Funds management is clearly a good business to be in when markets are going well (not too bad at other times also).

Over the past couple of weeks we have seen how much has been pocketed in the past financial year from growth in assets under management and performance fees. Some of the numbers are truly staggering.

No doubt the Financial Markets Authority will be looking at these results with interest, especially as one of its new mantras is around value for money.

Maybe too the Commerce Commission, which has just released as study into supermarkets, will be looking across to financial services with interest. Some, like Simplicity founder Sam Stubbs, have already made noises about investigations into banks.

Funds management is interesting as there are not too many industries which pay themselves performance fees over and above their standard management fees.

Maybe it is time that performance fees were regulated or outlawed. Some of them are blatantly unfair. 

Clearly fund managers are swimming in cash. One thing they should do is invest more in financial advice, as advisers play a key role in distribution of their funds.

I think back to the good old days how companies like Tower, Armstrong Jones/ING invested heavily in supporting financial advisers.

These days the level of support is much lower.

If ever there was a time to invest in financial advice it is now with all the changes going on and an increasing retail interest in investing.