Client or adviser: Who is the real beneficiary of managed accounts?
The rise of managed accounts has reshaped the economics and efficiencies of financial advice practices and licensees. But the benefits for clients can be diluted or indeed lost altogether if a managed account does not produce a superior after-tax and after-fee return.
June 27, 2025
1700 advisers at risk of not meeting education deadline: Kaplan
Kaplan Professional believes around 1700 advisers are at risk of not meeting the deadline to have an approved tertiary qualification. The education provider has launched an intensive study period which it believes will reduce that gap to 500 advisers come the 1 January 2026 deadline.
June 27, 2025
Licensees go head-to-head in a ‘battle for likeability’
Adviser satisfaction with licensees is at record highs, according to the latest annual data produced by CoreData and presented to the Professional Planner Licensee Summit. And even though the attraction of self-licensing remains real, there are four key elements that drive adviser happiness with their licensee.
June 26, 2025
FSC calls for ‘one-off injection of government funding’ for Dixon claims
The Financial Services Council has called on the government to fund the rest of the claims that arose from the collapse of Dixon Advisory to reduce the financial burden on financial advisers via the Compensation Scheme of Last Resort.
June 26, 2025
‘A whole-of-system approach’ necessary to address advice gap
While licensees can play a significant part in closing the advice gap, a whole-of-system approach is required to make meaningful change in the profession. Licensees, advice practices, platforms and product providers should work together to fix the supply chain and increase capacity for more Australians to receive advice.
June 25, 2025
Understanding clients a ‘fantastic’ starting point but frequently stops there
Advice practices seeking to understand their clients’ needs is a great starting point as part of building their methodology for delivering retirement advice, Challenger head of technical services Andrew Lowe told the Professional Planner Licensee Summit. But he also warned quality retirement advice means going beyond just understanding client needs.
June 25, 2025
Shadforth’s dramatic plan to double
in size
With around 100 advisers and more than 250 staff, Shadforth is seeking to dramatically improve productivity and enhance adviser efficiency. It’s in the first year of a journey that will overhaul its advice tech stack which it expects will help the group double in size.
June 24, 2025
Small licence, conflicted SMSF advice models driving CSLR claims
Only a handful of players are behind the major failures heading to the Compensation Scheme of Last Resort, led by conflicted advice through an SMSF, the Professional Planner Licensee Summit heard. Despite these issues coming from a small group of individuals, the consequences have been catastrophic.
June 24, 2025
ASIC ‘agnostic’ on offshoring arrangements by licensees
ASIC will maintain a wait-and-see stance on offshoring arrangements by licensees as it carries out a review of how licensees and advisers are managing risk, with findings due later this year, commissioner Alan Kirkland has told the Professional Planner Licensee Summit.
June 23, 2025
Licensee growth isn’t about chasing advisers
The future of licensee growth will be about expanding their available services and equity partnerships rather than licensing more advisers, the Professional Planner Licensee Summit has heard. While there is a view that advice might be in a new “golden age”, licensing continues to be challenging with tight margins and heavy regulation.
June 23, 2025
Lifting the super tax changes the rules mid-game with no way out
The Albanese government's proposed changes to super tax concessions may seem like no big deal since it increases taxes for only an estimated 80,000 Australians, but Simon Hoyle writes those people accumulated their account balances legitimately and under the rules that applied at the time in good faith.
June 20, 2025
How advisers can provide clients with quality private market exposure
Advice firms, whether operating on a retail or wholesale basis, are fundamental to guiding individual investors when accessing private markets, writes The Conexus Institute. The asset class provides an exciting opportunity, but care is needed to ensure the trend to private markets by private wealth doesn’t lead to case studies of poor client outcomes.
June 20, 2025
