Govt to crack down on ‘inappropriate’ advice fee charging
The government intends to introduce a cooling-off period for consumers switching super funds, limit “inappropriate” financial advice fee charging and make changes to anti-hawking laws to mitigate the impact of lead generators. The changes are part of the government's response to the collapse of Shield and First Guardian.
December 10, 2025
‘Unfair and unsustainable’: Advisers double dipped for CSLR special levy
Financial advisers and APRA-regulated super funds will be among those required to cover the shortfall of the CSLR special levy, but the government said a decision will not set a precedent for future cases. Advisers will still carry 22 per cent of the levy which the FAAA says is “unfair and unsustainable”.
December 10, 2025
ETF innovation continues to disrupt the market
The growth and popularity of broad-based equity market ETFs have paved the way for a burgeoning range of innovative fixed income and smart beta ETFs, with all three generations increasingly represented in model portfolios and managed accounts.
December 10, 2025
Investing in AI beyond the Mag 7
Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, the Magnificent 7 companies have accounted for more than half the S&P 500 Index as AI has become the dominant theme for markets, writes Betashares investment strategist Hugh Lam. But that investment opportunity set is now broader, with many other firms likely to thrive as AI technologies proliferate and data centre capacity grows.
December 10, 2025
ASIC accuses Diversa of failing to enforce First Guardian holding limits
ASIC alleges that Diversa Trustees failed to enforce a 50 per cent holding limit that was meant to be imposed on the First Guardian Master Fund and is suing the trustee for a raft of due diligence failures. But Diversa argues it was a victim of fraud and said that an application for government assistance to remediate victims will be made by year end.
December 09, 2025
Platforms can no longer pretend to just be tech providers
With adviser platforms now operating in a prudentially-regulated environment, and facing down heightened policy and media scrutiny, they can no longer present themselves as just technology providers, according to The Conexus Institute. Those that complain won’t get far.
December 09, 2025
Finding the right partners and managing conflicts for asset consultants
With asset consultants being snapped up by dominant financial services players, questions linger around how they will maintain governance guardrails and avoid conflicts of interest. But Evidentia and InvestSense, which were both acquired in the past year, believe they have the right processes in place.
December 08, 2025
Creating resilient kids and resilient investment portfolios
Superannuation may be the most tax-effective vehicle for building wealth and saving for retirement but there are other structures worthy of consideration too, Generation Life’s Felipe Araujo writes. This is not only for their simplicity, flexibility and certainty, but for the added ability to help individuals build financial resilience, amidst economic, political and regulatory uncertainty.
December 08, 2025
The super system failed 12,000 Australians and it’s time we faced the truth
While different parties in the financial services ecosystem argue over remediation and blame the human cost was forgotten, leaving individuals to carry the emotional toll and mental health fallout alone, writes the lead of the Shield and First Guardian victims group Melinda Kee.
December 05, 2025
Lead generators alive and well in financial advice
Despite ASIC’s action on Shield and First Guardian, lead generation services are still in operation and two separate investigations presented to the Professional Planner Researcher Forum outline the dangers.
December 05, 2025
Morningstar pivots to pay for play product ratings
Morningstar will now offer fund managers the ability to pay for product ratings in a departure from the user-pays model that differentiated it from local peers. The researcher believes the change is necessary to remain sustainable in the Australian market but comes amid vigorous debate at this week’s Professional Planner Researcher Forum about the conflicts involved.
December 05, 2025
‘We moved relatively quickly’: ASIC defends reaction time on Shield, First Guardian
ASIC believes it moved quickly after it had enough evidence on the misappropriation of investor money in Shield and First Guardian as the federal opposition ramps up criticism of the regulator’s role in the collapse.
December 04, 2025
