Bite-sized advice: How to avoid ‘snake-oil’ scams

Article written by InvestNow

Who was the first fraudster?

Maybe that snake in the Garden of Eden who sold Eve on the idea of eating the forbidden apple; just one little bite, it’ll be OK.

Good marketing, but bad idea for humanity.

Fraud has always been part of human society – it’s taken on many forms over history, adapting to the technology of the times. […]

Black Holes in the Wholesale Universe – The risks of wholesale funds

Article written by InvestNow

In April this year another obscure subterranean fund surfaced into public view as a likely ponzi scheme.

As further details came to light, it emerged that Penrich Capital, operating from a Christchurch base had sunk investor assets into a Cayman Islands-domiciled fund, allegedly valued at about $400 million.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is currently investigating the firm, […]

Responsible Investing: Explained

Article written by InvestNow

What is ‘Responsible Investing’?

From a Fund Manager perspective, Responsible Investing is essentially a values-based approach to selecting the underlying investments within a managed fund; And from an Investor perspective, Responsible Investing is identifying and selecting managed funds that employ a responsible investing strategy; or selecting companies/shares that meet a responsible investing standard.

Traditional investment – about returns and risk

Traditionally, investment strategies have been primarily focused on return and risk. Fund Managers would […]

Voting Finance – Portfolio Politics, and Why Investors Should Ignore Elections

Article written by InvestNow

It must be election year in NZ: Winston Peters is back at the top of the news.

But regardless of the Peters’ show, the Jacinda Ardern-led Labour Party is odds-on to win in a landslide come September 19 – albeit with enough uncertainty and scandal in the air to keep pundits in business.

Will the Greens survive? Can Judith Collins rescue National? And Winston….

For investors, though, the election itself […]

What Tune Will Property play Post-COVID-19?

Article written by Mint Asset Management

Listed property was on song in 2019 before losing its mojo this year as the coronavirus struck. But are the real estate blues simply a crisis-triggered reversion to the mean or is something more fundamental at play? Mint Asset Management senior real estate portfolio manager, Carlie Eve, puts property in its place…

Investors having a sizeable allocation of property in their portfolio at the end of last year would have had […]

Zero Minus Zero – Why Investors Are Looking For New Income Equations

Article written by InvestNow

June 2008 is a watershed nostalgia month for dewy-eyed NZ term deposit (TD) investors. With the global financial crisis (GFC) just three months away from its crescendo, care-free Kiwis were banking one-year term deposit returns of 8.5 per cent or thereabouts.

In that month the Reserve Bank of NZ (RBNZ) held the official cash rate (OCR) at the 21^st century high of 8.25 per cent where it […]