Advisers sympathise with super members subject to poor service
Super Consumers Australia has called for improved member standards after its report found super funds are failing to answer members’ calls, with the nation’s largest fund AustralianSuper failing to answer 90 per cent of calls. But advisers who are familiar with the lacklustre service standards of industry funds also empathise with the challenge they have in delivering services with the lowest fees possible.
July 14, 2026
Entireti appoints new chair
Industry veteran Geoff Lloyd has added Australia's largest licensee owner Entireti to his portfolio of chair roles, alongside Perpetual Wealth and Professional Planner publisher Conexus Financial. The appointment ends Fortnum founder Ray Miles’ tenure as chair after 17 years.
July 13, 2026
ASIC levy rises again as advisers hit with $600 increase
Financial advisers will see a 27 per cent rise in the ASIC adviser levy, with the FY26 levy estimated to come in at $1500 per licensee plus $3037 per adviser. Around $30 million of the $48.72 million total recovered will go to enforcement and surveillance with the rest focused on industry engagement and indirect costs.
July 13, 2026
Shield, First Guardian adviser has travel ban lifted
Ferras Merhi, the financial adviser central to ASIC’s investigation into the $1 billion Shield and First Guardian collapse has had his travel ban lifted by the Federal Court, despite opposition from the corporate regulator.
July 10, 2026
Requiring trustees and MISs to join CSLR is the only solution
Levying financial advisers for the Compensation Scheme of Last Resort was always an arbitrary decision, and unsustainable. Given the rapidly increasing cost pressures, the government should include platform trustees and managed investment schemes in future special levies.
July 09, 2026
Govt says trust changes will only impact minority of small business
The government says tax changes to discretionary trusts won’t impact 90 per cent of small businesses as it consults on reforms proposed in the May federal budget that will include rollover relief for those wanting to change structures. Treasurer Jim Chalmers says changes to the taxation of trust income will help fund income tax cuts for workers.
July 09, 2026
Shield and First Guardian investors’ data still being used by lead generators
The spokesperson for the Shield and First Guardian investors' advocacy group has revealed that the data they provided to "superannuation health checks" connected to the collapsed funds is still being used to generate leads for other advice firms.
July 08, 2026
Funds fiddle while members’ retirement burns
Members cannot be out of sight, out of mind for funds after they’ve retired. The CoreData/Conexus Financial Best Possible Retirement research shows that members who move into retirement without the benefit of information, advice and guidance feel lost, and in dire need of ongoing fund support services.
July 08, 2026
Morgan Stanley moves client subset off legacy platform to Netwealth
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management will move a subset of its clients off its legacy platform onto Netwealth, further aiding the platform provider’s expansion into the stockbroking and private wealth market. The deal comes as the fast-growing Netwealth plans to double in size over the next four years, despite regulatory issues caused by First Guardian in the past 12 months.
July 07, 2026
FAAA urges Productivity Commission to make phoenixing harder
The Financial Advice Association Australia has told the Productivity Commission that any changes to the insolvency regime need to more carefully restrict phoenixing activity as the Compensation Scheme of Last Resort impacts the financial advice sector.
July 07, 2026
Retirement Income Covenant, not the ‘Retirement Performance Covenant’
The government is consulting on changes to the APRA performance test which could see the inclusion of retirement income products and managed accounts, but The Conexus Institute has argued that expansion doesn’t address the spirit and intent the test was designed for.
July 06, 2026
