Our Investment Philosophy

Building wealth isn’t only about earning more. It is about having a clear plan and following a few simple rules, year after year.

This is how I invest for my clients, and why.

Start with the end in mind

Investing shouldn’t start with picking shares. It starts with what you want your life to look like, and when.

Once the goal is clear, we build the strategy: the right investments, the right structures and the right tax plan, matched to your stage of life and your comfort with risk.

The building blocks

Managed funds

Your money is pooled with other investors and run by a specialist manager. You get diversification and professional management, even on smaller amounts.

• Index funds aim to match a market, such as the ASX 200, at low cost.
• Active funds aim to beat their market by choosing specific investments.

Direct shares

You own part of a specific company. More control, but more research, tracking and record keeping.

Bonds

You lend to a government or company in return for regular interest. Bonds don’t grow like shares, but they usually fall less when markets are rough.

Core and satellite

The portfolios I build through my investment advice use a core and satellite approach.

• The core: about half the portfolio in low cost index funds that aim to capture the market’s return reliably.
• The satellites: the other half in carefully chosen active funds and direct shares that aim to do better than their market, and add more diversification.

A typical satellite mix might hold 20 to 25 direct shares for franked dividends and 10 to 15 specialist managed funds, some with access to alternative assets.

Active management: MLC Premium Model Portfolios

The Delta investment philosophy video spends a lot of time on the index side of the portfolio. For the active side, I use the MLC Premium Model Portfolios, run by MLC Asset Management and held through a managed account.

How they are managed

• Active at every level: asset allocation, the choice of managers, investment style and individual securities.
• Specialist managers from around the world, carefully selected for each asset class and combined in one portfolio.
• Large Australian companies held directly, to get the after tax benefits of owning shares yourself.
• Alternative strategies for extra diversification, with returns not strongly tied to share markets.
• Not set and forget. MLC’s investment team reviews its view on every asset class each quarter and adjusts the portfolios.

Where the money goes

• Australian shares: large, mid and small companies
• Global shares: developed and emerging markets
• Real assets: global listed property and infrastructure
• Fixed income: core bonds, specialist income, high yield and absolute return
• Alternatives: a daily liquid real return strategy
• Cash: enough for liquidity, without dragging on returns

Five portfolios, matched to your risk profile

• Conservative 30: 30% growth. Aims for inflation plus 1.5% a year over 3 years.
• Moderate 50: 50% growth. Aims for inflation plus 2% a year over 3+ years.
• Balanced 70: 70% growth. Aims for inflation plus 3% a year over 5+ years.
• Growth 85: 85% growth. Aims for inflation plus 4% a year over 7+ years.
• High Growth 98: 98% growth. Aims for inflation plus 4.5% a year over 7+ years.

Objectives are after investment manager fees. They are targets, not guarantees.

What MLC believes

MLC’s approach rests on a few simple beliefs, and they line up closely with mine:

• Active management can add value. Markets don’t always price assets correctly. Behaviour like following the crowd creates opportunities for skilled managers.
• Skilful diversification works over the long term. Spreading money across asset classes, managers, styles and countries improves the odds of strong returns while managing risk.
• Not all risks are worth taking. Take the risks that are well rewarded, and avoid the ones that aren’t.
• The long term matters, but stay agile. Stick to the plan, while watching for events that could undermine returns.

Why MLC

• Over 40 years of multi asset investing experience
• 49 investment professionals in the team
• Every asset class stress tested across a wide range of scenarios
• Named Managed Account Manager of the Year at the Financial Newswire Fund Manager of the Year Awards 2024

Why a managed account

• You own the investments directly, and can see every holding and every transaction.
• Your tax, not someone else’s. You don’t inherit other investors’ capital gains.
• Changes happen across your portfolio without paperwork for every trade.

Together, a low cost index core and actively managed MLC portfolios give you the market’s return, the chance to do better than it, and diversification across managers and asset classes.

Sources: MLC Asset Management website (October 2026), MLC Premium Model Portfolios factsheet (June 2024) and MLC Asset Management’s investment beliefs. MLC Asset Management is part of the Insignia Financial group, the same group as our licensee, Consultum Financial Advisers. Any recommendation is made on its merits for your situation. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Growth and defensive assets

Your mix starts with your risk profile.

• Growth assets: Australian and international shares, listed property and emerging markets.
• Defensive assets: Australian and international bonds, and cash.

More growth assets means higher potential long term returns, with bigger ups and downs along the way. Getting the mix right matters more than picking individual shares.

What history tells us

Over the last 100 years, Australian shares and residential property have each averaged a little over 11% a year. Shares deliver more through dividends and franking credits. Property delivers more through capital growth.

1. Markets go up more than they go down
2. They fall regularly, sometimes a lot
3. They have always recovered
4. Short term moves can’t be predicted
5. Long term growth is far more predictable
6. The right strategy is how you capture it

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

Not set and forget

Your life changes, and so do markets. We review and rebalance your portfolio regularly so it stays matched to your goals.

The value of advice

Investing is emotional. Many people buy when markets are high and sell when they are low. Missing just a few of the best days can cost years of returns. It’s rule 8 of my 20 personal finance rules to live by: your results are decided in the wild times.

Russell Investments’ 2023 Value of an Adviser report estimated that advice added about 5.9% a year for Australian investors. Most of that came from behavioural coaching, with the rest from asset allocation, tax and other planning. Source: Russell Investments, Value of an Adviser Report 2023. Individual results vary.

Opportunity in downturns

In 2022 the S&P 500 fell nearly 20% and the Nasdaq about 33%. Investors with a plan and cash ready were able to buy at lower prices. Helping you be one of those investors is a big part of my job.

Your next step

Want to see how this would look for your money? Read my wealth management page, get the free Lifetime Income Playbook, or book a call below.