The professionalism and skill set of SMSF Association specialist advisors was on public display at the recent IFA awards when the winner of the SMSF Advisor of the Year category was a specialist member of the SMSF Association.
Chris Morcom of Hewison Private Wealth, a SMSF Association SMSF Specialist AdvisorTM (SSA), was the winner. In addition, five of the other seven finalists in this category hold an SSA and one other is an Associate member of the SMSF Association.
SMSF Association Managing Director/CEO Andrea Slattery says it’s a testimony to the rigour of the SSA that nearly all of the finalists for the SMSF Adviser of the Year had completed the SMSF specialist program.
“The SSA program is recognised industry-wide as the most serious test of an individual’s ability as an SMSF advisor.
“It’s aimed at all SMSF professionals who want recognition for their skills and knowledge in the SMSF sector, as well as including knowledge of the Superannuation Industry legislation, Tax Law and Corporations Law.
“Apart from testing their SMSF legislation and regulatory knowledge, this accreditation also assesses business and ethical practices to ensure ‘best practice’ standards.”
Slattery says the fact that the finalists hold an SSA not only reflected well on the Association’s education programs, but also was testimony to the fact more advisors are recognising the need to achieve the highest level of professionalism to ensure they add genuine value for their clients.
“It is quite evident that more and more advisors are getting on the front foot and enhancing their skill set to be better placed to advise their clients, and clearly those who opt for the SSA accreditation, as demonstrated by the IFA awards, are at the forefront of the SMSF specialist profession.”
