Capital Allocation

One of the most important responsibilities of a company’s management team is capital allocation. The hallmark of an exceptional CEO are the returns generated for the shareholders of that company over the long term.

The book The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success by William N. Thorndike details the wisdom of what makes a successful company, closely evaluating the performance of 8 outstanding companies and their leaders.

The 8 CEOs operated in different industries and markets and the returns made for shareholders over the long term were extraordinary. A common theme emerged – a strong focus on Capital Allocation.

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Wesfarmers-Coles demerger: Are the sum of the parts greater than the whole?

More than a decade after Wesfarmers bought Coles, they are once again separate. In mid-November 2018, Coles split from Wesfarmers, and both began trading as separate entities.

Shareholders received a Coles share for every Wesfarmers share they held.

By the end of the first day’s trading, Wesfarmers’ shares had fallen by $12.26 to $31.96.Continue reading

Good Management

Assessing the management of a company

Working out a company’s value can mean pouring over its financial statements, analysing the quality of its business operations, assessing competitive position, returns on equity, earnings growth, and the list goes on.

However, one thing  missing from this list is the importance of the quality of management in a business.

Management may make decisions that are, while in their best interests, not in the interests of the company. This is called agency risk.

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banking royal commission

How do you trust Financial Advice in the post Banking Royal Commission era?

The ‘Banking Royal Commission’ is certainly hitting the headlines.  Round two of public hearings over recent weeks focused on financial advice and claimed a few scalps at AMP with the CEO and Chair leaving.

Not many are weathering the storm of the Royal Commission well, neither the Banks, Financial Planners, Dealer groups, Financial Planning Association nor even the corporate regulator, ASIC, are without damage.Continue reading