WT-Merchant deal signals move from ‘quasi-investor’ to full capital partner
After years of expounding a variable licensee fee structure which WT Financial Group describes as “quasi–equity” in advice practices, a joint venture with capital investment firm Merchant marks the next evolutionary state of the licensee as it becomes the latest player to move into taking direct equity stakes.
March 31, 2025
Super funds left to figure out how to pay for better service
ASIC’s oversight over super fund death benefits is just the latest in what will be a multi-year programme to lift member services, but funds will be left to navigate the pressure to have lower fees while maintaining best in class service.
March 31, 2025
Alternative alpha: How the wealthy invest
The rapid growth of alternative investments, particularly among high net-worth investors, highlights how crucial the asset class has become as a component of modern portfolio construction, Praemium’s Matt Walsh.
March 31, 2025
See no evil: ASIC report reveals super’s death benefits failure
A damning new ASIC report into death benefit claims handling in superannuation lays bare the scale of the problem and the measures that funds will have to take if they want to solve it. The findings underscore the gap in service standards from some of the major industry funds responsible for hundreds of millions in member retirement savings.
March 31, 2025
Bucking the trend, these licensees say new advice record is ‘a big step forward’
While criticism over the replacement of Statements of Advice with Client Advice Records continues, there is a growing segment of the industry that considers it “a big step forward” with the separation of the advice record and record keeping for compliance purposes presenting a significant change.
March 28, 2025
‘No and no’: Jones dismisses DBFO collective charging fears
Facing criticism from the advice community over the wording of the first round of draft legislation for Tranche 2 of the Delivering Better Financial Outcomes bill, Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones has denied the new class of adviser will be used a “back door attempt” to give comprehensive retirement advice.
March 27, 2025
How pro-bono work helped adviser Nicola Beswick create new firm
Lawyer turned financial adviser Nicola Beswick recently launched her own financial firm White Rabbit Advisory. Through her experience on the board of the Pro Bono Financial Advice Network, she learned valuable lessons which helped her navigate the challenges of setting up her own business.
March 27, 2025
The challenges and opportunities for utilising AI in equity investing
The latest AI innovations have been instrumental in improving potential investor outcomes, but it has come with plenty of risks. Complex data samples and overfitting – when AI systems are too reliant on historical data for conclusions and is unable to make future predictions – means there is still an active challenge to harness the potential benefits.
March 27, 2025
How fund managers and advisers are taking different approaches to AI
Despite talk of how artificial intelligence will revolutionise the financial advice industry through increased efficiency, the real impact of AI has been subdued and progress has been slow. However, AXA IM believes advice firms can tap into the benefits of AI through their funds management partners who are leveraging this emerging technology.
March 27, 2025
Adviser platforms schooling industry funds on competitive super flows
The five fastest-growing platforms – led by Netwealth and HUB24 – are dominating competitive super fund inflows which have been driven by adviser activity, according to an upcoming report from The Conexus Institute. HUB24 has overtaken AustralianSuper as the leader of competitive flows, something the institute’s executive director David Bell had previously believed was impossible.
March 26, 2025
Cost of advice the reason for almost half of advised clients leaving: Research
The cost of advice is the catalyst that ends almost half of client relationships according to new research. Almost a third of those ceasing an ongoing arrangement do so because they believe they are not getting value or are unsure about the quality of the adviser.
March 26, 2025
Empowering advisers to bridge the advice gap
Fewer Australians are accessing the advice they need and advisers are looking for innovative solutions to help them service more clients. Research conducted by Colonial First State over the past year has uncovered several methods that can help advice practices improve efficiency.
March 26, 2025
