Industry Updates

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.

Super funds must adhere to governance standards they demand of others

Director tenure limits are embedded in governance codes across every major capital market. As Australian superannuation funds become retirement institutions, they should be held to the same standards that they expect of the companies they invest in, Jeremy Cooper writes.

Accountants’ exemption a supply-side relief proposal, with baggage

As financial adviser numbers continue to languish, a proposal to resurrect an old idea has emerged. But the politics that led to its demise in the first place might be too much to overcome, even if it could form part of the advice supply-side solution.

Licensees team up on AI governance due diligence

The Licensee Leadership Forum has been working on an AI governance due diligence program to develop best practice guidelines to lift industry standards, as some high-performing networks have leveraged AI to lift adviser output to serving over 200 clients.

PictureWealth becomes mega-licensee with Capstone takeover

PictureWealth continues to evolve from its fintech heritage with the acquisition of Capstone Financial Planning, turning it into a licensee owner with scale. CEO Allan Maitland tells Professional Planner the group still has the desire for further M&A.

Only advice and product together can deliver retirement confidence

Neither advice nor product innovation alone will deliver the retirement income solutions the Retirement Income Covenant envisages. But delivered together at scale, they can give members the confidence and assurance they need to retire well, the Professional Planner Licensee Summit has heard.

Why advice is critical to delivering member outcomes in retirement

Dissatisfied superannuation fund members are voting with their feet in search of greater flexibility, control and better service. Member movement is high, based on research by The Conexus Institute, but it’s not sinister, despite how it is being framed by some corners.  At the Professional Planner roundtable on superannuation, choice and the advice profession, produced in partnership with The Conexus Institute and sponsored by HUB24, advice leaders explored the complex fiduciary decision-making required for superannuation and retirement advice.

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

The 2026 federal budget is changing the focus of advice

Since the federal budget in May, advisers are receiving a record number of enquiries from clients asking about the best way to build and structure wealth for the long term, writes Generation Life’s John Laver.

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.

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.

The five traits GDG’s Rob Coombe uses to pick leaders

Generation Development Group executive chair and financial services veteran Rob Coombe says there are five predictors he relies on to determine the potential success of an executive. It’s those traits that have helped him to mentor over 40 protégés that have gone on to be CEOs.

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