Shield, First Guardian growth was captured in APRA performance test data
Analysis of data collected by APRA for the annual superannuation performance test showed the prudential regulator could see the rapid growth of the Shield and First Guardian master funds. But the regulator defended inaction, saying it doesn’t have the capability to investigate any red flags.
Industry
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Why drug policy failure is a fiduciary problem too
Professor Dan Howard SC spent 15 months as commissioner of a NSW Special Commission of Inquiry into the drug ice, produced 109 recommendations, and watched as the government sat on most of them. In conversation with Conexus Financial founder and managing director Colin Tate AM, Howard said six years on nothing has materially changed in drug policy, and that the costs land on everyone.
PFAN adds life insurance stalwarts to board
The Pro Bono Financial Advice Network has added life insurance stalwarts Eima Alkheder and Ben Donald to its board, as the group continues its expansion and mission to assist Australians with serious illness or disability to access pro bono financial advice.
Associations coordinate calls to add MISs to CSLR
The Financial Advice Association Australia, SMSF Association and Stockbrokers and Investment Advisers Association have all called for managed investment schemes (MISs) to be included in the Compensation Scheme of Last Resort as a primary subsector.
Centrepoint expands Queensland presence with dual acquisitions
Centrepoint Alliance will acquire client books and salaried advisers from Queensland financial advice firms Cairns Wealth and Pinnacle Wealth from Astute Financial Management, expanding its salaried advice business.
The missing role of judgement in financial advice
Financial advisers inhabit a vast world of technical compliance and many believe that if they can just tick every box and satisfy every technical requirement, they will have adequately discharged their obligations. But Templestone CEO Shivi Malik writes the reality is this is never enough.
Why most financial advice scandals give a sense of Déjà vu
Most financial advice scandals are depressingly familiar, often following a similar playbook with predictable results, writes Simon Hoyle. While the players involved may change, the fundamental story doesn’t and it won’t be the last time it’s told.
AIOFP picks DASH for white label platform after InterPrac platform blacklists
The Association of Independently Owned Financial Professionals has selected DASH as the platform partner for its white label platform after InterPrac Financial Planning advisers faced industry blacklists from major providers. The association is considering plans to use the profits from the platform to create an “adviser defence fund”.
People are already using AI for financial advice, so let’s make it safe
Financial advice is now the second most common use of AI, yet most of it remains unlicensed, unregulated, and often wrong. Otivo’s Paul Feeney writes the challenge for our industry is clear: how do we put the right guardrails in place?
Markets looking through turbulence as earnings growth underpins equities: AMP
Despite geopolitical turbulence, markets are avoiding short-term turmoil and reacting to the underlying fundamentals showing the strength of major economies, a pair of AMP investment executives told the Professional Planner Managed Accounts Decoded podcast.
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Researcher Forum
Your guide to investment innovation
Australia’s great wealth transfer is accelerating as baby boomers age, driving demand for multi-generational advice spanning succession, estate planning, philanthropy and complex family dynamics. This guide explores the growing opportunity for advisers to support wealthy families with long-term, independent strategies.
Lessons from the middle: Leadership, resilience and the courage of conviction
The principles of high-performance leadership – whether in business or sport – remain remarkably consistent and include the ability to maintain clarity, integrity, and conviction under immense pressure. Former Australian test cricketer Usman Khawaja told the Top1000funds.com Fiduciary Investors Symposium that the only time you really lose is when you stop trying.
Reflecting on nearly half a century in financial advice
After an extensive 47-year career, Paul Harding-Davis says that while every decade has seen a significant step change that has felt like an “Armageddon” it has instead only seen the standard of the industry improve. Reflecting on his long career to Professional Planner, he is still evangelical about recruiting young people to advice.
Regulation