Count Financial’s big jump in inquiries as accountants ponder July 2016 deadline
Count Financial has experienced a significant increase in the number of inquiries it is fielding from accountants about licensing options for when the accountants’ exemption expires in July 2016. The chief executive of Count, David Lane (pictured), says the firm had been having between five and 10 conversations with accounting firms each month up until
October 10, 2014
University Challenge turns up financial planning’s bright lights of the future
The high calibre of university-qualified entrants to the financial planning profession has been illustrated vividly with the winners of the AMP University Challenge 2014 announced last night following an exhaustive selection process that for some participants began back in March. A final-year duo from Griffith University, Stephen McLay and Matthew Baldi (pictured), took out first
October 10, 2014
Risk and reward: a fine line between a lucrative insurance offer and a regulatory trap
The government’s Financial System Inquiry (FSI) has gone some way to clearing the bottleneck of vested interests and suggested solutions around fixing Australia’s life insurance industry. The FSI interim report was released in July, with the final report due in November. The inquiry’s broad scope includes Australia’s life insurance industry, with the issue of underinsurance
October 10, 2014
ClearView announces launch of new mid-market Super and Pension product
ClearView Wealth Limited (ClearView, ASX: CVW) today announced the launch of its new WealthFoundations super and pension product and the introduction of a new administration platform. WealthFoundations has been designed specifically for advisers who need a straightforward and efficient super and pension product for their clients which still lets them build a portfolio to match
October 09, 2014
Decimal Appointed Technology Partner by WealthSure
New generation technology chosen to drive transformation and opportunity for WealthSure, one of Australia’s largest non-aligned dealer groups with 180+ advisers Decimal Software Limited (“DSX”) today announced it has been appointed as preferred technology partner by WealthSure, a non-aligned dealer group with over 180 advisers, to provide financial planning and collaboration software. The partnership sets
October 09, 2014
AdviserLogic’s RiskLogic module to include qualitative product comparison
AdviserLogic has upgraded RiskLogic, its life insurance quoting and comparison module, giving advisers an enhanced qualitative analysis of product feature strengths and weaknesses in addition to the existing score-based comparison. AdviserLogic head of product development, Daniel Gara, says the new dataset, provided by Omnium, makes life much easier for the adviser when researching options for
October 08, 2014
Perpetual launches its first listed investment company
Perpetual Investment Management Limited (Perpetual Investments) has unveiled its first listed investment company – Perpetual Equity Investment Company Limited (ASX: PIC) – providing investors and their advisers with direct access to Perpetual Investments’ expert investment team and proven investment philosophy and process. The company is designed to deliver regular income and long-term capital growth through
October 08, 2014
FPA’s Reddacliff quits association full-time to focus on wider range of interests
The Financial Planning Association of Australia’s general manager of member growth and marketing, Tom Reddacliff, has quit the FPA full time and will consult to the organisation on a part-time basis. Reddacliff joined the FPA in May this year after leaving MLC. His brief was primarily to work with the association’s professional practices, members and
October 08, 2014
BT’s new risk profiling tool and model portfolios to help sharpen advisers’ focus
BT Financial Group is developing a new risk profiling tool, rationalising its model portfolio range and, via changes to BT Wrap, introducing a dealer-group model framework which will reduce the administrative burden on financial planners using model portfolios. The package of changes is designed to allow advisers to focus more closely on providing holistic advice
October 08, 2014
Tapping the financial planning potential of offshore Australians
Asian growth is fuelling an Australian expatriate-focused financial planning approach at Sydney-based practice Aqua Private Wealth. “If you think about the standard executive and family back in Australia, there’s not the same call to action to get your financial house in order at home as when you’re about to go offshore,” says Sean Abbott, Aqua’s
October 08, 2014
Keeping the love alive in a client relationship is not rocket surgery
Every year at the end of our mystery-shopping program, we contact the individuals and couples who began a relationship with a financial adviser and ask them a series of questions about how satisfied they are; if they would recommend the adviser to someone else; and what else they would buy from the adviser. The results
October 08, 2014
Smarter Money Active Cash rated by Australian Ratings and Mercer
Smarter Money Investments is pleased to announce that its rapidly growing active cash product, the Smarter Money Active Cash Fund, has received two new ratings from leading research groups, Mercer Investment Consulting and Australia Ratings. Australia Ratings, a new credit rating agency founded by former Standard & Poor’s Managing Director Chris Dalton, has awarded the
October 07, 2014
