Category: News

You might have heard – Australia’s population is ageing. And as those among us grapple with the realities of planning for retirement and caring for loved-ones in their elder years, financial advisers are also mapping out their role in this significant transition.

With this in mind, Financial Observer this week hosted the Aged Care Summit, providing insights and practical tips for advisers wanting to provide the best possible assistance for clients in their retirement years.

Honner attended the Sydney event. Here are a few takeaways:

• In 40 years almost 1 in 4 Australians will be aged over 65 years.

• In 2013-14, around 10 per cent of the Australian population accessed some form of aged care.

• Increasing rates of dementia mean that when many people reach the age where they need aged care, they don’t have the capacity to make important decisions. Educating clients and helping them plan for older age sooner is therefore critical.

• The growing need for advice aside, there are strategic reasons for advisers to move into the aged care space, including the opportunity to build out a more comprehensive advice proposition and act as a trusted ‘mentor’ and ‘project manager’ for families.

• Aged care advice isn’t just about the best financial outcomes for the client – it must consider complex family dynamics and preferences, for example, the best interests for mum and dad versus their children’s inheritance.

Honner last night joined over 400 industry professionals at the 2015 SuperRatings Fund of the Year Awards.

QSuper took out the night’s major award – the SuperRatings Fund of the Year which recognises the sector’s best value end-to-end retirement solution, across both accumulation and pension products

Other winners of the night included:

• One of our own clients – pengana saw the pengana emerging companies fund take home the prestigious lonsec icon award.
• AustralianSuper won Pension of the Year, recognising the best value for money retirement product.
• The Rising Star Award went to Local Government Super.
• The Lonsec Innovation Award was awarded to the Triple 3 Volatility Advantage Fund.
• The BTIM Retirement Innovation Award, was won by Mercer senior partner David Knox for his contributions to the industry.

Honner congratulates all the winners and finalists.

Ryan Communication, Asia’s leading independent strategic communication consultancy, has announced the opening of a Shanghai office, the company’s third in the region, to support increasing needs of global companies in China.

The office is headed by senior communication professional and China native, Oscar Wang. He will be responsible for developing and delivering communication strategies on behalf of clients, including financial companies, professional services firms and corporates. Wang will also advise clients on market entry communication, transactions, issues management, stakeholder engagement, media relations and social media activity.

Damien Ryan, Founder and Managing Director of Ryan Communication, said: “We are seeing an increasing number of client mandates for strategic communication support in China, particularly with ongoing market reforms, which is creating additional business opportunities for our clients

Our consultancy is also experiencing strong growth across the region, given our unique position as Asia’s leading independent strategic communication firm, and a Shanghai office is a natural evolution in our exciting story.”

Prior to joining Ryan Communication, Wang was with an international consultancy that specialises in financial and corporate communication. His role included advising international and Chinese financial institutions on communication strategy, positioning, issues management and investor relations for the Greater China region.

Oscar Wang, Head of Shanghai at Ryan Communication, said: “I am excited to join the Ryan team as we embark on the next stage of regional expansion. The team clearly brings a fresh approach to the communication industry in Asia. Ryan Communication is an industry-leader with a growing list of leading international and local clients who value a boutique approach, deep sector expertise, local knowledge and regional reach.” The Shanghai office will partner closely with Ryan Communication’s operations in Hong Kong and Singapore to deliver integrated solutions as a single company, simplifying accounting and resource allocation for global clients.

Ryan Communication, like Honner, is a member of the Global Financial Communication Network (GFC/Net www.gfcnet.com) – a prestigious financial and corporate communications agency network bringing together leading independent public relations consultancies in the world’s major financial markets. Through this network we are able to leverage global insights and contacts across the spectrum of financial PR and public policy campaigns.

In a bid to ‘walk the talk’ on the changing role of PR, one of Australia’s leading consultancies has dropped the word ‘media’ from its name, as part of a brand refresh.

Honner, an 18-year-old agency specialising in corporate and financial PR, says the new brand reflects its work more accurately.

“To better reflect what we do for clients we are dropping the word ‘media’ from our brand. Of course, media remains an important channel and we will continue to build great media relationships, but the role of communications professionals has evolved to encompass multiple channels and modes of delivery,” said Philippa Honner, founder and managing director.

“We deliver holistic communications support with a focus on strategic advice – helping our clients actively position their brand and connect with stakeholders across a range of channels and platforms. So it’s about much more than media in today’s market”.

The new website – www.honner.com.au – outlines seven core areas of service and demonstrates the agency’s breadth of expertise. The website will also expand to become a news hub to keep clients abreast of the latest industry news, issues and events.

“The Honner team is excited about this evolution of our brand and we will continue to work with existing and new clients help them deliver tangible outcomes for their business,” said Ms Honner.