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Advice firms need 25pc annual fee rises to be sustainable: Peloton

Advice firms need 25pc annual fee rises to be sustainable: Peloton

Advice firms will need a 25 per cent increase in ongoing fees to sustain desirable shareholder returns, according to data and analysis from Peloton Partners. The findings come as the latest Adviser Ratings Landscape Report shows the average advice practice profit margin sits at 23.5 per cent.

Industry
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Shield and First Guardian AFCA complaints almost 3500 amid awareness drive

Shield and First Guardian AFCA complaints almost 3500 amid awareness drive

AFCA complaints about Shield and First Guardian have reached 3429 as ASIC has spent the past few weeks catching the attention of investors who are unaware they may have been invested in the schemes.

AFCA halts InterPrac determinations amid court battle

AFCA halts InterPrac determinations amid court battle

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority has halted its work on completing InterPrac Financial Planning determinations while it manages court proceedings brought on by the licensee, which accused the complaints authority of lacking “fairness” by not apportioning blame across the system.

Regulation
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Licensees need to be ‘front and centre’ on data

Licensees need to be ‘front and centre’ on data

As debate over who “owns” client data rages on, licensees should be entitled to controlling platform data as they are ultimately responsible for governance of advice by network operators, the Professional Planner Licensee Summit heard.

Tax changes will make property disproportionally popular with SMSFs: FAAA

Tax changes will make property disproportionally popular with SMSFs: FAAA

CGT changes proposed in this year’s budget could lead to more high-pressure sales tactics that push people into SMSFs, according to the Financial Advice Association Australia. While the association welcomes superannuation being exempted from any changes, it could mean property in SMSFs becomes disproportionately attractive.

Opinion
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What a brief encounter with Elon Musk taught me about the limits of capitalism

What a brief encounter with Elon Musk taught me about the limits of capitalism

A brief encounter with Elon Musk in 2013 showed that he would not flinch at rolling the dice, writes Conexus Financial founder and managing director Colin Tate AM. But SpaceX’s mega-IPO demonstrates that citizens, regulators, capital allocators and advisers need to decide whether they are comfortable with who is holding those dice.

The unsupervised hire: Getting the best from agentic AI

The unsupervised hire: Getting the best from agentic AI

Every adviser conference is talking about it and every vendor is selling it, and the opportunity for practices to use agentic AI is real, writes Michael Connory. But the questions you ask before you sign matter more than the vendor’s slide deck.

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On Practice
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Sequoia chair resigns amid InterPrac turmoil

Sequoia chair resigns amid InterPrac turmoil

Mike Ryan, chair of ASX-listed Sequoia Financial Group which owns under-fire InterPrac Financial Planning, has resigned from the company as the group grapples with multiple legal troubles in the aftermath of the $1 billion Shield and First Guardian collapse.

‘Never as simple or straightforward’: More tech isn’t better

‘Never as simple or straightforward’: More tech isn’t better

Advice tech is a crucial part of any practice, but investing in more technology services doesn’t always generate the desired return on investment, according to a pair of advisers. Less is often more and it’s up to proactive businesses to re-assess the weak points in the tech stack.

Investment
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Crunch time: Why less is often more in private credit

Crunch time: Why less is often more in private credit

Produced in partnership with Barings. The private credit sector has had a pretty good decade, with the exception of the last 12 months. After a period of strong performance and record inflows, conditions are turning, although the broad themes that underpinned the rise of private credit haven’t changed. There is still a credit demand and

Upcoming events
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1 – 2 December, 2026Hydro Majestic & Lilianfels, Blue Mountains, NSW,

Researcher Forum

23 – 24 February, 2027Old Parliament House, ACT,

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.

Advice
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CALI calls for insurer lead generation carve-out

CALI calls for insurer lead generation carve-out

The Council of Australian Life Insurers has called for a carve-out from any regulatory restrictions on lead generation, arguing the potential for damage isn’t as significant as in investment advice and that adding restrictions would prevent Australians from using market comparison sites to change insurance coverage.

Profiles
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Lessons from the middle: Leadership, resilience and the courage of conviction

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

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.