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Six Park review: Invest in the stock market with a robo advisor
Low-fee investment into a portfolio of ETFs with help from the experts.
ETFs
Investment product
$5,000
Minimum Investment
5
Number of Portfolios
From $9.95 /month
Fees
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Launched in 2016, Six Park is a robo-adviser that invests your money into one of five managed funds, from conservative to aggressive, depending on your risk level. Six Park is backed by a team made up of former JP Morgan Australia chairman Brian Watson AO, former Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner, and former World Bank co-chief investment officer Mark Nicholson.
Six Park offers low-cost online investment management with a track record of over 3 years. In the 3 years to the end of June 2019, Six Park’s portfolios returned between +4.0% and +11.0% – although it's important to note that past performance is never an indication of future returns. Read on to learn about Six Park’s portfolio options and fees.
How many investment portfolios does Six Park offer?
Six Park offers five investment portfolios ranging from conservative to high-growth. Each portfolio is diversified across major asset classes and offers a mix of defensive and growth investments using high-quality, ASX-listed exchange traded funds (ETFs).
Six Park customers have a Macquarie Cash Management Account created in their name, and all assets are held in their name, which enables greater transparency for investment reporting and performance.
Conservative portfolio
Six Park's conservative portfolio is likely to suit you if you’re risk-averse and if you don’t mind selling your investments if you take a loss. It has a mix of 82.5% defensive assets and 17.5% growth assets.
The objective of the conservative portfolio is to return an average of 2.5% above the CPI annually. This portfolio is expected to return negative results twice on average over 20 years.
Conservative-balanced portfolio
The Six Park conservative-balanced portfolio is ideal if you’re looking to hold your investment for at least five years.
The aim is to deliver an annual return of 3.25% above the CPI. The Six Park investment team estimates this portfolio will deliver an average of three negative returns over 20 years.
Balanced portfolio
This is likely to suit you if you want a mix of growth and defensive assets and you can commit to an investment period of at least seven years.
The objective of this portfolio is to provide an annual return of 4% above the CPI, although it’s stated that there should be a medium level of variability on annual returns. Six Park expects four negative annual returns over 20 years.
Balanced-growth portfolio
Six Park’s balanced-growth portfolio is likely to suit you if you’re comfortable with risk, and the typical investment period for this portfolio is 10 years. This portfolio includes larger allocations of investment towards international and emerging markets equities.
Investments are focused towards offshore equity markets, and the portfolio has an expected average return of 4.75% p.a. above the CPI. Six Park estimates an average of five negative annual returns over a 20-year investment period.
Aggressive-growth portfolio
This is a portfolio for risk-takers and investors who don’t need capital if the portfolio takes a loss. The aggressive-growth portfolio has an investment horizon of 12 years.
Its objective is to beat the CPI by 5.5% over a medium to long-term period. Six Park expects six negative annual returns over a 20-year investment period.
Portfolio performance
Over 12 months to the end of June 2019, Six Park's portfolio performance ranged from +5.8% to +10.8% per year on average, from conservative to high growth. A more detailed breakdown of performance figures across its various portfolios is available on Six Park's website. It's important to note that past performance is not an indication of future returns.
Six Park fees
When you invest with Six Park, there are no trading fees to buy and sell securities and no fees for depositing or withdrawing from you account.
The management fee is deducted from your account monthly and is calculated based on your average account balance in the preceding month.
| Account balance | Management fee |
|---|---|
| $10,000 - $19,999 | $9.95/mo (GST included) |
| $20,000 - $199,999 | 0.5%/yr (GST included) |
| $200,000 - $499,999 | 0.4%/yr (GST included) |
| $500,000+ | 0.3%/yr (GST included) |
ETF management fees are an average 0.25% and are reflected in the ETF share price. These fees are charged by the issuer, not Six Park.
What asset classes can I invest in?
Six Park has handpicked ETFs for exposure to assets in the following markets:
- Australian shares
- International shares
- Listed international property
- Emerging market shares
- Global infrastructure
- Australian fixed income/bond
- High-yield cash assets
It is important to note that your exposure to each of these asset classes will vary depending on your risk profile.
What are the benefits of using Six Park?
Experienced team
Six Park offers more than 100 years of combined investment management experience. The Six Park investment advisory committee regularly reviews market conditions and makes recommendations on ETFs and asset allocations to ensure clients have the greatest opportunity for strong returns.
Diversification
Six Park investment portfolios are comprised of a diversified mix of assets. The investment team selects ETFs in each asset class, which gives you a wide exposure to a mixture of top-performing cash yield assets, shares, listed property and bonds. The ETFs and selected and portfolios are managed to cater to investors of different risk appetites.
Rebalancing and online reporting
Customers receive rebalancing of their portfolio at no extra charge to keep you on track with your investment strategy. Plus, 24/7 reporting is available, and the application process is all completed online meaning you can enjoy the convenience of a paperless set-up.
Low-cost platform
Sophisticated automation and algorithms allow Six Park to offer its service at a lower cost than some traditional financial advisors, with fees starting from $50 a year for a $10,000 account.
Online platforms run by real people
Six Park offers customer support on Live Chat, email and phone. Plus, the customer support team is located locally in Australia.
How do I get started with Six Park?
The Six Park service is online and automated, so the following steps can all be completed within minutes to get you up and started with your investment management. The help desk and chat room is available if you need assistance.
To get started with Six Park, you need to be able to answer “yes” to any of the following: Do you earn more than you spend? Do you have spare funds to invest? Do you have investments to sell in order to invest? Can you make regular contributions to an investment account?
You must then complete a questionnaire so that Six Park can gauge your capacity for risk, your risk appetite and your investment horizon. The following steps will then apply:
- Get an investment recommendation from Six Park based on the answers you provide
- Review and sign off on your Statement of Advice and documents that outline the details of our service
- Complete an online form to create a Macquarie Cash Management Account (CMA) and open a brokerage account, both in your name
- Deposit funds into your CMA account and Six Park’s service will automatically get you invested according to your strategy. Six Park cater to SMSF and non-SMSF accounts; individual, joint and family/corporate trusts.
