For years, financial advisers have managed portfolios through the familiar ups and downs of the market cycle - corrections, recoveries, recessions, and rallies. But the environment we’re in now is different. This isn’t just another market phase; it reflects a structural shift in how economies and markets are behaving.
As we move into 2026, the investment world looks materially different from the environment in which Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA) became the dominant portfolio framework.
For the past few years, we’ve been saying that traditional strategic asset allocation (SAA) is going to stuggle going forward, and therefore no longer fit for purpose in a world defined by geopolitics, deglobalisation, sticky inflation, and unsustainable debt levels.
In today’s complex market environment, the choice of investment approach is more than just a portfolio decision - it’s a business-defining one. For financial planning firms and dealer groups, the investment philosophy they choose to work with can either strengthen their client relationships or quietly undermine them.
Advisers know that the risks of following an outdated investment approach, or one that may not work well in these times, extends well beyond poor portfolio performance. They can ripple into client trust, business reputation, compliance risk, and long-term commercial sustainability.
Welcome to the latest edition of The Lander Report.
In this detailed analysis by Dr Jerome Lander, you’ll hear the full story with compelling clarity, logic and insight.
The September quarter was a case of back to the future for weary investors. The US S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq all suffered their worst quarter performance since the same period last year. In Australia, the ASX 200 has returned to its March lows.
Welcome to the latest edition of The Lander Report.
In this detailed analysis by Dr Jerome Lander, you’ll hear the full story with compelling clarity, logic and insight.
The latest RBA statement highlights the problem of high inflation and that the path to a soft landing is a narrow one. It reiterates the RBA’s commitment to pursuing a 2 – 3 % inflation target, a target which, notably, the current RBA leadership has never sustainably achieved. It flags further interest rate increases too, as has the Federal Reserve. Markets think a further two rate increases in Australia are needed bringing the cash rate to circa 4% and, more importantly, home loan rates beyond 6%.
