FAAA members elect new board directors
The FAAA has announced the winners of its recent board elections, who will all commence their terms on 23 November. Debora Kent was re-elected and Natallia Smith and Pedro Marin Ramirez are two new directors.
Fewer but better-quality advisers a solid foundation for the future
Financial adviser numbers have stopped falling, and the profession now has a solid base on which to rebuild. The overall standard of remaining advisers is better than it was a decade ago, and new entrants are also higher quality than in the past. But improving access to advice in the near term will hinge on productivity gains rather than growth in adviser numbers.
Profiles and pitches of 18 candidates for the FAAA board of directors for 2026
The 2026 election for three seats at the FAAA board of directors has attracted 18 candidates. Here is their profiles and main pitch points for the 2026 election. CEO and managing director of Kingdom Financial Group Ben Ellingsen serves as treasurer of The Advisers Association. He has been chair of the Wide Bay Federal Divisional
How Fortnum invested in improving its cyber security
When Fortnum Private Wealth reported a cyber security breach to ASIC it prompted the regulator to sue the licensee, and earlier this month Fortnum paid $1.35 million to resolve the matter. Entireti group chief executive officer Neil Younger and Fortnum CEO Matt Brown spoke exclusively to Professional Planner about the lessons learned, and the future of protecting client data.
Women in Super puts data at the heart of retirement equity push
Women in Super and the University of Sydney have released a policy blueprint calling for a fairer retirement income system for women, challenging longstanding assumptions about work, housing and household finances. A WIS conference in Melbourne heard better data is essential to identifying where the system fails women and guiding reform.
Pressure mounts on Big Tech’s role in Shield and First Guardian
Unlicensed financial advice and harmful lead generation on social media and in AI-enabled chat threads are emerging as yet another concerning cultural development that governments, households and financial professionals must grapple with as part of Silicon Valley’s social reckoning.
Transforming to serve 100,000 clients takes more than a rebrand
To achieve transformational change, advice businesses need four essential ingredients: direct client relationships, scale, capital and transformation capability. Until now, no advice business has possessed all four.
CSLR waterfall model gets qualified FAAA thumbs-up
Proposals for waterfall funding arrangements for the Compensation Scheme of Last Resort have received qualified support from the Financial Advice Association Australia, which says the financial advice subsector liability must be reassessed to avoid undue financial burden falling on a small business sector that has already funded a $20 million subsector cap.
Why Flourix Wealth’s Rachel O’Connor focuses on advising women
Rachel O’Connor was already an experienced financial adviser when she went through her separation and found herself overwhelmed by it and surprised, given her existing knowledge. It made her realise others would probably go through the same experience, so she started a more direct approach of delivering financial advice to women.
Brighter Super adds indexed options in further support for advisers
The addition of two new indexed investment options by the $38 billion profit-to-member super fund Brighter Super follow its Adviser-Ready certification and Epic Retirement Tick and continue a deliberate decision to work with external financial advisers rather than compete with them.
Researcher Forum
This is the flagship event dedicated to the governance and construction of investment portfolios by financial advisers in Australia. It brings together influential stakeholders including research houses, asset consultants, platforms, licensees and responsible entities to debate best practice in investment research, advice and managed accounts.
Advice Policy Summit
This event is open to CEOs and senior leaders of financial planning licensees, dealer groups and boutique advice firms, along with C-suite executives in superannuation funds with oversight of advice, education and guidance.
How advisers can keep Australia’s retirement system first class
Australia has joined the highest-ranking pension funds of the world and despite the 2026 Marsh CFA Institute Global Pension Index not considering the role of financial advice in its research, there is a place for financial advisers to keep Australia’s superannuation at the top.
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So long and farewell
Several months ago, I made the difficult personal decision to step down as Professional Planner editor. While I look forward to my future plans, it has been bittersweet to leave behind a masthead I have loved leading and a financial advice profession I have great respect for.
Risk
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How pro bono advice delivers a helping hand in tough times
Navigating the world of insurance claims can be daunting, especially for people facing significant health or financial challenges. Financial adviser Natalie Lackner volunteered for the Pro Bono Financial Advice Network to help those in need secure access to advice.
Industry