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
‘Chaotic year’ coming due to Shield, First Guardian action
Insignia Financial CEO Scott Hartley believes the pressure of reactionary regulatory reform due to the collapse of the Shield and First Guardian master funds means the financial advice ecosystem will be under intense scrutiny.
December 03, 2025
Only $1.6m recovered so far in First Guardian liquidation
In a blow to investors, the liquidators of the First Guardian Master Fund have only recovered $1.6 million and anticipate it will be another one and a half years before any distributions are made to unitholders.
December 03, 2025
ASIC investigating schemes similar to Shield and First Guardian
The collapse of the Shield and First Guardian master funds might be the largest in the industry, but the regulator has revealed there are other models similar to the $1.2 billion collapse that are being investigated.
December 02, 2025
Pressure is on researchers to ‘prove and improve’ following Shield, First Guardian collapse
Advisers are demanding more customised, bespoke investment solutions for clients, putting researchers under pressure to prove their systems and processes are up to the job of assessing the products advisers use. That scrutiny is only increasing in the wake of the collapses of Shield and First Guardian.
December 02, 2025
Competitive research industry needed for sector to thrive
Enhanced research is vital for protecting investors and advisers, but limiting the sector to researchers that are both raters and managers creates inherent tensions, writes SQM Research managing director Louis Christopher. Instead, smaller players with specialty niches who have a role to play in our industry should be acknowledged.
December 01, 2025
