What Navy Seals can teach advice businesses about preparing for digital disruption
Like so many industries, digital disruption is coming for wealth management and financial advice, but many businesses are choosing to wait and see rather than aggressively embrace technologies like AI and automation. To avoid falling behind, businesses should move forward and adopt a "slow is smooth and smooth is fast" approach like the Navy Seals, writes VBP’s Nathan Jacobsen.
November 03, 2025
Value for money ‘paramount’ for investors
Value for money reigns supreme for advisers, and moving clients out of underperforming high-cost products isn’t just a phenomenon in Australia, the latest Professional Planner Shape of Advice podcast heard. But aiming for a simple, low-cost portfolio still requires a rigorous governance process.
October 31, 2025
‘I haven’t ignored any warnings’: Mulino says about Shield, First Guardian
Minister for Financial Services Daniel Mulino has pushed back against criticism by his shadow counterpart that he ignored warnings about regulating managed investment schemes, in light of the collapse of the Shield and First Guardian master funds.
October 31, 2025
Equity Trustees says Shield, First Guardian fraudulently passed DD
Equity Trustees has conceded the Shield and First Guardian master funds passed its due diligence process, but insists it is also the victim of fraudulent conduct. The trustee will apply for government assistance to remediate victims of the failed schemes and Minister for Financial Services Daniel Mulino said on Thursday he will soon consider Netwealth's request.
October 30, 2025
InterPrac’s plea to the government is a sick joke
InterPrac Financial Planning has written to the government to pressure trustees to remediate clients caught up in the collapse of the Shield and First Guardian master funds. It might sound appealing on the surface, but it’s merely an attempt by the group to absolve itself of any responsibility when the advisers at the heart of the collapse conducted their business under the authority of the licensee.
October 29, 2025
Former FPA policy head and Viridian CEO elected to FAAA board
Former Financial Planning Association head of policy Ben Marshan and co-head of Viridian Glenn Calder are the two new directors elected by members to the Financial Advice Association Australia board.
October 29, 2025
Retirement planning starts when you start your first job
Aside from increased transparency, improved tax efficiency and the expertise of a professional investment manager managing their portfolio, there are several ways separately managed accounts can be extremely useful, writes AMP’s David Hutchison. This is particularly the case during the transition to retirement, when stumbling blocks may start to appear.
October 29, 2025
Retirement is a journey not a deadline
Retirement is not a date in time but a journey that starts on the day a person gets their first job, which requires the advice and wealth management industry to reach people earlier and develop strategies and solutions that can flex and grow with their needs.
October 29, 2025
Court orders review to uncover more of First Guardian-linked adviser’s assets
The Federal Court has ordered a review of the assets of Shield and First Guardian-linked adviser Ferras Merhi due to concerns he hasn’t been forthcoming with the regulator about what he owns. The move follows evidence presented by the regulator that he often disclosed assets only after the regulator had already discovered them.
October 28, 2025
The three investment challenges shaping Australia’s super system
Australia’s super system faces three converging investment challenges: deciding when to go active; navigating the growth of “benchmark-anchored” investing; and managing capacity constraints as assets under management balloon. Geoff Warren, research fellow at The Conexus Institute, unpacked the problems at the Fiduciary Investors Symposium.
October 28, 2025
