Refocus on soft skills to deliver the best post-retirement advice
After a considerable period when many financial planners have been focused on compliance and technical skills, the managing director of Securitor and Licensee Select for BT Financial Group, Matt Englund, says it’s time they were reminded of the value of the “soft” skills that go along with the job. Particularly when it comes to dealing
February 14, 2014
Lateral thinking and discipline to pick the winners in the new tech race
For those of us whose first experience of extraordinary stock-market delusions was the dot.com bubble at the end of the 1990s, the past few weeks have felt quite like the old days. In separate announcements, Facebook and Twitter have shown, first, why investors are once again falling in love with new technology and, second, the
February 14, 2014
Free your mind: Why Rick Di Cristoforo exited the matrix
After a decade at the helm of Matrix Planning Solutions, Rick Di Cristoforo says it was obvious the time had come for a change. Di Cristoforo delivered Matrix from the teeth of the global financial crisis (GFC), and then guided it through the upheaval of the Future of Financial Advice (FoFA) regulatory reform and the
February 13, 2014
Learning how to listen differently is the secret to great post-retirement advice
Financial planners need to develop a specialised set of skills to deal effectively with clients in the post-retirement phase of their lives, according to James Grant, executive manager of wealth management for Industry Fund Services (IFS). Grant says the challenges that financial planners face include “understanding the members’ goals and not automatically translating that into
February 13, 2014
Ask an Expert week links consumers to professional advisers in record numbers
Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) CEO Mark Rantall said Australians have voted with their “click-through feet” to secure the guidance of professional financial planners, linking to the FPA through social media and online platforms during its recent Ask an Expert week. “Our mission to elevate the profession of financial planning and help make an
February 13, 2014
Fox on the FoFA amendments: attitude, not legislation, determines professionalism
With the ongoing noise about the future of car manufacturing in Australia, I have more than once considered how this will play out in our unique V8 Supercar racing competition – in particular, the showcase event, The Bathurst 1000. I remember growing up in Perth and getting up at 5.30am to watch the pre-race broadcast
February 13, 2014
Campo on why FoFA changes compromise consumer protection
The raison d’être for this publication is to serve the professional financial planning community. So it is a safe bet that you, the financial planners reading this publication, would consider yourselves to be professionals. If so, you should be extremely alarmed by proposals, advocated by sections of the financial services industry, to dilute the best
February 13, 2014
Rantall on why FoFA changes do not compromise consumer protection
Our support for repealing certain aspects of the Future of Financial Advice (FoFA) legislation was made clear on December 20, 2013. In short, we do not share the view that key consumer protections are compromised. Read Robbie Campo’s views on why the FoFA amendments undermine consumer protection Read Brad Fox’s views on the FoFA amendments and
February 11, 2014
Why control freaks struggle but working with accountants is the key to winning SMSF clients
Learning to let go, acting as a true adviser instead of prescribing investments, and working closely with accountants are among the keys to successfully winning and retaining self-managed super fund (SMSF) trustees as clients, according to a leading industry analyst. Recep Peker, a senior analyst with Investment Trends, says financial planning firms that create a
February 11, 2014
How medicine and boredom led to a cost-effective referral system for financial planners
An online referral system has launched that promises to provide cost-effective and qualified leads for financial planners. Nikhil Sreedhar, founder of proadviser.com.au, says the concept for the service came about partly through his family’s medical background, and partly through boredom. Both of Sreedhar’s parents work in medicine and there was a lot of talk about
February 11, 2014
New forum aims to define and promote ‘professional’ advice
A forum to define and promote the ideals of “professional” financial planning has been set up by a cohort of industry consultants. The consultants include Tony McDonald of T&C Consulting, Colin Williams of HFS Marketing, Rachel Staggs of SRS Coaching & Consulting, Bob Neill and David Fotheringham of Seaview consulting, and Cholena Orr of Profusion
February 11, 2014
Elders Financial Planning announces key northern appointment
Elders Financial Planning has announced the appointment of Mr Kevin Mayne as Regional Manager North. Elders Financial Planning Chief Executive Officer, Helen Lorigan said Mr Mayne will play a key role in expanding the dealer network and client base across the Northern Region, which consists of Queensland, the Northern Territory and the majority of New
February 11, 2014
