Akumin wants to support ambitious quality firms
Akumin has welcomed firms with as few as two advisers to more than 100 in 2026, CEO Matt Lawler tells Professional Planner that the licensee’s growth strategy is focused on the ambitions and quality of potential target firms, not their size.
Why advisers are ditching big firms for more personalised client service
Shaw and Partners has grown from 100 advisers and $4 billion under management in 2015 to more than 200 advisers and more than $50 billion today. Head of private wealth Chris Smith explains why advisers are leaving bigger firms and what’s driving demand for broader wealth advice.
Industry tensions over who will lead on cyber governance standards
The Financial Services Council has criticised the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia for engaging in anti-competitive behaviour for applying to the country’s consumer watchdog for an exemption to negotiate with third-party vendors on behalf of all super funds. The government has deferred to the associations to work together on creating a standard, but the dispute raises questions over whether the industry can self-regulate.
Canberra’s unexpected Bogleheads break cover
In marking the 30th anniversary of Vanguard’s entry to the Australian market, Labor and Coalition MPs have revealed themselves as fellow-travellers with the asset management giant’s low-cost, index-hugging ethos. It was a rare act of bipartisanship in a contested portfolio, and at odds with the industry zeitgeist.
‘Punitive pricing’ won’t fix the licensee scrutiny gap: Shuttleworth
Centrepoint Alliance chief executive John Shuttleworth says shifting the bulk of funding the ASIC levy from individual advisers to licensees won’t fix the problem it’s designed to address. And he tells Professional Planner the company is splitting its focus between three distinct types of advice relationship – licensee, self-licensed and employed – to underpin growth for at least the next three years while allowing it to keep a tight rein on costs.
Parliament should review travel restraint laws in major financial misconduct cases
As the travel restraint of First Guardian CIO Simon Selimaj has been lifted, Shield and First Guardian investor advocate Melinda Kee writes that confidence in the system is lost long before a court delivers its verdict.
Three down, one to watch: Navigating the 2026 tax reforms
The 50 per cent capital gains tax discount is gone, negative gearing has been quarantined, and SMSF property borrowing is all but finished but the measure that should be occupying advisers most hasn’t even made it into a bill, writes Arthur Marusevich.
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Adviser numbers to settle at 14.8k by 2030: Wealth Data
Adviser researcher Padua Wealth Data expects the number of advisers in Australia to reach 14,796 by 2030. Current adviser numbers have stabilised around the 15,000 mark after the fallout from the Hayne royal commission and the introduction of professional standards saw five-figure departures from the industry.
When AI decides who’s credible, invisibility becomes the bigger risk
Prospective clients are asking AI for financial advice expertise long before they contact an adviser, writes Assured Support’s Sean Graham. Licensees that restrict what advisers publish may be managing one risk while creating another: being absent when trust is formed.
Life insurance’s “paradigm shift” is accelerating
The known chronic illnesses that have historically prevented people from working have been replaced by subjective conditions like mental illness, creating a “paradigm shift” that is impacting the performance, sustainability and design of life insurance, particularly total and permanent disability cover.
Researcher Forum
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.
Advisers’ key role in addressing $4.8tr super system’s confidence problem
The Government has made welcome progress on advice reform, but the job is far from finished. AMP chief executive officer Blair Vernon writes that advice is central to confidence in the system, but int’s only one of five issues that must be addressed.
Shadforth is buying businesses, not books
Not even a year on from its acquisition of Melbourne-based financial advice firm PMD Financial Advisers, Shadforth is still looking for M&A opportunities but strictly to add like-minded advisers, rather than just client books. CEO Terry Dillon tells Professional Planner what those ideal businesses looks like.
How pro-bono work helped adviser Nicola Beswick create new firm
Lawyer turned financial adviser Nicola Beswick recently launched her own financial firm White Rabbit Advisory. Through her experience on the board of the Pro Bono Financial Advice Network, she learned valuable lessons which helped her navigate the challenges of setting up her own business.
Advice