Credit Crunch and KiwiSaver
Jonathan Eriksen, Managing Director, Eriksen & Associates

Raising the Bar
Richard Dean, Manager – Insurance Policy, Reserve Bank of New Zealand

Asian Market Views - Including a Comparison of the Recent Chinese Market with Japan’s ‘Bubble’ Years
Takahide Mizuno, Chief Investment Officer, Nomura Asset Management (Japan)

Member Communication – Are We Realistic About The Problem and Daring Enough About The Solution?
Tony Hodges, Managing Director, Anthony Hodges Consulting Ltd (UK/Australia) & team

Currency – The Pros, Cons and Pitfalls of Fund Managers’ Hedging Offshore Equity Portfolios
Roger Kerr, Director, Asia-Pacific Risk Management Ltd

Investing in an Uncertain World
Bevan Graham, Chief Economist, Arcus Investment Management Ltd

Role of Alternatives in a Balanced Fund under Testing Conditions
John Gethin-Jones, Chief Executive Officer, Intech Investment Consultants,  Australia.  Note James Louw actually presented this on the day due to Mr Gethin-Jones unavailability.

We will continue to work with Graham Osborn and the Sydney team under our existing strategic alliance with Bendzulla Actuarial. There will be no change to the services provided by Eriksens in N.Z. from our offices in Auckland and Wellington, which are headed by Jonathan Eriksen and Peter Cosseboom respectively.

Master Trust Survey

The quarter to the end of September 2008 was one of the worst on record.  Comparisons are being made with the depression of the 1930s. 

Over  the  12  months,  growth  funds  returned –16.7%  (-10.8%),   balanced  funds  returned –9.9% (-4.8%), while conservative funds returned –0.7% (1.6%) after tax, expenses and fees were deducted (the previous quarter’s rolling twelve months are shown in brackets).  With inflation for the year having jumped to 5.1% real returns are now negative.

Economic Commentary

The effects of the credit crunch are causing instability in international equity, bond and currency markets.  This has prompted widespread government remedial action which to date has failed to get the world’s financial system back on its feet.  Even bank guarantees have failed to restore confidence that the international banking system will not collapse in domino fashion.......

Employers - It's Time to Wake Up to KiwiSaver

Why Should an Employer Bother with KiwiSaver?

In my view there are at least three good reasons for an employer to take the time to understand KiwiSaver.

First it creates an opportunity to give a tax-efficient pay rise.  In our tight labour market, keeping good staff is difficult but this may help.  By offering to match an employee's contribution $ for $ up to 4%,  you are actually providing a 6% pay rise .....

An edited version of this Eriksens discussion paper first appeared in the business section of the Sunday Star Times on 6 May 2007.)

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Eriksens is an international actuarial and strategic investment consultancy based in Australasia.  From offices in Sydney Australia and Auckland and Wellington, NZ we service clients in Australasia, North America and Europe. 

Our consultants make regular trips to Europe and North America. It is through this regular travel that Eriksens maintains its global focus.

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