most of it will be noise. However, some of it will be critically important.

By 2031, 32% of the population will be 55 or over. Last month's second annual Finology Conference showed advisers just how complicated the ageing process is and how to adapt their service for this growing client base.

There are many benefits to having a clearly articulated financial planning philosophy for your firm including helping ensure clients will be a good match.

Deleveraging will leave a lasting impact - and meeting the challenges it presents investors will be critical to everyone operating in the new financial landscape.

So it was all a storm in a teacup. Markets have been going through a series of "taper tantrums” since Bernanke first mentioned the idea of tapering.

The recent Jackson Hole Federal Reserve Conference was my 10th or 11th. I saw a fascinating disconnect between policymakers and the markets.

The Fed will have to think of a new strategy to reopen the availability of credit - and that is a problem. At present, all routes of Bernanke's QE maze lead to the same exit - deflation.

The world is going through a period of demographic shift that is without parallel in history - with six investment sectors advantaged.

This paper examines the empirical relation between risk and return in emerging equity markets and finds that this relation is flat, or even negative.

Looking beyond the immediate risk of Fonterra's product safety issues, over the medium-term, we continue to see sufficient global and domestic economic momentum to support higher bond yields.

The younger generation of clients who are now in their 30s and 40s has a very different financial outlook than their Baby Boomer parents. Advisers need to retool their client service and advice models to appeal.