There is a new research house on the block with the launch of Evergreen Ratings, with its specific focus at this stage, to look closely at the closed-ended, wholesale, illiquid and listed investment vehicles offered by Australian and global fund managers to investors in Australia. Evergreen Ratings research will include property syndicates, private equity, venture capital and hedge funds.
Evergreen Ratings, which is 100% owned by Evergreen Consultants, one of the pre-eminent providers of independent investment consulting services, has been commissioned already to write four research reports that will be issued soon.
In a key difference to the Evergreen Consultants business, fund managers will pay a fee to have their investment vehicles and products to be rated, with the reports to be made available to financial advisers.
Evergreen Ratings Founder and Director Angela Ashton says: “At Evergreen Consultants, we are constantly being asked to review these types of investment vehicles, either by our clients who are primarily financial advisers or by the managers issuing them. Evergreen Consultants, being a consulting group, has traditionally focussed on managed accounts and liquid investments, and a considered analysis of the ‘non-traditional’ products often sits outside the scope of our standard client work.
“However, we are strongly of the view that there is a place for these products across investment portfolios and we think it is important to offer a ‘whole of portfolio’ service. We believe there is a clear gap in the market in rating these types of investment vehicles at the very time the supply of and demand for them is growing significantly among financial planners and their clients.
“They are often far more complex than many ‘standard’ managed funds, therefore requiring significant resources and skill sets to assess them properly. We believe this is one of the key reason other Ratings houses have not analysed these types of products consistently.
“To ensure Evergreen Ratings is equal to this task we are backed by a solid team, led by first-class consultants – Daniel Liptak and Mark Wist – both of whom have extensive experience over 25 years across investment banking, funds management, asset allocation, property and investment for local and overseas companies,” Ashton says.
Daniel Liptak will be well known to many investors in the Australian market, through his time at Deloitte and Zenith Investment Partners, where he started alternatives research.
Mark Wist has spent his entire career in property, having spent many years researching and rating property funds at both PIR and Atchison Consultants.
Ashton adds: “With people of the calibre of Daniel and Mark, we are confident of being able to provide a consistent, high-quality service to rate these investment vehicles in a constructive and easy to understand way for advisers and their clients.
“Many of these vehicles offer opportunities that are difficult to get in a standard managed funds format such as high levels of consistent yield. This becomes all the more relevant in today’s highly uncertain economic scenario.
“We are also examining how to develop a stand-alone ESG assessment framework, aware of the fact that many advisers’ clients want their investments to dovetail with their personal beliefs.”
Evergreen Consultants, which is owned by current and former staff, has established a proven track record of providing independent quality advice to its clients. “Integrity and being fiercely independent is central to our business. Providing excellent service and advice is the cornerstone of the Evergreen offering to clients, and we envisage the Evergreen Ratings research offering to continue in this proud tradition,” Ashton says.
“We look forward to expanding our scope of research and providing reports that cover the wider spectrum of investment products over the long term.”
More information is available on the website for Evergreen Ratings.
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About Evergreen Ratings
Evergreen Ratings is a subsidiary of Evergreen Consultants, a leading Australian investment consultant. We specialise in the research and analysis of closed ended and complex investment vehicles. This includes property syndicates, private equity, venture capital and hedge funds. Our ratings are available to licenced advisers and other sophisticated investors. Our staff are amongst the most experienced in the Australian industry, so that we can provide valuable, independent insight into complex investment products.
Visit our Website: www.evergreenratings.com.au
Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/68643848/admin/
For all media queries please contact
Simrita Virk
E: simrita.virk@shedconnect.com
M: 0434531172
