Industry Updates

Departing riskies face halved valuations by delaying book sales

Many insurance advisers are expected to leave the industry rather than sit and pass the adviser exam before the end of the year, but brokers report there are almost no risk books on the market. A flood of these businesses in the final quarter of the year could cut valuation multiples in half, they warn.

ASIC to avoid unnecessary enforcement: Chester

With its new enforcement powers ASIC's Karen Chester said she wants the regulator to focus its radar on harmful misconduct rather than harm-free process breaches.

Code of Ethics obligations an afterthought for licensees

Licensees were given responsibility to monitor advisers’ adherence to the statutory Code of Ethics while ASIC has regulatory oversight which applies to all registered financial advisers giving advice to retail clients from January 1, 2020.

Advisers hindering consumer access to managed funds: Deloitte

Commissioned by ASIC, the consultancy’s interim report into competition within the managed funds market says advisers and other intermediaries can help perform due diligence on products, but can also create “suboptimal outcomes” for consumers.

Industry rails against ‘kick in the guts’ ASIC adviser levy

It’s rare that the industry speaks as one voice, but the latest increase in adviser levies has united stakeholders against a model that seems to punish compliant, independent advisers for the sins of outgoing institutional ones.

Stop pretending there’s an answer to the conflicts issue

All forms of remuneration are potentially conflicted so the ongoing FFS V FUM debate is a wasteful distraction, says adviser Maurice Nistico. Figure out what works best for your business and your clients and ignore the dogma.

M&A is not permission to get fat and lazy

The act of buying a business does not guarantee sustainable growth any more than buying flowers guarantees a healthy relationship, Paul Barrett writes. Success is the result of consistent effort and hard work post-sale.

ASIC’s gaze to fall on smaller advice groups: CoreData

With the banks gone ASIC is sure to focus more on smaller advice groups, Andrew Inwood said. The speed – and eventual cost – of that might have a lot to do with the regulator's new leadership team, he reckons.

‘Future client’ explained: Inside the heads of the emerging affluent

Income protection, cash flow management and portfolio diversification are important areas this emerging segment of client which has the highest household income of any other group wants advice on, a new study shows.

Bert goes into bat for insurance commissions

Less than an hour after Labor’s Stephen Jones said insurance commissions were “a problem”, Liberal MP and ex-planner Bert van Manen called them a “perfectly valid form of remuneration”. Despite his endorsement, financial services minister Jane Hume says the government will also wait on the LIF review's findings before making a call on the issue.

‘Advisers are ready for this’: Time to focus on the retirement framework

Providing quality outcomes for Australians in retirement requires more coordinated thinking and a collective push for a retirement advice framework to become mainstream. With a greater sense of urgency, a group of influencers in wealth management bring their next-level thinking to the table.

Jones doubles down on risk commissions ban stance

The shadow financial services minister reaffirmed his bias against insurance commissions and all but vowed to eliminate anything resembling conflicted remuneration out of the industry if Labor wins the next federal election.

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