Although we do our best not to comment on politics (!), this one can’t escape my incredulity. Check out this article by Mike Taylor of Money Management: http://www.moneymanagement.com.au/news/superannuation-bungle-shows-gillards-hand Not a good look when the Australian Prime Minister addresses a group as “comrades”! Julia Gillard’s Socialist background has been well documented, so I won’t detail it here, […]
Read MoreQ&A: Perpetual’s Ethical SRI fund & the UN Principles for Responsible Investment
Following a recent review by Standard & Poor’s, Perpetual’s Ethical SRI Fund maintained its ‘4 star’ rating. Highlights from Standard & Poor’s Sep 2011 report include: ‘We still regard this fund as an attractive, true-to-label offering in the ethical/SRI Australian equities peer group.’ ‘We remain comfortable with the strength of Perpetual’s experienced team and its robust and […]
Read MoreCompare the Pair
When talking about financial advice, it all comes down to price – particularly when talking about your super fund fees. Or does it? Do you drive the cheapest car you can find? Eat the cheapest fast food? Live in the cheapest house? For most people, probably not – you make decisions based on the benefits […]
Read MoreNews Corp: a lesson in Corporate Governance
Today Rhett Kessler of fund manager Pengana Capital was quoted in the AFR discussing why he is buying more News Corp…ultimately he feels that the ongoing phone-hacking scandal will be a good thing for News Corp shareholders. But I question why anyone in their right mind would want to profit from such unethical behaviour? The amazing […]
Read MoreTop-rated ESG stocks outperform: Colonial
Fiduciary duty to incorporate ESG By Wouter Klijn, 01 Jul 2011 (www.investordaily.com.au) Colonial First State says incorporating ESG criteria into research will lead to better investment performance. Stocks that score high on environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria are also the securities that perform the best, according to research by Colonial First State Global Asset […]
Read MoreWould you invest your Super in ExxonMobil?
Thousands of GESB & UniSuper fund members are investing in ExxonMobil, an oil company with a long history of controversy in a range of areas. The company is in the Top 10 International Holdings of GESB Super’s ‘Balanced Conservative’ and ‘Growth’ plans (as at 31/03/11), and also UniSuper’s top 10 listed international shareholdings (most recent information available, listed at […]
Read MoreBarrick Gold sparks GESB Super controversy
Barrick Gold, acknowledged as one of the world’s most unethical companies, is in the Top 10 International Holdings of GESB Super’s ‘Balanced Conservative’ and ‘Growth’ plans (as at 31/03/11). Barrick is the largest gold miner in the world, and has been the subject of many documented studies of human rights abuses and environmental devastation globally, […]
Read MoreAre casinos worth a punt?
Nice article by Morningstar (Jeffrey Hutton) about whether to invest in casinos. Nice that is, if you have no ethics and don’t take into account the social problems created by problem gambling…not one mention in the article about whether investors should choose to profit from the misfortune of others. See the article: http://www.morningstar.com.au/stocks.mvc/article/are-casinos-worth-a-punt/3549/1 John Brett of […]
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