‘Time will tell what I could have done better’: Ferras Merhi
Former financial adviser and operator of Venture Egg and Financial Services Group Australia, Ferras Merhi, spoke to Melinda Kee for a CHOICE and Super Consumers Australia podcast about what he could have done differently.
October 27, 2026
FSCP decision reveals an underrated benefit of association membership
The financial adviser code of ethics requires advisers to uphold and promote professional ethical standards and hold each other accountable for protecting the public interest. This can be harder for advisers working in isolation or with restricted peer contact, and limited insight into how others operate.
October 27, 2026
Spotlight on Shield, First Guardian keeps victims top of policymakers’ minds
With no new consumer protections yet in place, a podcast by CHOICE and Super Consumers Australia wants to keep attention focused on the issues that led to thousands of Australians being harmed in the Shield and First Guardian collapse.
October 27, 2026
How Nest is solving ‘the hardest problem in investment’
Nest Invest chief executive Mark Fawcett said the UK auto-enrolment scheme will launch its guided retirement product over the next few years, pairing a 20-year drawdown portfolio with a deferred annuity as it attempts to solve one of the hardest problems in pension investing.
October 26, 2026
How advisers can avoid the ‘tailors’ fate’
When a long-established bespoke trade mistakes disruptive technology for a productivity tool, change can remain barely noticeable until it suddenly explodes. The “tailors’ fate” holds a warning for advisers who assume personal client relationships will remain king and protect them from upheaval.
October 23, 2026
Advisers’ biggest AI concern: Accountability
Australian advisers want more AI but are concerned about a lack of internal policies. While clients demand smoother processes, and advisers want more time away from admin to be with clients, AI is mostly still being used around simpler tasks.
October 23, 2026
How advisers can keep Australia’s retirement system first class
Australia has joined the highest-ranking pension funds of the world and despite the 2026 Marsh CFA Institute Global Pension Index not considering the role of financial advice in its research, there is a place for financial advisers to keep Australia’s superannuation at the top.
October 22, 2026
No single provider can be all things to everyone seeking retirement advice
Australians will get the right information, education and advice at the right moments in their lives only if advisers, super funds, product providers and content creators work in concert, and the handoffs between them are critical to whether the system delivers.
October 22, 2026
How Fortnum invested in improving its cyber security
When Fortnum Private Wealth reported a cyber security breach to ASIC it prompted the regulator to sue the licensee, and earlier this month Fortnum paid $1.35 million to resolve the matter. Entireti group chief executive officer Neil Younger and Fortnum CEO Matt Brown spoke exclusively to Professional Planner about the lessons learned, and the future of protecting client data.
October 21, 2026
Women in Super puts data at the heart of retirement equity push
Women in Super and the University of Sydney have released a policy blueprint calling for a fairer retirement income system for women, challenging longstanding assumptions about work, housing and household finances. A WIS conference in Melbourne heard better data is essential to identifying where the system fails women and guiding reform.
October 21, 2026
Fewer but better-quality advisers a solid foundation for the future
Financial adviser numbers have stopped falling, and the profession now has a solid base on which to rebuild. The overall standard of remaining advisers is better than it was a decade ago, and new entrants are also higher quality than in the past. But improving access to advice in the near term will hinge on productivity gains rather than growth in adviser numbers.
October 20, 2026
Industry veteran Helmich honoured for contribution to global profession
The former executive director of AMP’s advice businesses, Steve Helmich, has been recognised by the global financial planning standard-setting body for his contribution to raising standards around the world.
October 20, 2026
