Super policy centre-stage at Labor Party conference
Such is the hallowed place superannuation enjoys on Labor's policy platform that a motion extending the super guarantee to young casual workers was the first item of business at the party's historic 50th convention in Adelaide on Thursday. But debate over AI and data centres could spell trouble down the track for investors.
July 24, 2026
Escala looks to national expansion one year on from Focus deal
High-net-worth specialist advisory Escala is looking to expand beyond Sydney and Melbourne to become a national brand, a year on from a restructuring of the business by US-based Focus Financial Partners.
July 23, 2026
Crole’s legacy is a tarnished public company and a burned profession
The departure of Sequoia CEO Garry Crole isn’t a shock: despite the company being heavily implicated in the Shield and First Guardian collapse, his departure had been in the works for two years. But he leaves behind a tarnished ASX-listed company and a profession undergoing another round of regulatory reform.
July 22, 2026
Super war reignited as SMC spars with FSC over member switching
The Super Members Council has warned that “consumers should be wary” about any claims that they would be better off if they switched their super fund, pushing back on arguments made by the Financial Services Council in a report last month.
July 22, 2026
Mulino uncommitted to DBFO future as Shield, First Guardian policy response looms
Minister for Financial Services Daniel Mulino has remained uncommitted to the rest of the Delivering Better Financial Outcomes reforms as the government’s policy response to Shield and First Guardian will be announced next month.
July 21, 2026
Moving beyond the myths of the great wealth transfer
The families that navigate generational transition most successfully are not those with the best wills or most sophisticated portfolios, but those that clarify values, build governance and embed a culture of stewardship long before it is needed. JBWere's Kim Venter busts four myths that oversimplify the great wealth transfer and obscure the deeper work families must do to sustain wealth across generations.
July 21, 2026
Advice is the number one weapon against retirees’ FORO
The problem of retirees not drawing down enough of their retirement savings for fear of running out appeared front-and-centre at a recent superannuation industry roundtable. But it’s not a new issue for advisers, and the CoreData/Conexus Financial Best Possible Retirement study shows just why access to advice is “the single clearest lever for improving retirement readiness”.
July 20, 2026
Why responsible AI belongs inside every compliance framework
Years of advice file reviews show most adverse findings are process gaps, not misconduct, writes 3Lines director Julia Vojkovic. AI is best placed to catch them, provided it strengthens professional judgement rather than replaces it.
July 20, 2026
YFYS performance test has done its dash
The Coalition’s Your Future Your Super reforms, especially the contentious performance test, deserve credit for weeding out poor-performing funds and helping instil a more cost-conscious culture in super. But the test has largely accomplished its mission and its continuation undermines the system’s global competitiveness.
July 17, 2026
When AI decides who’s credible, invisibility becomes the bigger risk
Prospective clients are asking AI for financial advice expertise long before they contact an adviser, writes Assured Support’s Sean Graham. Licensees that restrict what advisers publish may be managing one risk while creating another: being absent when trust is formed.
July 17, 2026
Pre-retirees’ use of AI not a vote of no-confidence in advice
Take-up of AI tools is inevitably spilling into the advice space, but new research suggests this does not signal a decline in the role and the importance of advisers. The CoreData/Conexus Financial Best Possible Retirement study shows that people with an adviser use AI to do their own exploration, test their own ideas, and then seek validation from a human.
July 16, 2026
Financial Accountability Regime yet to bare its teeth in superannuation
The alleged conduct that led to the Shield and First Guardian debacle is unlikely to lead to any action under the Financial Accountability Regime. But a new ASIC report into platform trustees may deliver the individual consequences FAR was intended to mete out.
July 16, 2026
