Whites IFM is authorised to provide advice in the majority of debt and equity securities whether listed investments or managed funds. We structure portfolios and select individual investments that are relevant to the client’s own requirements. The investments selected are thoroughly researched both from an in-house perspective and external research providers.

Our advice with respect to debt investments centres around a combination of cash, term deposits and interest rate securities such as listed bonds and preference shares -often referred to as income securities. Investors should be aware of recent changes to Commonwealth Government protection for bank deposits. In brief, deposits with all Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADIs), up to $250,000 per depositor per ADI, are now guaranteed by the Government. This provides a very safe investment alternative for deposits up to the guarantee limit. For more information on the operations of the government guarantee, please click here.

With respect to investment in equities and debt securities, our approach centres around the concept of Value Investing pioneered by Benjamin Graham in his book “Security Analysis” (co-authored with David Dodds) 1934 and later his series of books titled “The Intelligent Investor.” Many of the world’s most successful investors such as Warren Buffett and Walter Schloss have adopted Graham’s investment philosophy throughout their life. It is a logical approach to investing that may be adopted by any investor. Recommended reading – Walter Schloss (source: Forbes Magazine).

Value Investing is principally concerned with differentiating between “Value” and “Price” where value is what an asset is intrinsically worth, while price is what someone is prepared to pay for that asset at any particular point in time. Price typically fluctuates far more frequently, and over a considerably greater range, than does value. An astute value investor can take advantage of this differential and pay less for an asset than it is really worth. Value Investing is a medium to long term strategy and does not contemplate short term trading. As such it is ideally suited to investors managing their own SMSFs where their portfolios are designed for longevity.