Van Eyk and Chant West in research alliance

Van Eyk Research has signed its fourth research alliance of the year, partnering with Chant West Financial Services to provide super research to clients.

Under the alliance, Chant West’s suite of super research products will be offered through van Eyk’s iRate research tool for financial planners and dealer groups.

First mooted in June this year, the Chant West alliance follows similar agreements this year with Aegis Equities Research, Adviser Edge Investment Research and Managed Investment Assessments.

In February, van Eyk outsourced qualitative research on the top 200 Australian companies to Aegis, and also established an agribusiness research partnership with Adviser Edge, a specialist in that area.

These were followed in April by a research alliance with Managed Investment Assessments, a specialist researcher of listed and unlisted local and global property funds.

Van Eyk director Mark Thomas said the researcher had “moved from a position 12 months ago of only publishing our own research to partnerships with four researchers in specialist areas — all in the interests of providing a full range of research to advisers”.

He said Chant West’s research would help van Eyk’s subscribers “fulfil their compliance requirements in the new super fund choice environment”.

“Advisers need to provide sound reasons before recommending a client move from one super fund to another, as well as advice on the underlying mix of investments.

“Our subscribers will now be able to research both of these decisions on iRate.”

Some components of the research are already being trialled by leading dealer groups who are existing van Eyk clients, according to Thomas, who said he would “not rule out” further industry alliances.

Chant West research includes in-depth analysis of all leading wholesale and retail super products, and incorporates the AppleCheck fund comparison tool.

Chant West principal Warren Chant said the alliance with van Eyk would provide a greater distribution capacity for the researcher, which is particularly active in the wholesale corporate super market.

“Our research hasn’t been widely available at the financial planner or dealer group level, where van Eyk’s strength lies, so the alliance is a good fit for both of us,” Chant said.

He said the advent of choice presented new opportunities for financial planners to advise on their clients’ super, but to do so they need supporting research that gives them a “fair and reliable basis” for comparison.

“That includes research on the wholesale market as well as on retail products, because many of their clients or prospects will currently be members of corporate plans, typically run through wholesale master trusts or industry funds.”