Beyond the numbers: Advice that makes the invisible visible
The benefits of good advice go far beyond money management, and this is reflected in the evolving role of advisers, according to new research by Russell Investments. Professional Planner, in partnership with Russell Investments, assembled leading advice professionals to discuss the less visible, more intangible aspects of advice, such as reassurance, peace of mind and confidence, and how to accurately price for these outcomes.
August 25, 2026
NCA backflip shows advice profession tarnished by Shield and First Guardian
The establishment of the government’s proposed new class of adviser is unlikely to top the policy wish list of many advisers and licensees, but the profession’s omission from the coming regime is telling.
August 24, 2026
New research highlights the need for financial advice in the workplace
Australians want their employers to step up on financial advice and education with the cost of not doing so already showing up in workplace mental health and performance. Demand for corporate super specialists is set to rise.
August 24, 2026
The future of licensing requires accountability and consumer choice
The FSC’s proposal to recalibrate the ASIC levy by significantly increasing the amount payable by AFSLs threatens to decrease competition and consumer choice for no improvement to licensee governance and consumer protection, writes Kon Costas.
August 21, 2026
If the aim is fewer licensees, let’s say so and choose them wisely
Shifting the burden of funding the ASIC levy from individual advisers to licensees sounds great in practice but could drive hundreds of smaller, well-run licensees out of business. If reducing licensee numbers is the intention, other ways must be found to do it.
August 21, 2026
How the protection of a prudential regulator convinced Mulino to revive DBFO
The additional consumer protections provided by a prudential regulator ultimately convinced Minister for Financial Services Daniel Mulino that he could go ahead with a restricted form of the new class of adviser proposals contained in the Delivering Better Financial Outcomes reforms. At the Conexus 2026 Retirement Leaders Summit on Wednesday, Mulino said his thinking had been reshaped by the collapse of the Shield and First Guardian managed investment schemes.
August 20, 2026
Qualified support for Mulino reforms as industry sweats on the detail
Super funds, insurers and advice bodies have broadly welcomed the government's reform package, while consumer advocates worry it waters down critical consumer protections. Everyone wants more detail.
August 20, 2026
Licensees barred from new class of adviser under revived DBFO reforms
Only APRA-regulated super funds and insurers will be allowed to employ the new class of adviser in a policy backflip by the government. But other reforms announced by Minister for Financial Services Daniel Mulino on Wednesday will revamp the Compensation Scheme of Last Resort, crack down on lead generation services and improve access to safe and reliable financial advice.
August 19, 2026
Gap between retirement leaders and laggards has grown: ASIC
A year after regulators put super funds on notice about the unacceptable gap between the best and the worst of responses to the Retirement Income Covenant, the situation has become even worse. The Retirement Leaders Summit in Canberra heard that the leading funds treat retirement as a core business, while the laggards still see it as a compliance exercise.
August 19, 2026
Anti-hawking adviser exemptions on chopping block
Minister for Financial Services Daniel Mulino will unveil the government’s response to the Shield and First Guardian collapse and “harmful lead generation” in the super system in a milestone address to the National Press Club on Wednesday. Among a raft of new regulatory measures, the government is expected to limit exemptions available to financial advisers under the anti-hawking laws brought in after the Hayne royal commission.
August 19, 2026
The retirement challenge – solving for the present, pitching for the future
The super industry’s pitch for the future will only carry weight if it delivers on present challenges. It’s time for the super industry to ‘pat head and rub tummy’, writes The Conexus Institute’s David Bell and Geoff Warren ahead of the Conexus Retirement Leaders Summit.
August 18, 2026
Advice quality improving, but ‘exceptional’ advice remains elusive
The quality of advice continues to improve rapidly, with “poor” and “very poor” advice dwindling, and a new analysis suggests that even though “exceptional” advice remains elusive it’s a legitimately aspirational goal for advisers prepared to put in the effort to go the extra mile.
August 17, 2026
