Basis Points

As the managed accounts industry matures, regulators are circling. So, are there any bad players, and what should advisers expect as the regulatory environment shifts?

To find out, Ally sat down with two “masters of the managed accounts universe,” Jonathan Tolub from Trellia Wealth Partners and Chris Carrodus from Evidentia.

They speak to the industry’s rapid growth and tightening regulation following the Shield and First Guardian blow-ups. Plus discuss trustee scrutiny, private credit exposure, conflicts of interest, fee transparency and a possible performance test.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:03 Why SMAs Grew

02:46 ASIC Scrutiny and Due Diligence

05:26 Managing Conflicts of Interest

07:52 Private Credit and Liquidity

12:56 The Performance Test Debate

16:39 Managed Account Consolidation

17:25 Fees and Platform Differences

20:19 Customising Portfolios

25:20 What Advisers Need Now

28:15 The Industry’s Next Five Years

30:01 Bond Yields and Super Transfers

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CPD Points: This episode is accredited for the following CPD points by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). Complete the quiz here to claim your points.

0.75 Total Hours

Knowledge Requirements: Managed Investments (0.50 hour) and Regulatory Environment (0.25 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: Technical Competence (0.50 hour) and Regulatory Compliance & Consumer Protection (0.25 hour)

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Basis Points is a product of Equity Mates Media.

This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes. Any advice is general advice only, and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances, needs or objectives. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement. And if you are unsure, please speak to a financial professional.

Equity Mates Media operates under Australian Financial Services Licence 540697.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

China's economy is splitting in two, and the investment opportunities aren't necessarily where you'd expect.

While property investment has plunged and consumer spending has stalled, AI, advanced manufacturing and robotics are booming.

Stillpoint Investments' Eric Wong joins Ally Selby to unpack China's K-shaped economy, why some of the most interesting stocks are hiding in struggling sectors, and what Western investors are missing about the world's second-largest economy. Plus, how Chinese manufacturers are navigating US tariffs, why political risk isn't unique to China, and whether China's lead in robotics can last.

Chapters:

00:00 China’s Two-Speed Economy

01:37 China’s Economic Outlook

05:43 Is China Investible?

09:00 US–China Tensions and Opportunity

12:23 What Headlines Miss

16:22 Slower Growth, Sharper Differences

18:08 China’s K-Shaped Consumer

22:27 Overlooked Stock Opportunities

25:16 Chinese Manufacturing Moves to Mexico

31:30 China’s AI Frenzy

35:49 The Race for Cheaper AI

38:02 China’s Robotics Lead

📈 Stocks and ETFs Mentioned:

JOYY Inc. (NASDAQ: JOYY), Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), Ferrari (NYSE: RACE), NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA)

FinFest Industry day is nearly here! Come join us on the 23rd October 2026. Register your interest here.

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CPD Points: This episode is accredited for the following CPD points by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). Complete the quiz here to claim your points.

0.75 Total Hours

Knowledge Requirements: Economic Environment (0.75 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: General (0.75 hour)

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Want more Basis Points?

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Basis Points is a product of Equity Mates Media.

This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes. Any advice is general advice only, and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances, needs or objectives. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement. And if you are unsure, please speak to a financial professional.

Equity Mates Media operates under Australian Financial Services Licence 540697.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fundamental stock picking is losing ground to systematic investing. But does that mean traditional active management is dead?

Dr David Allen, Head of Long Short Strategies and Co-Head of Research at Plato Investment Management, joins Ally to explain how systematic managers are using data, technology and AI to find opportunities across thousands of companies.

He takes us inside Plato's investment process, including the 154 red flags the team uses to identify short opportunities.

Plus, David explains why diversification can improve returns when systematic strategies struggle, and the one metric he believes every adviser should use when assessing quantitative managers.

Chapters:

00:00 Is Fundamental Investing Dead?

01:52 Why Traditional Stock Picking Is Changing

04:20 Inside the Black Box of Systematic Investing

07:25 Plato's 154 Red Flags for Identifying Risky Stocks

13:09 Separating Genuine Investment Signals From Noise

17:06 How Plato Uses AI to Analyse Markets

19:29 The Red Flags Emerging in Markets Today

25:34 Diversification, Performance and Choosing a Quant Manager

Stocks and Funds Mentioned:

Plato Global Alpha Fund, Echo IQ (ASX: EIQ), Allbirds (NASDAQ: BIRD), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META), DroneShield (ASX: DRO), Cettire (ASX: CTT), Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), GQG Partners (ASX: GQG), IBM (NYSE: IBM)

CPD Points: This episode is accredited by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). Complete the CPD quiz ___ to claim your points.

Knowledge Requirements: Managed Investments (0.50 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: Technical Competence (0.50 hour)

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Want more Basis Points?

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Basis Points is a product of Equity Mates Media.

This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes. Any advice is general advice only, and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances, needs or objectives. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement. And if you are unsure, please speak to a financial professional.

Equity Mates Media operates under Australian Financial Services Licence 540697.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was once a given that investing across a variety of asset classes, meant you were diversified.

Today’s guest believes that may no longer be the case.

AI for example touches debt, equities and infrastructure.

When the old asset-class labels no longer explain the risks and opportunities, what should advisers change in client portfolios?

John Woods, the Deputy Chief Investment Officer and Head of Multi-Asset at Australian Ethical Investment shares the portfolio audit that every adviser should run to ensure clients are properly diversified.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

03:15 When Asset Classes Overlap

05:59 Auditing Portfolio Risk

09:43 Themes with Staying Power

13:05 Resources and Spotting Hype

16:23 Ethical Investing and Risk

18:28 Opportunity in Infrastructure

20:23 Private Markets and Portfolio Fit

21:43 Three Checks for Advisers

23:23 Renewable Energy Meets AI Demand

📈 Stocks and ETFs Mentioned:

Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG, GOOGL), TSMC (NYSE: TSM; TWSE: 2330), Sandfire Resources (ASX: SFR), Capstone Copper (ASX: CSC), Kodak (NYSE: KODK), Allbirds, now Smartbird (NASDAQ: BIRD), GoPro (NASDAQ: GPRO)

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CPD Points: This episode is accredited for the following CPD points by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). Complete the quiz here to claim your points.

0.5 Total Hours

Knowledge Requirements: Financial Planning (0.25 hour), Managed Investments (0.25 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: Technical Competence (0.50 hour)

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This episode has been sponsored by Australian Ethical.

To learn more, visit AustralianEthical.com.au

Please read the PDS and TMD to consider if the product is right for you. Issued by Australian Ethical Investment Limited ABN 47 003 188 930, AFSL 229949.

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Want more Basis Points?

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• Watch all episodes in full and relive some of our favourite clips on YouTube

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Basis Points is a product of Equity Mates Media.

This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes. Any advice is general advice only, and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances, needs or objectives. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement. And if you are unsure, please speak to a financial professional.

Equity Mates Media operates under Australian Financial Services Licence 540697.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason Entwistle is worried. Australian advisers have one of the highest AI adoption rates in the world at a time when there are so many "shiny new toys” coming out.

But he sees a real risk to the speed of this adoption. Taking up AI tools without enough DD could lead the industry to “end up in a bit of a scandal where data has ended up in the wrong spot,” giving the regulator another reason to intervene.

So how can advisers still change with the times without risking their business?

Jason joins Ally to explain why he thinks nailing your data and processes is the key.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:45 Why Advisers Should Take AI Slowly

00:04:51 The Future of Financial Advice

00:07:10 The Risks of Getting AI Wrong

00:10:00 Which AI Start-ups Will Survive?

00:14:06 How Platforms Will Use AI

00:16:31 Keeping Client Data Secure

00:21:17 Building MyHub for the Industry

00:26:37 MyHub’s Launch, Pricing and Partners

00:31:17 AI Adoption and Advice Productivity

This episode was recorded on 17th of September 2026.

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CPD Points: This episode is accredited for the following CPD points by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). Complete the quiz here to claim your points.

0.5 Total Hours

Knowledge Requirements: Generic Knowledge (0.25 hour), Practice Management (0.25 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: Client Care & Practice (0.25 hour), General (0.25 hour)

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Want more Basis Points?

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• Watch all episodes in full and relive some of our favourite clips on YouTube

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Basis Points is a product of Equity Mates Media.

This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes. Any advice is general advice only, and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances, needs or objectives. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement. And if you are unsure, please speak to a financial professional.

Equity Mates Media operates under Australian Financial Services Licence 540697.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world’s biggest technology companies are burning through their once-abundant cash reserves to fund the AI arms race.

Increasingly, they’re turning to debt markets to fund the buildout.

That means the most speculative part of the market is finding its way into defensives.

So what does that mean for advisers and their clients?

Fixed Income Director at Capital Group, Haran Karunakaran, joins Ally to explain:

• What previous debt-fuelled booms can teach us
• The warning signs emerging in credit markets
• Why this cycle could still play out differently

Chapters:

00:00 AI’s Debt-Fuelled Boom

03:53 Lessons From Past Bubbles

05:57 Cracks in Credit Markets

09:12 Is Credit an AI Hedge?

12:08 How Credit Investors Analyse AI

13:46 What Separates Hyperscalers

17:29 Are AI Bonds Attractive?

20:09 Beyond the AI Trade

22:52 Credit’s Biggest Risks

25:50 Where Credit Looks Attractive

28:18 Rethinking Defensive Allocations

📈 Stocks and ETFs Mentioned: Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META)

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CPD Points: This episode is accredited for the following CPD points by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). Complete the quiz here to claim your points.

0.5 Total Hours

Knowledge Requirements: Fixed Interest (0.25 hour), Managed Investments (0.25 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: Technical Competence (0.50 hour)

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This episode has been sponsored by Capital Group. To find out more about Capital Group and their funds, head to their website: https://www.capitalgroup.com/intermediaries/au/en/

Thanks to Capital Group for supporting this episode of Basis Points and helping to keep our content free.

Disclaimer: Past results are not a guarantee of future results. This information has been provided solely for informational purposes and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or instrument listed herein. Statements attributed to an individual represent the opinions of that individual as of the date published and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Capital Group or its affiliates. The information provided is not intended to be comprehensive or to provide advice.

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Want more Basis Points?

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Basis Points is a product of Equity Mates Media.

This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes. Any advice is general advice only, and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances, needs or objectives. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement. And if you are unsure, please speak to a financial professional.

Equity Mates Media operates under Australian Financial Services Licence 540697.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What separates advice practices that scale well from those that get stuck?

After meeting with thousands of advisers, Trellia Wealth Partners Managing Partner Cameron Spittle says the difference often comes down to one thing: the operating model.

In this episode you will learn:

• How leaders can create greater adviser capacity
• Ways to improve operational efficiency, and deliver better client outcomes
• Where businesses should look when workflows start slowing them down

Chapters:

00:00 What Sets Top Practices Apart

02:56 Building Adviser Capacity

06:31 Fixing Operational Bottlenecks

09:08 Scaling Advice Practices

14:10 The Managed Accounts Shift

18:35 Making Managed Accounts Work

23:03 AI and the Future Adviser

27:11 What Top Practices Do Differently

This episode was recorded on 26th of August 2026

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CPD Points: This episode is accredited for the following CPD points by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). Complete the quiz here to claim your points.

0.5 Total Hours

Knowledge Requirements: Practice Management (0.50 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: Client Care & Practice (0.50 hour)

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Want more Basis Points?

• Sign up to the Basis Points email
• Join the conversation on LinkedIn
• Watch all episodes in full and relive some of our favourite clips on YouTube

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Basis Points is a product of Equity Mates Media.

This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes. Any advice is general advice only, and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances, needs or objectives. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement. And if you are unsure, please speak to a financial professional.

Equity Mates Media operates under Australian Financial Services Licence 540697.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The rules around leverage have changed. So what does that mean for advisers?

With residential property LRBAs no longer available inside SMSFs, instalment warrants remain one way advisers can use leverage in super.

Citi Global Markets Director Elizabeth Tian and Five Financial Managing Partner and Head of Advice Jason Petersen join Ally to explain how instalment warrants actually work, where they fit compared to geared ETFs and margin loans, and the risks advisers need to consider.

Plus, Jason shares two real client strategies, including how leverage can be used for retirees and younger accumulators.

Chapters:

00:00 Leverage After Budget Changes

02:23 Instalment Warrants Explained

05:13 New Tax Rules Reshape Gearing

09:48 Why Use Leverage?

12:12 Who Uses Instalment Warrants?

14:57 Gearing Across Life Stages

18:36 SMSF Risks and Guardrails

21:10 The Long-Term Gearing Impact

📈 Stocks and ETFs Mentioned:

Citigroup (NYSE: C)

This episode was recorded on 25th August 2026.

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CPD Points: This episode is accredited for the following CPD points by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA).

Complete the quiz here to claim your points.

0.5 Total Hours

Knowledge Requirements: Derivatives (0.50 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: Technical Competence (0.50 hour)

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This episode has been sponsored by TMX Australia Exchange - formerly Cboe Australia. To learn more or subscribe for insights and events, visit www.tmxaustralia.com. Thanks to TMX Australia for helping us keep our content free. Citi’s warrants are traded on TMX. If you're looking to understand the structured product options available to your clients, head to https://au.citifirst.com/ to find out more.

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Want more Basis Points?

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Basis Points is a product of Equity Mates Media.

his podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes. Any advice is general advice only, and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances, needs or objectives. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement. And if you are unsure, please speak to a financial professional.

Equity Mates Media operates under Australian Financial Services Licence 540697.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI tools have had a very “superficial” impact on financial advice so far.

That’s according to today’s guest Simon O’Keefe, founder and CEO of Alcova, an AI adoption and safety company for Australian wealth management firms.

He believes AI can be a “big unlock” for persistent capacity constraints the industry faces. But that so far, financial advisers are using it in ways that barely scratch the surface of what the technology can do.

In this episode, Simon joins Ally to explain why note-takers and copilots aren’t transforming advice businesses, what an AI-native advice practice could look like, and why the traditional CRM model may be under threat.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a clearer picture of what AI could actually change in financial advice, and how to prepare your practice for it.

Chapters:

00:00 AI’s Adoption Problem

03:14 Why AI Adoption Takes Time

05:42 The Problem With AI Tools

07:49 The Future Advice Tech Stack

09:53 Is Your Client Data Safe?

12:49 Future-Proofing Your AI Strategy

15:29 Who’s Actually Using AI Well?

17:52 How Leading Firms Use AI

20:29 One AI Experiment To Try

23:59 AI Isn’t Driving Growth Yet

📈 Stocks and ETFs Mentioned: Salesforce (NYSE: CRM)

This episode was recorded on 11th August, 2026.

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CPD Points: This episode is accredited for the following CPD points by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). Complete the quiz here to claim your points.

0.5 Total Hours

Knowledge Requirements: Practice Management (0.50 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: Client Care & Practice (0.50 hour)

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This episode has been sponsored by Alcova AI. To see how Alcova can future proof your AI roadmap head to alcova.ai

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Want more Basis Points?

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• Watch all episodes in full and relive some of our favourite clips on YouTube

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Basis Points is a product of Equity Mates Media.

This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes. Any advice is general advice only, and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances, needs or objectives. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement. And if you are unsure, please speak to a financial professional.

Equity Mates Media operates under Australian Financial Services Licence 540697.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Defensive assets are meant to be the boring part of a portfolio. Now, it’s where advisers are making some of their hardest calls.

Bonds spent the past few decades earning a reputation as the go-to hedge to equities. Since 2022, that reputation has been tested, with the correlation between the two asset classes flipping to positive territory.

So, are bonds broken? Are they still good diversifiers for stocks? Or do advisers need to be looking elsewhere to “diversify their diversifiers”?

In this episode, Zenith Investment Partners’ Head of Portfolio Solutions, Andrew Yap, and Head of Alternatives and Global Fixed Income, Rodney Sebire, outline why they believe now is the time for advisers and investors alike to rebuild the defensive portion of their portfolios.

They share where they are seeing the most opportunity (across both public and private markets), how they assess managers (and the red flags you can look out for), as well as some of the recent innovations in managed accounts that can help advisers track public and private exposures.

Chapters:

00:00 Why Bonds Aren’t Broken

05:05 Is De-Dollarisation a Threat?

07:00 Why Private Credit Boomed

11:11 Spotting Private Credit Risks

15:44 Private Credit’s “Cockroach” Problem

19:00 Navigating Private Asset Structures

21:53 Managers That Stand Out

24:38 Building the Defensive Portfolio

27:43 Why Fixed Interest Excites

Register for your ticket to FinFest Industry Day here!

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CPD Points: This episode is accredited for the following CPD points by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). Complete the quiz here to claim your points.

0.5 Total Hours

Knowledge Requirements: Managed Investments (0.25 hour), Fixed Interest (0.25 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: Technical Competence (0.50 hour)

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This episode has been sponsored by Zenith Investment Partners. Zenith Investment Partners is a leading investment research and managed account provider, with a 20-year track record of delivering premium investment research, fund ratings and investment portfolio solutions for financial advisers. https://www.zenithpartners.com.au/

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Want more Basis Points?

• Sign up to the Basis Points email
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• Watch all episodes in full and relive some of our favourite clips on YouTube

———

Basis Points is a product of Equity Mates Media.

This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes. Any advice is general advice only, and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances, needs or objectives. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement. And if you are unsure, please speak to a financial professional.

Equity Mates Media operates under Australian Financial Services Licence 540697.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.