Rob Wilson, CFA, Director of Investment Strategy
Our mission is to democratise investing and make high-quality, institutional-level wealth management services affordable and accessible to all.
We want to enable investors to reach their long-term goals without needing the time, expertise or account size that has traditionally been the price of entry.
Managed portfolios from Selfwealth are built and run by our dedicated investment team, drawing from our experiences at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Russell Investments and other global firms.
We build each portfolio to balance return against the amount of risk it's meant to carry, not to chase the highest return available. Then we manage them so they stay that way.
[See here for our Investment Team]
Our Investment Philosophy
Three key principles:
What we provide
High-quality investing shouldn't require expertise, or a private banker.
Our Portfolio Process
Start with the objective and the risk profile
Every portfolio begins with a defined objective and a target risk profile. What it's trying to achieve, over what minimum timeframe, and how much volatility it should be expected to carry to get there.
Build the portfolio with risk & return in mind
How much a portfolio holds of each asset class is the single biggest driver of how it performs over time. When we set the mix, risk is weighed alongside return: how volatile each asset class is, how those asset classes tend to move in relation to one another, and what the portfolio could reasonably be expected to give up in a difficult period. The aim is a sensible trade-off between the two, not the highest return we can find.
Choose asset classes for different economic conditions
We invest across three broad categories, chosen because they behave differently under different economic environments:
Equities: exposure to economic growth and long-term capital gains, with higher short-term volatility.
Fixed income: income-producing assets with lower volatility than shares, providing diversification and typically more stability when the economy turns.
Alternatives: commodities, natural resources and inflation-linked securities, providing diversification and potential protection when inflation runs high.
Within those, we diversify further by region, by sector, and - where it's relevant to what the portfolio is for - by strategy.
Select the instruments
Portfolios invest predominantly in ASX-listed ETFs, each of which gives access to a diversified basket of shares or bonds in a single trade. Before an ETF can be used, it is reviewed on its liquidity, its size, its fee competitiveness against comparable products, the credibility and operational depth of its manager, and its track record against the index it's designed to follow.
We're issuer-agnostic. We're not a fund manager filling portfolios with our own product, and we're not tied to one house's ETF range. For each allocation we select what we consider best-in-class: appropriate exposure, genuine diversification, low cost, and active management only where it earns its place. We maintain research relationships with established fund managers to help us get there.
Tilt only where it earns its place
Within some asset classes we may lean toward particular characteristics such as to improve potential after-tax outcomes, to capture characteristics that have historically supported long-term returns such as smaller, undervalued or higher-quality companies, or to serve a specific goal such as income. Every allocation is a deliberate decision with its risks weighed, not a default.
Monitor daily, rebalance when it matters
Portfolios drift. Markets move, distributions land, and the mix you started with stops being the mix you chose.
We monitor your portfolio daily against its target allocation, and assess deviation each quarter. Where a portfolio has drifted sufficiently from target, we rebalance it back. Where it's still within tolerance, we don't trade at all to avoid transaction costs and capital gains events for a portfolio that's already doing its job. We also rebalance whenever a model's target weights or holdings change, and retain discretion to act more frequently in extreme market conditions.
[Explore our Cash+ portfolio here and our Income+ portfolios here]
Meet Our Investment Team
The people making those decisions, with a collective 70+ years investment experience.
Rob Wilson, CFA | Previously Head of Investment Strategy at Ethic in New York, where he built out the firm's multi-asset model portfolio and direct indexing capabilities. Before that, portfolio management and investment strategy at Russell Investments in Sydney and New York. Began his career at the Commonwealth Treasury. Economics and Finance degrees, Australian National University. |
Ritesh Ganeriwal | Former private wealth advisor at Goldman Sachs, advising ultra-high-net-worth clients, family offices and corporates. Began at Morgan Stanley, rising to Vice President, Market Risk. 15+ years in investment and financial services. MBA, University of Chicago Booth. |
Aman Pujara | Former Head of Quantitative Research and Algorithmic Development, APAC at Virtu Financial. Began as a quant at Goldman Sachs in London, rising to Executive Director. Master's in Mathematics, Imperial College London. |
Dhruv Arora | Former Director, Portfolio Trading at UBS, where he led Asia-Pacific ETF distribution. Founded Syfe in 2019. |
Samantha Horton | Began at Morgan Stanley as an equities analyst, then Broad Peak Investment Advisors — a multi-billion-dollar, Temasek-seeded hedge fund — where she rose to Managing Director. |
[Explore our portfolios]
Read more
Frequently asked questions
What is the Selfwealth investment approach?
Selfwealth builds and runs managed portfolios that aim to balance return against the amount of risk each portfolio is meant to carry, rather than chasing the highest possible return. Each portfolio starts with a defined objective and risk profile, invests across asset classes mainly through ASX-listed ETFs, and is monitored and rebalanced to stay on target over time.
Who manages the portfolios?
They're built and run by Selfwealth's dedicated investment team, whose members bring experience from global firms including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, UBS and Russell Investments, with a collective 70-plus years in investing. The team sets each portfolio's asset mix, selects the underlying ETFs, and monitors the portfolios daily.
What do the managed portfolios invest in?
Portfolios invest predominantly in ASX-listed ETFs across three broad categories: equities for long-term growth, fixed income for diversification and stability, and alternatives such as commodities and inflation-linked securities for protection when inflation runs high. Each ETF is reviewed on its liquidity, size, fees, manager and track record before it's used.
How are the portfolios kept on track?
Portfolios naturally drift as markets move and distributions land. Selfwealth monitors each portfolio against its target allocation and assesses any deviation each quarter, rebalancing only when a portfolio has drifted enough to matter — which helps avoid unnecessary transaction costs and capital gains events. You can read more about staying disciplined through market moves in 10 steps to managing your share portfolio in volatile markets.
What managed portfolios does Selfwealth offer?
Selfwealth offers managed portfolios designed for different goals, including cash management and regular income. You can explore the low-risk, short-term option in What is Selfwealth Cash+? and the income-focused options in What is Selfwealth Income+?
Is a Selfwealth managed portfolio right for me?
That depends on your own objectives, financial situation and needs, which this information doesn't take into account — it's general information only, not personal financial advice. Managed portfolios are investments, so their value can rise and fall and returns aren't guaranteed. Consider reading the relevant disclosure documents and seeking licensed financial advice before deciding.
Important disclaimer: SelfWealth Pty Ltd ABN 52 154 324 428 (“Selfwealth”) (AFSL 421789). The information contained on this website is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek professional advice from a financial adviser and/or accountant. Taxation, legal and other matters referred to on this website are of a general nature only and should not be relied upon in place of appropriate professional advice. You should obtain the relevant Product Disclosure Statement for any product mentioned and consider its contents before making any decision.
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