Education hub

An introduction to investing

The principle of saving is well known. Money is put away in a savings account or term deposit, generally achieving a fixed rate of interest with minimal risk.

Unfortunately, a savings account can offer returns little better than inflation. In real terms, that means you may end up losing money on your initial investment.

Investing, on the other hand, is the commitment of money today which, with an appropriate level of risk, comes with the expectation of realising your future financial goals.

It's about making your money work harder for you than just saving alone can!

This guide aims to build your understanding of the fundamentals of investing and helps get you started on the path to securing your financial independence.

How much risk is right for you?

Part of any investment strategy involves determining the most appropriate asset allocation to meet your goals. The investment strategy that is most suitable for you is determined by a combination of factors, including your investor profile and your time horizon.

Different risk types

Please note these are sample profiles only of the MultiActive diversified funds – actual asset allocations may vary from fund to fund.

Diversified investment strategies

Growth of $10,000 over time*

* Past performance is not indicative of future performance and the value of investments may rise or fall. This performance chart is based on our current strategic asset allocations and is for illustrative purposes only.

Risk and return characteristics

Timeframe: 1 January 1993 to 30 June 2021.

Source: FactSet.

Data: Australian shares: S&P/ASX 300 Total Return Index | Global shares: MSCI World (ex Aus) Net Total Return 30% Hedged to AUD | Listed real assets & unlisted assets: Pre 31/12/2005 MSCI World ex Australia Net Total Return 30% Hedged to AUD. Post 31/12/2005 50% FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Developed Rental Index ex Australia NR Hedged to AUD, 50% FTSE Developed Core Infrastructure 50/50 NR Hedged to AUD | Alternative growth: HFRI Fund of Fund Index, HFRI Fund of Fund Index Hedged to AUD from 31/12/2019 | Alternative defensive: Bloomberg AusBond Composite Bond Index 0-3 Years | Fixed interest: 50% Bloomberg AusBond Composite Bond Index 0+ Years and 50% Barclays Global Aggregate Hedged to AUD | Cash: Bloomberg Ausbond Bank Bill Index.

Important Information: This document is issued by IOOF Investment Services Ltd (IISL) ABN 80 007 350 405, AFSL 230703. IISL is a company within the IOOF Group which consists of IOOF Holdings Ltd ABN 49 100 103 722 and its related bodies corporate. This document contains factual information only and should not be relied on for decision making. This information in this document is based in part on information obtained in good faith from third party sources and is current as at September 2021. While this information is believed to be accurate and reliable at the time of publication, to the extent permitted by law, no liability is accepted for any loss or damage as a result of reliance upon it.

Getting to know investments

What is an asset class?

Asset classes are different investment categories and are the building blocks of an investment. The main asset classes are shares, property, fixed interest and cash.

Australian Shares

Australian shares are shares in companies listed on Australian stock exchanges. Shares or stocks are securities representing ownership in a company. When companies distribute profits (via dividends), the investor receives part of it and often Australian companies partially or fully pay the tax payable on company income (franking).

Global shares

Global shares are shares listed on international stock exchanges. Global shares can have the additional risk of movements in the value of the Australian dollar against foreign currencies. Changes in exchange rates will change the Australian dollar value of Global shares. Fund managers can use strategies called derivatives to ‘manage’ investments against adverse currency movements.

Listed Real Assets (Property)

Property can include investments in listed property trusts (LPT) and other property securities. LPTs invest in a range of residential and commercial property, office buildings, hotels and industrial properties. LPTs are pooled property investments which are broken into units and listed on the stock exchange like shares in a company.

Fixed Interest

A fixed interest investment is a debt security issued by a bank, corporation or government in return for cash from an investor. The issuer of the debt is effectively a borrower and is required to pay interest on the loan for the life of the security. Fixed interest investments are valued on a mark to market basis, and as a result, their value may fluctuate. Fixed interest investments are generally higher risk than cash but lower risk than shares and property.

Cash

Cash funds are designed to offer a high degree of capital security relative to other asset classes. Generally, cash investments have a very low risk of capital loss. Examples include bank deposits and investments in fixed interest securities, including treasury notes and highly rated corporate debt securities which generally have a maturity of less than one year.

Key asset class performance^

Growth of $10,000 invested over time#

^Timeframe: 1 July 1983 to 30 June 2021.

#Timeframe: 1 January 1983 to 30 June 2021. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Your investment is subject to investment risk, including possible repayment delays and loss of income and capital invested. Any case study is shown for illustrative purposes only and is not a prediction of the actual outcomes you will achieve. Listed real assets and international fixed interest are not included in the graph above because data is not available from 1983.

Source: FactSet.

Data: Australian shares: S&P/ASX 300 Total Return Index | Global shares: MSCI World (ex Aust) Net Total Return Index in AUD | International listed property trusts: FTSE EPRA NAREIT (ex Aust) Total Return Index hedged to AUD | Australian fixed interest: Bloomberg AusBond Composite 0+ Years | International fixed interest: Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate hedged in AUD | Cash: Bloomberg Ausbond Bank Bill Index | Inflation: Consumer Price Index.

Note: Alternative assets do not have a standardised index so have not been included in the table or graph.

Important Information: This document is issued by IOOF Investment Services Ltd (IISL) ABN 80 007 350 405, AFSL 230703. IISL is a company within the IOOF Group which consists of IOOF Holdings Ltd ABN 49 100 103 722 and its related bodies corporate. This document contains factual information only and should not be relied on for decision making. This information in this document is based in part on information obtained in good faith from third party sources and is current as at September 2021. While this information is believed to be accurate and reliable at the time of publication, to the extent permitted by law, no liability is accepted for any loss or damage as a result of reliance upon it.

Responsible Investing

There's broad agreement across the asset management community that Environmental (E), Social (S) and Governance (G) factors can materially impact a company's operational and financial performance and, in turn, investor returns.

'Responsible investing' is shorthand for integrating the assessment of ESG factors into the investment process.

ESG factors can include:

Drawing from extensive industry as well as academic evidence, responsible investing recognises companies that:

  • act with an environmental duty of care
  • have the support of communities in which they operate, and
  • have transparent and robust governance processes and standards, are more likely to deliver sustainable long-term investment returns than those that fall short on these grounds.
 
Why does responsible investment make sense?

Intuitively too, responsible investing makes sense. If, for example, a company doesn't take into account physical risks such as risks arising from pollution (E), does not properly manage its human capital by underpaying workers (S), or has weak oversight of key management functions (G), it will likely experience adverse economic consequences at some point, which in turn will negatively impact its value.

Owing to all of this, we believe ESG factors matter when making investment decisions.

 
How do we* invest responsibly?

To help your clients understand how we invest responsibly, please download What is responsible investment. This includes examples of responsible investment in IOOF funds. You can also read more about our core Responsible Investment beliefs here.

IOOF is a member of the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) a group that helps to support and inform our responsible investment policies.

 
More information

* IOOF Investment Services Limited (IISL) where it acts as a Responsible Entity/trustee of a managed investment scheme

MLC Asset Management team:

Our unified team has had a long association with creating and managing multi-manager portfolios for investors and draws on the very best of our individual corporate heritages, honed over multiple investment cycles. We have created an investment capability of significant depth and breadth in the industry – leveraging a powerful common engine room working for the benefit of our clients.

Dan Farmer
CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER

B.Ec (Hons), M.Com (Hons)

Dan was appointed to the role of Chief Investment Officer (CIO) in July 2022, a position that brought together MLC AM and IOOF investment teams under his leadership. In this role, Dan is focussed on the group’s multi-asset strategies and he is responsible for management of the team, overall investment performance, managing risk and delivering superior investment outcomes to investors. He is also a member of the Investment Management Committee. Together with the single asset class strategies the broader Investment team manages ~$97 billion.

Prior to this role, Dan led the investment team managing IOOF’s funds from 2017-2022 and before this he managed the Australian Equities portfolio for seven years, successfully implementing the boutique program and defensive equities portfolio in this time. 

Before this, Dan was Senior Executive Investments at Telstra Super, managing the fund’s $3 billion Australian equity portfolio for seven years. During this period Telstra Super’s Australian equity product consistently ranked highly in the SuperRatings performance survey. Dan was also Portfolio Manager responsible for day to day management of internally managed Australian share portfolios at Telstra Super totalling over $450 million.

Dan holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from La Trobe University in Melbourne and a Master of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Melbourne.

Dr Ben McCaw
JOINT HEAD OF CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH

Ben is co-head of MLC’s Capital Markets research team where he shares portfolio management responsibility for several of MLC’s diversified funds, SMAs and direct investment strategies.

Ben joined MLC in 2008 after working as an equity analyst in Singapore and Sydney where he focussed on small and emerging healthcare companies.

Ben holds a Master of Applied Finance from the University of Adelaide as well as a PhD in Genetic and Bioinformatics at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research from the University of Melbourne.

Grant Mizens OAM
JOINT HEAD OF CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH

Grant is a Portfolio Manager in the Capital Markets Research team responsible for asset allocation across MLC’s diversified portfolios. He re-joined the team in 2014 and is involved in the team's asset allocation work, including scenarios and asset class modelling.

Grant has worked at MLC Asset Management since 2006. His main focus has been portfolio construction and manager research for MLC's equity portfolios. Before re-joining the Capital Markets Research team he was a Senior Consultant in the JANA Advice and Research Team.

Grant has a BA (Econ) from the University of Illinois and a Diploma of Financial Management from Finsia.

Steven Gamerov
HEAD OF DIVERSIFIED PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT (DEFAULT)

MBusSc

Steven is responsible for the construction and ongoing management of the diversified portfolios of MLC Superfund to ensure superior performance that is in line with client investment objectives.

Previously Steven was Head of Asset Consulting for Implemented Consulting clients at JANA, joining from MLC Implemented Consulting in March 2012.  Steven is a qualified actuary and has over 25 years’ experience in the industry across asset consulting, investment research and portfolio management. 

Steven commenced his career in South Africa where he was Director of Investment Consulting at Fifth Quadrant Actuaries & Consultants. He has held several senior positions in the investment industry in Australia including Head of Investment Solutions at St George Bank, Senior Consultant at Intech Asset Consulting, and Senior Portfolio Specialist at MIR Investment Management.

Steven has a MBusSc majoring in Economics and Statistics and is a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries.

Stanley Yeo
HEAD OF STRATEGY AND EQUITIES

B.Com, LLB (Hons), CFA

Stanley has been employed by Insignia Financial since September 2010. Stanley was appointed to the role of Deputy Chief Investment Officer in July 2017 and Head of Equities in June 2020 and is responsible for managing a team of portfolio managers and analysts responsible for Australian and International Equities.

Prior to this he was the Portfolio Manager for Strategy and International Equities responsible for strategy and asset allocation of the diversified products of the IOOF multi-manager funds, and also managed the International Equities portfolio. He also previously managed the Fixed Interest and Cash portfolios.

Stanley holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons), a Bachelor of Commerce and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. Prior to joining the investment team, Stanley was a Senior Consultant at Russell Investments. He has advised on strategic asset allocation, portfolio construction and implementation to large Asian sovereign wealth funds and large corporate superannuation funds. He actively managed and implemented the strategic asset allocation of the BHP Billiton Superannuation Fund to achieve consistent first quartile returns. Prior to this role, Stanley was an Investment Analyst at Gartmore Investment, UK. Outside of work, Stanley has a keen interest in travel and food.

Osvaldo Acosta
HEAD OF FIXED INTEREST ASSETS

B.Bus, M.Com

Osvaldo joined the IOOF Investment Team in December 2016 as Portfolio Manager Fixed Income and is currently the Head of Fixed Interest Assets responsible for portfolio management and performance of the various fixed income portfolios at IOOF. He has over 19 years industry experience within fixed income and capital markets.

Prior to joining Insignia Financial, Osvaldo worked at Western Asset Management, a specialised global fixed income manager, where he was part of the investment management team responsible for portfolio management, trading and implementation of interest rate strategies across a number portfolios, including traditional fixed income, specialist credit, annuity matching funds, global mandates and cash/cash enhanced.

Prior to Western Asset Management, Osvaldo also held various senior roles in fixed income, treasury and capital markets within major Australian corporates.

Gareth Abley
CO-HEAD OF ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES

From 1998 to 2002, Gareth was a manager research analyst with Skandia UK focusing on equities, fixed interest and diversified portfolios. In 2002, he joined MLC as an asset consultant and later became Head of Asset Consulting. In this role he led a team which was responsible for advising a diverse range of institutional clients (including super funds, charities, endowments and health insurers) on their investment strategies. Gareth is currently Head of Alternative Strategies, where he is responsible for evolving MLC’s alternatives capabilities and is co-PM (with Jehan Sukhla) of the Low Correlation Strategy, which was created in 2008. The strategy was the winner of the ‘Multi-Strategy Hedge Fund of the Year Award’ in 2014.

Jehan Sukhla
CO-HEAD OF ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES

B.Acc, CFA, GAICD

Jehan has been actively engaged in investment management since 2001, coordinating manager research and portfolio construction of multi-manager portfolios across several asset classes. From 2001 to 2003, Jehan was a Graduate at BT Funds Management.  He joined MLC Investment Management in 2003 as a Research Analyst focusing on fixed income and currency portfolios. In 2005 his responsibilities expanded to include coverage of alternative strategies and commodities, overseeing total assets/overlays of A$30bn. Since 2010 he has focused exclusively on MLC/Insignia’s Alternative Strategies, and is Co-PM for MOGS and IRIs.

Kristian Zimmermann
CO-HEAD OF PRIVATE EQUITY AUSTRALIA

Kristian joined MLC in June 2021. As Co-Head of MLC Private Equity Australia, Kristian’s focus is on growing and managing the Australian business, including from an operational perspective.

Before joining MLC, Kristian worked for Temasek, a Singapore Government-linked global investment firm where he has been a Director and Head of the Investment Review team. In his role, he was responsible for leading a team of seven professionals covering a wide range of unlisted assets such as private equity, direct property and infrastructure. He was also responsible for advising Temasek’s global investment committee and origination teams on commercial, financial, valuation, risk and ESG aspects of investment proposals.

Prior to Temasek, Kristian worked for CBA in Sydney in Group Investment Development, and Macquarie Capital M&A and principal investments. He also has experience working for Deutsche Bank and Merrill Lynch M&A in London and Frankfurt. Kristian has a degree in Economics from the University of Bonn, Germany.

Marek Herchel
CO-HEAD OF PRIVATE EQUITY US & EU

Marek joined MLC Private Equity in early 2017 and leads its private equity investment activities across the United States and Europe. He currently represents MLC’s private equity investments on numerous advisory and corporate boards. Marek has over 20 years of investment and business leadership experience in private equity. He has invested over US$14 billion across 200+ private equity investments globally and served on over 100 advisory and corporate boards.

Prior to joining MLC, Marek spent 13 years at AlpInvest Partners, most recently as Managing Director leading the Primary Fund Investments team across the Americas and a member of its global Investment Committee. Marek received a BS in Business Administration and a MS in Finance, both summa cum laude, from Suffolk University in Boston.

Simon Gross
HEAD OF PROPERTY

Ass. Dip - Valuation

Simon is the Head of Direct Property and as such is responsible for all of the property products. He is a qualified property valuer and has managed the MultiMix Direct Property portfolio since 2004.

Simon is also responsible for the Australian and global listed property holdings of the multi-manager range. He holds an Associate Diploma – Valuation.

He joined the industry in 1980 and has worked for a number of leading investment institutions including Australian Fixed Trusts and GIO Australia where he gained extensive experience in senior roles managing substantial national property portfolios with values exceeding $1 billion. Outside work Simon is a keen soccer supporter and keeps fit with regular sea kayak and mountain bike excursions.

James Tayler
HEAD OF RESPONSIBLE INVESTING

James was appointed Head of Responsible Investing in June 2022. In this role he is accountable for facilitating a high quality and constantly evolving Responsible Investing strategy across all investment capabilities. He is focussed on driving the development and articulation of our position in key areas such as identifying and managing ESG risks and opportunities, maximising the effectiveness of engagement with managers and companies, and also has a strong focus on climate change, modern slavery, and governance. His role is also integral in helping the organisation improve the way it communicates its responsible investment actions.

Previously, James was Head of ESG at Ellerston Capital, a listed equity-focused investment boutique. Prior to relocating to Australia in 2016, James held various investment management roles in London, UK, and Zurich, Switzerland, representing a 20-year career in listed equity investment primarily including security analysis and portfolio management responsibilities.

Anthony Golowenko
PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Anthony joined MLC Asset Management’s multi-asset Capital Markets Research team in February 2021.

He has 21 years investment experience and is passionate about developing and managing innovative solutions aligned with investor objectives and helping everyday Australians secure their investment journey.

Anthony joins MLCAM from Australian boutique Clime Investment Management, where had overall responsibility for Clime’s investment team, strategies and performance outcomes. Here Anthony launched a suite of objective based SMA model portfolios.

He has held previous roles at State Street Global Advisors including Senior Portfolio Strategist – Asia Pacific, Head of Active Australian Equities and Senior Portfolio Manager. He has significant experience in domestic and international equities, return enhancing and risk reducing overlays and objective based strategy development.

Anthony holds a Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance degree with First Class Honours from the University of Technology, Sydney, and is a CFA charterholder. He is involved in the community supporting Sylvanvale Disability Services and Tour de Cure.

Liam Wilson
PORTFOLIO MANAGER

CIMA, B.Comm, M.AppFin

Liam is joined Insignia Financial in 2020 and is the Portfolio Manager for the OptiMix and OnePath diversified portfolios, as well as global equities, REITs and listed infrastructure portfolios. This involves setting investment strategy, selection of fund managers, portfolio construction and implementing asset allocation tilts for the multi-asset portfolios.

Prior to Insignia Financial, Liam held portfolio management responsibilities for Australian equities, global and emerging markets, and fixed income portfolios at ANZ Wealth. Previous to this, Liam was responsible for Australian equity fund manager research and market analysis, as well as research, development and implementation of the ING Investment Management (INGIM) overlay strategies within the Australian equities multi-manager portfolios.

Liam has over 17 years of financial market experience, commencing his career with the global investment research house Morningstar, where he worked as a performance analyst, focusing on portfolio performance analytics and ratings.

Liam holds a Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in Finance and Economics) from the University of Wollongong, and a Master of Applied Finance from Macquarie University. Liam is also a Certified Investment Management Analyst from the Investment Management Consultants Association.

Peter Sumner
PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Peter joined MLC in 1989, to assist in the management and development of cash, short term and fixed interest strategies. In 2008, he became the Portfolio Manager for Australia Equity and Property Funds. Peter has strong manager research capabilities across equities, REITs and fixed income asset classes. Peter holds a B. Bus., ASIA, M. Bus (Finance).

Mark Nordio
SENIOR MANAGER FIXED INTEREST ASSETS AND STRATEGY

B.Comm (Hons), B.Sc

Mark joined Insignia Financial in 2020 and is responsible for portfolio construction and manager selection for Australian and global fixed income and cash. Prior to Insignia Financial Mark worked at ANZ/OnePath in a similar role. 

Mark brings to the role over 20 years of Australian and global fixed income portfolio management experience, gained at some of the leading investment houses in Australia, namely County NatWest Investment Management Ltd (3 years), Barclays Global Investors (12 years), BlackRock (2 years) and Antares Fixed Income (5 years). More recently Mark designed the strategic asset allocation and selected the managers for the diversified fixed interest option for CommInsure.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Melbourne (majoring in Econometrics and Economics) and a Bachelor of Science also from the University of Melbourne (majoring in Statistics and Operations Research).

David Chan
PORTFOLIO MANAGER

David joined MLC in 2009 as Head of Asia, MLC Private Equity. His extensive industry experience, spanning over 20 years, includes corporate strategy, strategic due diligence, M&A, IT strategy, operational implementation, product design, financial modelling and process improvement. During his tenure at MLC, David has led coverage of Asian and EM companies and, while currently based in Sydney, he has also worked out of NY and London covering investments in Nth America and the UK.

He has worked closely with the many of the largest banks in Australia and Europe to implement their Asia and China entry strategies, including both M&A and greenfield branch expansion, where he was operationally involved in recruitment, process design and key governance aspects. David started his career as a software engineer and system architect, working several high-profile organisations (e.g. Yahoo, Sun Microsystems, NRMA) on pioneering web applications and search engine technology. David has also gained a particular knowledge of the Asian financial services, being one of the most qualified experts in that sector.

David was placed first in both his Master of Commerce (Finance) and Bachelor of Software Engineering (First Class Honours and University Medal) degrees from the University of New South Wales. He achieved a UAI of 100, ranking first in the State. He is also a CFA charterholder and sits on the Infrastructure Investment Committee for MLC.

Rachael Lockyer
PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Rachael joined MLC Private Equity in 2021 with a focus on co-investments and Australian manager relationships, bringing 16 years of investment management and investment banking experience in Australia, Asia, the US and New Zealand. Rachael has broad and deep investment experience, having worked throughout the private equity value chain.

Prior to joining MLC Rachael managed buyout investments at global consumer private equity fund L Catterton where she reviewed and appraised numerous private equity investment opportunities, and worked closely with founders and management teams to scale businesses either organically or via acquisitions, including leading the international expansion of portfolio companies and the establishment of high growth divisions.

She was also an Associate Director at Australian mid-market private equity fund Ironbridge Capital. Rachael is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and holds Commerce and Law degrees from the University of Auckland.

Laura Hotaling
PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Laura Hotaling joined MLC Asset Management’s private equity team as a portfolio manager in September 2021.

Ms Hotaling brings 14 years of investment management experience across private as well as listed markets. Her focus at MLC Asset Management is manager coverage for the US and Europe, and origination, execution and management of private equity funds and execution of co-investments.

Most recently Ms Hotaling was the Chief Risk Officer at New York State Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS) and before that was NYSTRS’ Manager of Private Equity – International. Earlier in her career Ms Hotaling was Equity Research Analyst with Paradigm Capital Management and Private Equity Associate with LGT Capital Partners, both in New York.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Kerry Gill
FUND STRATEGIST

BCom/BSc, MEc

Kerry is a long standing MLC investment professional, having joined the Capital Markets Research team in May 2005 as an Investment Analyst. She subsequently became a Senior Investment Analyst, Assistant Portfolio Manager, and was then promoted to Fund Strategist in 2021. Kerry’s key responsibilities include the asset allocation and strategic focus of the MLC retail multi-asset portfolios.

Prior to joining, Kerry worked for the NSW Government as an economic analyst in the Revenue Strategy division of NSW Treasury and as an economist focused on Sydney metropolitan water pricing at the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal of NSW.

Kerry has a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) and a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) from the University of New South Wales and a Master of Economics from Macquarie University.

Bob Cunneen
SENIOR ECONOMIST AND PORTFOLIO SPECIALIST

Bob Cunneen joined MLC Asset Management in April 2016 in the role of Senior Economist and Portfolio Specialist.

Bob has 30 years' experience in global financial markets covering asset allocation, bond strategy and currency management.

Bob has respective Master's degrees in Economics and Finance and is a graduate of London, Macquarie and Sydney University.

An introduction to investing

The principle of saving is well known. Money is put away in a savings account or term deposit, generally achieving a fixed rate of interest with minimal risk.

Unfortunately, a savings account can offer returns little better than inflation. In real terms, that means you may end up losing money on your initial investment.

Investing, on the other hand, is the commitment of money today which, with an appropriate level of risk, comes with the expectation of realising your future financial goals.

It's about making your money work harder for you than just saving alone can!

This guide aims to build your understanding of the fundamentals of investing and helps get you started on the path to securing your financial independence.

How much risk is right for you?

Part of any investment strategy involves determining the most appropriate asset allocation to meet your goals. The investment strategy that is most suitable for you is determined by a combination of factors, including your investor profile and your time horizon.

Different risk types

Please note these are sample profiles only of the MultiActive diversified funds – actual asset allocations may vary from fund to fund.

Diversified investment strategies

Growth of $10,000 over time*

* Past performance is not indicative of future performance and the value of investments may rise or fall. This performance chart is based on our current strategic asset allocations and is for illustrative purposes only.

Risk and return characteristics

Timeframe: 1 January 1993 to 30 June 2021.

Source: FactSet.

Data: Australian shares: S&P/ASX 300 Total Return Index | Global shares: MSCI World (ex Aus) Net Total Return 30% Hedged to AUD | Listed real assets & unlisted assets: Pre 31/12/2005 MSCI World ex Australia Net Total Return 30% Hedged to AUD. Post 31/12/2005 50% FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Developed Rental Index ex Australia NR Hedged to AUD, 50% FTSE Developed Core Infrastructure 50/50 NR Hedged to AUD | Alternative growth: HFRI Fund of Fund Index, HFRI Fund of Fund Index Hedged to AUD from 31/12/2019 | Alternative defensive: Bloomberg AusBond Composite Bond Index 0-3 Years | Fixed interest: 50% Bloomberg AusBond Composite Bond Index 0+ Years and 50% Barclays Global Aggregate Hedged to AUD | Cash: Bloomberg Ausbond Bank Bill Index.

Important Information: This document is issued by IOOF Investment Services Ltd (IISL) ABN 80 007 350 405, AFSL 230703. IISL is a company within the IOOF Group which consists of IOOF Holdings Ltd ABN 49 100 103 722 and its related bodies corporate. This document contains factual information only and should not be relied on for decision making. This information in this document is based in part on information obtained in good faith from third party sources and is current as at September 2021. While this information is believed to be accurate and reliable at the time of publication, to the extent permitted by law, no liability is accepted for any loss or damage as a result of reliance upon it.

Getting to know investments

What is an asset class?

Asset classes are different investment categories and are the building blocks of an investment. The main asset classes are shares, property, fixed interest and cash.

Australian Shares

Australian shares are shares in companies listed on Australian stock exchanges. Shares or stocks are securities representing ownership in a company. When companies distribute profits (via dividends), the investor receives part of it and often Australian companies partially or fully pay the tax payable on company income (franking).

Global shares

Global shares are shares listed on international stock exchanges. Global shares can have the additional risk of movements in the value of the Australian dollar against foreign currencies. Changes in exchange rates will change the Australian dollar value of Global shares. Fund managers can use strategies called derivatives to ‘manage’ investments against adverse currency movements.

Listed Real Assets (Property)

Property can include investments in listed property trusts (LPT) and other property securities. LPTs invest in a range of residential and commercial property, office buildings, hotels and industrial properties. LPTs are pooled property investments which are broken into units and listed on the stock exchange like shares in a company.

Fixed Interest

A fixed interest investment is a debt security issued by a bank, corporation or government in return for cash from an investor. The issuer of the debt is effectively a borrower and is required to pay interest on the loan for the life of the security. Fixed interest investments are valued on a mark to market basis, and as a result, their value may fluctuate. Fixed interest investments are generally higher risk than cash but lower risk than shares and property.

Cash

Cash funds are designed to offer a high degree of capital security relative to other asset classes. Generally, cash investments have a very low risk of capital loss. Examples include bank deposits and investments in fixed interest securities, including treasury notes and highly rated corporate debt securities which generally have a maturity of less than one year.

Key asset class performance^

Growth of $10,000 invested over time#

^Timeframe: 1 July 1983 to 30 June 2021.

#Timeframe: 1 January 1983 to 30 June 2021. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Your investment is subject to investment risk, including possible repayment delays and loss of income and capital invested. Any case study is shown for illustrative purposes only and is not a prediction of the actual outcomes you will achieve. Listed real assets and international fixed interest are not included in the graph above because data is not available from 1983.

Source: FactSet.

Data: Australian shares: S&P/ASX 300 Total Return Index | Global shares: MSCI World (ex Aust) Net Total Return Index in AUD | International listed property trusts: FTSE EPRA NAREIT (ex Aust) Total Return Index hedged to AUD | Australian fixed interest: Bloomberg AusBond Composite 0+ Years | International fixed interest: Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate hedged in AUD | Cash: Bloomberg Ausbond Bank Bill Index | Inflation: Consumer Price Index.

Note: Alternative assets do not have a standardised index so have not been included in the table or graph.

Important Information: This document is issued by IOOF Investment Services Ltd (IISL) ABN 80 007 350 405, AFSL 230703. IISL is a company within the IOOF Group which consists of IOOF Holdings Ltd ABN 49 100 103 722 and its related bodies corporate. This document contains factual information only and should not be relied on for decision making. This information in this document is based in part on information obtained in good faith from third party sources and is current as at September 2021. While this information is believed to be accurate and reliable at the time of publication, to the extent permitted by law, no liability is accepted for any loss or damage as a result of reliance upon it.

Responsible Investing

There's broad agreement across the asset management community that Environmental (E), Social (S) and Governance (G) factors can materially impact a company's operational and financial performance and, in turn, investor returns.

'Responsible investing' is shorthand for integrating the assessment of ESG factors into the investment process.

ESG factors can include:

Drawing from extensive industry as well as academic evidence, responsible investing recognises companies that:

  • act with an environmental duty of care
  • have the support of communities in which they operate, and
  • have transparent and robust governance processes and standards, are more likely to deliver sustainable long-term investment returns than those that fall short on these grounds.
 
Why does responsible investment make sense?

Intuitively too, responsible investing makes sense. If, for example, a company doesn't take into account physical risks such as risks arising from pollution (E), does not properly manage its human capital by underpaying workers (S), or has weak oversight of key management functions (G), it will likely experience adverse economic consequences at some point, which in turn will negatively impact its value.

Owing to all of this, we believe ESG factors matter when making investment decisions.

 
How do we* invest responsibly?

To help your clients understand how we invest responsibly, please download What is responsible investment. This includes examples of responsible investment in IOOF funds. You can also read more about our core Responsible Investment beliefs here.

IOOF is a member of the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) a group that helps to support and inform our responsible investment policies.

 
More information

* IOOF Investment Services Limited (IISL) where it acts as a Responsible Entity/trustee of a managed investment scheme

MLC Asset Management team:

Our unified team has had a long association with creating and managing multi-manager portfolios for investors and draws on the very best of our individual corporate heritages, honed over multiple investment cycles. We have created an investment capability of significant depth and breadth in the industry – leveraging a powerful common engine room working for the benefit of our clients.

Dan Farmer
CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER

B.Ec (Hons), M.Com (Hons)

Dan was appointed to the role of Chief Investment Officer (CIO) in July 2022, a position that brought together MLC AM and IOOF investment teams under his leadership. In this role, Dan is focussed on the group’s multi-asset strategies and he is responsible for management of the team, overall investment performance, managing risk and delivering superior investment outcomes to investors. He is also a member of the Investment Management Committee. Together with the single asset class strategies the broader Investment team manages ~$97 billion.

Prior to this role, Dan led the investment team managing IOOF’s funds from 2017-2022 and before this he managed the Australian Equities portfolio for seven years, successfully implementing the boutique program and defensive equities portfolio in this time. 

Before this, Dan was Senior Executive Investments at Telstra Super, managing the fund’s $3 billion Australian equity portfolio for seven years. During this period Telstra Super’s Australian equity product consistently ranked highly in the SuperRatings performance survey. Dan was also Portfolio Manager responsible for day to day management of internally managed Australian share portfolios at Telstra Super totalling over $450 million.

Dan holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from La Trobe University in Melbourne and a Master of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Melbourne.

Dr Ben McCaw
JOINT HEAD OF CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH

Ben is co-head of MLC’s Capital Markets research team where he shares portfolio management responsibility for several of MLC’s diversified funds, SMAs and direct investment strategies.

Ben joined MLC in 2008 after working as an equity analyst in Singapore and Sydney where he focussed on small and emerging healthcare companies.

Ben holds a Master of Applied Finance from the University of Adelaide as well as a PhD in Genetic and Bioinformatics at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research from the University of Melbourne.

Grant Mizens OAM
JOINT HEAD OF CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH

Grant is a Portfolio Manager in the Capital Markets Research team responsible for asset allocation across MLC’s diversified portfolios. He re-joined the team in 2014 and is involved in the team's asset allocation work, including scenarios and asset class modelling.

Grant has worked at MLC Asset Management since 2006. His main focus has been portfolio construction and manager research for MLC's equity portfolios. Before re-joining the Capital Markets Research team he was a Senior Consultant in the JANA Advice and Research Team.

Grant has a BA (Econ) from the University of Illinois and a Diploma of Financial Management from Finsia.

Steven Gamerov
HEAD OF DIVERSIFIED PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT (DEFAULT)

MBusSc

Steven is responsible for the construction and ongoing management of the diversified portfolios of MLC Superfund to ensure superior performance that is in line with client investment objectives.

Previously Steven was Head of Asset Consulting for Implemented Consulting clients at JANA, joining from MLC Implemented Consulting in March 2012.  Steven is a qualified actuary and has over 25 years’ experience in the industry across asset consulting, investment research and portfolio management. 

Steven commenced his career in South Africa where he was Director of Investment Consulting at Fifth Quadrant Actuaries & Consultants. He has held several senior positions in the investment industry in Australia including Head of Investment Solutions at St George Bank, Senior Consultant at Intech Asset Consulting, and Senior Portfolio Specialist at MIR Investment Management.

Steven has a MBusSc majoring in Economics and Statistics and is a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries.

Stanley Yeo
HEAD OF STRATEGY AND EQUITIES

B.Com, LLB (Hons), CFA

Stanley has been employed by Insignia Financial since September 2010. Stanley was appointed to the role of Deputy Chief Investment Officer in July 2017 and Head of Equities in June 2020 and is responsible for managing a team of portfolio managers and analysts responsible for Australian and International Equities.

Prior to this he was the Portfolio Manager for Strategy and International Equities responsible for strategy and asset allocation of the diversified products of the IOOF multi-manager funds, and also managed the International Equities portfolio. He also previously managed the Fixed Interest and Cash portfolios.

Stanley holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons), a Bachelor of Commerce and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. Prior to joining the investment team, Stanley was a Senior Consultant at Russell Investments. He has advised on strategic asset allocation, portfolio construction and implementation to large Asian sovereign wealth funds and large corporate superannuation funds. He actively managed and implemented the strategic asset allocation of the BHP Billiton Superannuation Fund to achieve consistent first quartile returns. Prior to this role, Stanley was an Investment Analyst at Gartmore Investment, UK. Outside of work, Stanley has a keen interest in travel and food.

Osvaldo Acosta
HEAD OF FIXED INTEREST ASSETS

B.Bus, M.Com

Osvaldo joined the IOOF Investment Team in December 2016 as Portfolio Manager Fixed Income and is currently the Head of Fixed Interest Assets responsible for portfolio management and performance of the various fixed income portfolios at IOOF. He has over 19 years industry experience within fixed income and capital markets.

Prior to joining Insignia Financial, Osvaldo worked at Western Asset Management, a specialised global fixed income manager, where he was part of the investment management team responsible for portfolio management, trading and implementation of interest rate strategies across a number portfolios, including traditional fixed income, specialist credit, annuity matching funds, global mandates and cash/cash enhanced.

Prior to Western Asset Management, Osvaldo also held various senior roles in fixed income, treasury and capital markets within major Australian corporates.

Gareth Abley
CO-HEAD OF ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES

From 1998 to 2002, Gareth was a manager research analyst with Skandia UK focusing on equities, fixed interest and diversified portfolios. In 2002, he joined MLC as an asset consultant and later became Head of Asset Consulting. In this role he led a team which was responsible for advising a diverse range of institutional clients (including super funds, charities, endowments and health insurers) on their investment strategies. Gareth is currently Head of Alternative Strategies, where he is responsible for evolving MLC’s alternatives capabilities and is co-PM (with Jehan Sukhla) of the Low Correlation Strategy, which was created in 2008. The strategy was the winner of the ‘Multi-Strategy Hedge Fund of the Year Award’ in 2014.

Jehan Sukhla
CO-HEAD OF ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES

B.Acc, CFA, GAICD

Jehan has been actively engaged in investment management since 2001, coordinating manager research and portfolio construction of multi-manager portfolios across several asset classes. From 2001 to 2003, Jehan was a Graduate at BT Funds Management.  He joined MLC Investment Management in 2003 as a Research Analyst focusing on fixed income and currency portfolios. In 2005 his responsibilities expanded to include coverage of alternative strategies and commodities, overseeing total assets/overlays of A$30bn. Since 2010 he has focused exclusively on MLC/Insignia’s Alternative Strategies, and is Co-PM for MOGS and IRIs.

Kristian Zimmermann
CO-HEAD OF PRIVATE EQUITY AUSTRALIA

Kristian joined MLC in June 2021. As Co-Head of MLC Private Equity Australia, Kristian’s focus is on growing and managing the Australian business, including from an operational perspective.

Before joining MLC, Kristian worked for Temasek, a Singapore Government-linked global investment firm where he has been a Director and Head of the Investment Review team. In his role, he was responsible for leading a team of seven professionals covering a wide range of unlisted assets such as private equity, direct property and infrastructure. He was also responsible for advising Temasek’s global investment committee and origination teams on commercial, financial, valuation, risk and ESG aspects of investment proposals.

Prior to Temasek, Kristian worked for CBA in Sydney in Group Investment Development, and Macquarie Capital M&A and principal investments. He also has experience working for Deutsche Bank and Merrill Lynch M&A in London and Frankfurt. Kristian has a degree in Economics from the University of Bonn, Germany.

Marek Herchel
CO-HEAD OF PRIVATE EQUITY US & EU

Marek joined MLC Private Equity in early 2017 and leads its private equity investment activities across the United States and Europe. He currently represents MLC’s private equity investments on numerous advisory and corporate boards. Marek has over 20 years of investment and business leadership experience in private equity. He has invested over US$14 billion across 200+ private equity investments globally and served on over 100 advisory and corporate boards.

Prior to joining MLC, Marek spent 13 years at AlpInvest Partners, most recently as Managing Director leading the Primary Fund Investments team across the Americas and a member of its global Investment Committee. Marek received a BS in Business Administration and a MS in Finance, both summa cum laude, from Suffolk University in Boston.

Simon Gross
HEAD OF PROPERTY

Ass. Dip - Valuation

Simon is the Head of Direct Property and as such is responsible for all of the property products. He is a qualified property valuer and has managed the MultiMix Direct Property portfolio since 2004.

Simon is also responsible for the Australian and global listed property holdings of the multi-manager range. He holds an Associate Diploma – Valuation.

He joined the industry in 1980 and has worked for a number of leading investment institutions including Australian Fixed Trusts and GIO Australia where he gained extensive experience in senior roles managing substantial national property portfolios with values exceeding $1 billion. Outside work Simon is a keen soccer supporter and keeps fit with regular sea kayak and mountain bike excursions.

James Tayler
HEAD OF RESPONSIBLE INVESTING

James was appointed Head of Responsible Investing in June 2022. In this role he is accountable for facilitating a high quality and constantly evolving Responsible Investing strategy across all investment capabilities. He is focussed on driving the development and articulation of our position in key areas such as identifying and managing ESG risks and opportunities, maximising the effectiveness of engagement with managers and companies, and also has a strong focus on climate change, modern slavery, and governance. His role is also integral in helping the organisation improve the way it communicates its responsible investment actions.

Previously, James was Head of ESG at Ellerston Capital, a listed equity-focused investment boutique. Prior to relocating to Australia in 2016, James held various investment management roles in London, UK, and Zurich, Switzerland, representing a 20-year career in listed equity investment primarily including security analysis and portfolio management responsibilities.

Anthony Golowenko
PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Anthony joined MLC Asset Management’s multi-asset Capital Markets Research team in February 2021.

He has 21 years investment experience and is passionate about developing and managing innovative solutions aligned with investor objectives and helping everyday Australians secure their investment journey.

Anthony joins MLCAM from Australian boutique Clime Investment Management, where had overall responsibility for Clime’s investment team, strategies and performance outcomes. Here Anthony launched a suite of objective based SMA model portfolios.

He has held previous roles at State Street Global Advisors including Senior Portfolio Strategist – Asia Pacific, Head of Active Australian Equities and Senior Portfolio Manager. He has significant experience in domestic and international equities, return enhancing and risk reducing overlays and objective based strategy development.

Anthony holds a Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance degree with First Class Honours from the University of Technology, Sydney, and is a CFA charterholder. He is involved in the community supporting Sylvanvale Disability Services and Tour de Cure.

Liam Wilson
PORTFOLIO MANAGER

CIMA, B.Comm, M.AppFin

Liam is joined Insignia Financial in 2020 and is the Portfolio Manager for the OptiMix and OnePath diversified portfolios, as well as global equities, REITs and listed infrastructure portfolios. This involves setting investment strategy, selection of fund managers, portfolio construction and implementing asset allocation tilts for the multi-asset portfolios.

Prior to Insignia Financial, Liam held portfolio management responsibilities for Australian equities, global and emerging markets, and fixed income portfolios at ANZ Wealth. Previous to this, Liam was responsible for Australian equity fund manager research and market analysis, as well as research, development and implementation of the ING Investment Management (INGIM) overlay strategies within the Australian equities multi-manager portfolios.

Liam has over 17 years of financial market experience, commencing his career with the global investment research house Morningstar, where he worked as a performance analyst, focusing on portfolio performance analytics and ratings.

Liam holds a Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in Finance and Economics) from the University of Wollongong, and a Master of Applied Finance from Macquarie University. Liam is also a Certified Investment Management Analyst from the Investment Management Consultants Association.

Peter Sumner
PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Peter joined MLC in 1989, to assist in the management and development of cash, short term and fixed interest strategies. In 2008, he became the Portfolio Manager for Australia Equity and Property Funds. Peter has strong manager research capabilities across equities, REITs and fixed income asset classes. Peter holds a B. Bus., ASIA, M. Bus (Finance).

Mark Nordio
SENIOR MANAGER FIXED INTEREST ASSETS AND STRATEGY

B.Comm (Hons), B.Sc

Mark joined Insignia Financial in 2020 and is responsible for portfolio construction and manager selection for Australian and global fixed income and cash. Prior to Insignia Financial Mark worked at ANZ/OnePath in a similar role. 

Mark brings to the role over 20 years of Australian and global fixed income portfolio management experience, gained at some of the leading investment houses in Australia, namely County NatWest Investment Management Ltd (3 years), Barclays Global Investors (12 years), BlackRock (2 years) and Antares Fixed Income (5 years). More recently Mark designed the strategic asset allocation and selected the managers for the diversified fixed interest option for CommInsure.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Melbourne (majoring in Econometrics and Economics) and a Bachelor of Science also from the University of Melbourne (majoring in Statistics and Operations Research).

David Chan
PORTFOLIO MANAGER

David joined MLC in 2009 as Head of Asia, MLC Private Equity. His extensive industry experience, spanning over 20 years, includes corporate strategy, strategic due diligence, M&A, IT strategy, operational implementation, product design, financial modelling and process improvement. During his tenure at MLC, David has led coverage of Asian and EM companies and, while currently based in Sydney, he has also worked out of NY and London covering investments in Nth America and the UK.

He has worked closely with the many of the largest banks in Australia and Europe to implement their Asia and China entry strategies, including both M&A and greenfield branch expansion, where he was operationally involved in recruitment, process design and key governance aspects. David started his career as a software engineer and system architect, working several high-profile organisations (e.g. Yahoo, Sun Microsystems, NRMA) on pioneering web applications and search engine technology. David has also gained a particular knowledge of the Asian financial services, being one of the most qualified experts in that sector.

David was placed first in both his Master of Commerce (Finance) and Bachelor of Software Engineering (First Class Honours and University Medal) degrees from the University of New South Wales. He achieved a UAI of 100, ranking first in the State. He is also a CFA charterholder and sits on the Infrastructure Investment Committee for MLC.

Rachael Lockyer
PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Rachael joined MLC Private Equity in 2021 with a focus on co-investments and Australian manager relationships, bringing 16 years of investment management and investment banking experience in Australia, Asia, the US and New Zealand. Rachael has broad and deep investment experience, having worked throughout the private equity value chain.

Prior to joining MLC Rachael managed buyout investments at global consumer private equity fund L Catterton where she reviewed and appraised numerous private equity investment opportunities, and worked closely with founders and management teams to scale businesses either organically or via acquisitions, including leading the international expansion of portfolio companies and the establishment of high growth divisions.

She was also an Associate Director at Australian mid-market private equity fund Ironbridge Capital. Rachael is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and holds Commerce and Law degrees from the University of Auckland.

Laura Hotaling
PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Laura Hotaling joined MLC Asset Management’s private equity team as a portfolio manager in September 2021.

Ms Hotaling brings 14 years of investment management experience across private as well as listed markets. Her focus at MLC Asset Management is manager coverage for the US and Europe, and origination, execution and management of private equity funds and execution of co-investments.

Most recently Ms Hotaling was the Chief Risk Officer at New York State Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS) and before that was NYSTRS’ Manager of Private Equity – International. Earlier in her career Ms Hotaling was Equity Research Analyst with Paradigm Capital Management and Private Equity Associate with LGT Capital Partners, both in New York.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Kerry Gill
FUND STRATEGIST

BCom/BSc, MEc

Kerry is a long standing MLC investment professional, having joined the Capital Markets Research team in May 2005 as an Investment Analyst. She subsequently became a Senior Investment Analyst, Assistant Portfolio Manager, and was then promoted to Fund Strategist in 2021. Kerry’s key responsibilities include the asset allocation and strategic focus of the MLC retail multi-asset portfolios.

Prior to joining, Kerry worked for the NSW Government as an economic analyst in the Revenue Strategy division of NSW Treasury and as an economist focused on Sydney metropolitan water pricing at the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal of NSW.

Kerry has a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) and a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) from the University of New South Wales and a Master of Economics from Macquarie University.

Bob Cunneen
SENIOR ECONOMIST AND PORTFOLIO SPECIALIST

Bob Cunneen joined MLC Asset Management in April 2016 in the role of Senior Economist and Portfolio Specialist.

Bob has 30 years' experience in global financial markets covering asset allocation, bond strategy and currency management.

Bob has respective Master's degrees in Economics and Finance and is a graduate of London, Macquarie and Sydney University.