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
Shield liquidators deny existence of Chiodo proposal
The liquidator of the Shield Master Fund has knocked back suggestions it received a proposal from Shield director Paul Chiodo to help remediate investors, noting several “false and misleading statements” in an announcement he made last week which ASIC had similarly disputed.
October 27, 2025
Netwealth asks govt for $100m First Guardian bailout
Netwealth has asked the government to help remediate First Guardian Master Fund victims by invoking an obscure legislative mechanism that was used to help remediate victims of the Trio Capital collapse in the early 2010s.
October 27, 2025
Auditor pinged for gatekeeping failure with United Global Capital
The auditor of United Global Capital and its related funds has seen his registration cancelled due to failure to adequately carry out his duties. The move comes amid similar concerns over the due diligence role played by the auditors of the Shield and First Guardian master funds.
October 27, 2025
Why China vs the US is the main game for investors
Despite prevailing pessimism, Stanford University academic Professor Stephen Kotkin said the US’ role as a global superpower is a long-term trend asset owners can count on. But one of the most significant issues they must navigate is how the US and China learn to co-exist while pursuing diametrically opposed objectives.
October 24, 2025
First Guardian-linked adviser allegedly received inflated loans from fund
ASIC alleged in court that Ferras Merhi, the adviser considered a central figure into the investigation of the failed Shield and First Guardian master funds, received loans that exceeded the purchase price of one of his firms. The hearing comes as ASIC hands out further advice bans related to the collapse of the funds.
October 23, 2025
Shield director looks to cut deal with investors, ASIC unconvinced
Paul Chiodo, the director of the responsible entity of the Shield Master Fund, has proposed a deal with liquidators to return investor capital “before Christmas”, pending ASIC and the liquidators agreeing to the deal. However, the regulator denies it has had any involvement in the proceedings.
October 23, 2025
Public trust and how to achieve it
Financial advice has moved from an industry dominated by being product first into an emerging profession, but Robert MC Brown writes there’s still a deficit of trust. It’s easy to blame negative media or consumer groups, but there are plenty of advisers that are willing to distinguish themselves professionally and ethically from the rest of the industry.
October 22, 2025
