Industry Updates

FAAA members awarded in Australia Day honours

The Financial Advice Association has announced Diana D'Ambra and Susanne Dahn have being made a member of the Order of Australia in the 2024 Australia Day Honours for their services to the business, finance, and banking industries.

Expect ‘pricing reset’ for advice tech

For its annual advice tech predictions, Finura anticipates a price reset from vendors with distribution streams changing amid the current fragmented advice landscape. Additionally, with AI seeing a boost in 2023 off the back of ChatGPT, the consultancy warns of “AI washing”, along with struggling ASX-listed wealth players getting picked up for a rebuild by private equity.

‘I undercharge probably half the time’

A firm believer in giving affordable advice, MJI Wealth director Matt Illana estimates he’s undercharging half his clients. While he anticipates gaining some benefits from the Quality of Advice Review reforms, it’s not a given it will reduce the cost to serve new clients because of the time it takes to fully understand their needs.

Wealth firm relaunches as Intelligent Planning

Dirigere Advisory has relaunched as Intelligent Planning from 15 January, a boutique financial licensing offering operating through the Dirigere licence. 

Practices willing to pay $20-30k premium for completed PY advisers

Advice practices have become more willing to take on professional year candidates over the past couple of years, but without a clear career pathway plan have found themselves struggling to retain those advisers once their PY is completed, according to a recruiter. Those same firms are instead eschewing the risk of putting candidates through the PY and are instead back to headhunting advisers who can generate instant revenue.

Aware Super goes international for head of public market equities

Aware Super has named Agnes Hong as its head of public market equities. Relocating from Philadelphia, she will oversee a portfolio of roughly $90 billion.  

The super sector has a problem with ‘hubris’

The superannuation system has been a wonderful achievement for Australia. But Conexus Financial founder Colin Tate AM writes with increased scale and power, some of its leaders may be losing touch with the everyday reality for members, and on the challenging topics of customer service and retirement preparedness, some are in denial.

Pacific Life Re announces global restructure

Reinsurance company Pacific Life Re has moved to a product-based organisational structure globally.  

Former SQM head Rob da Silva joins Research IP

Rob da Silva has joined Research IP following his departure from SQM Research last year. 

Size matters and advisers prefer small licensees

After years of annual net losses of advice licensees following the Hayne royal commission, 2023 was the first to buck the trend. Experts believe this will continue to be the case with adviser numbers having stablised and practices preferring to be self-licensed or part of a smaller AFSL.

Insignia tops table for retirement exposure among super funds

All super funds are being called on by the government and regulator to make more progress on providing retirement income solutions to members. But APRA data shows funds have starkly differing levels of exposure to retirement. Those with relatively more members in pension phase, such as Insignia Financial and Colonial First State, may have an advantage in this difficult but important sphere.

Adviser exam changes to go ahead

ASIC has announced it will implement the government’s amendments to the adviser exam, which had received strong support from industry associations.

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