He would not have realised it then, but Joseph was founding a business dynasty that thrives to this day. It is a business that has endured the challenges of Australia’s collective financial experience for over 147 years; it has operated through booms and busts, through cataclysmic wars, and through times of drought and times of plenty.
In short, Joseph Palmer & Sons has long participated in Australia’s financial services profession. To this day, it remains the longest serving – and now, the only – family firm on what was previously called the Sydney Stock Exchange. The great advantage of this history is that it has created a continuous experience within the Palmer family – and the invaluable lessons have always been used for the financial betterment of the firm’s clients.
Aware there’s no progress when standing still, the firm has always been in the forefront of innovation; three prime examples of this are the development of its proprietary securities selection system – Relative Value Analysis – as well as its transition from stock broking to sophisticated portfolio management, and, more recently, its positive engagement with leading financial planners.
Malcolm Palmer, great grandson of Joseph, is the firm’s managing partner and the driving force in adapting to Australia’s ever-changing financial services sector. What Joseph initiated in the 19th century, Malcolm is perpetuating in the 21st – and already the next generation has begun to work in the firm.
Malcolm oversees the firm’s development and management of the core portfolios that cater to the needs of the most conservative investors to the most growth-oriented and the grades in-between; in recent years there has also been a focus on creating portfolios of international securities, which have become increasingly popular.
Of special importance has been the careful development of separately managed accounts (SMAs) and managed discretionary accounts (MDAs). As with the others, these well-performing portfolios are underpinned by the Relative Value Analysis (RVA) process.
The firm’s activities are executed by diligent, long-serving staff who know their clients as well as their own key roles in the business. An independent investment committee meets every month to ensure, among other things, that compliance is strictly adhered to.
Some years ago, Malcolm founded The Palmer Foundation as a vehicle for giving back to the community and he regards this as a pet project to underline the true nature of the firm’s belief in benevolent largesse.
History, experience, and foresight – these three words define the Palmer way of doing business, the fundamental purpose of which is to make trust the foundation of every step it takes with all those it has the privilege to work with and serve.
For more information or to get in touch visit our website here: https://www.jpalmer.com.au/ or call our team on 02 9233 2433 for Sydney and 03 9601 6800 for Melbourne.
