Adviser charged with inappropriate advice
A Melbourne adviser who placed close to $700,000 of client money in a failed investment scheme is charged with inappropriate advice.
Former Shelbourne Financial Services adviser Kevin Whitting appeared in the Dromana Magistrates Court charged with 10 offences following an investigation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), and is facing five further charges relating to providing misleading statements to some of the investors.
ASIC alleges Whitting provided inappropriate advice to five investors who collectively invested over $684,000 in the Blue Diamond Deposits Trust No. 1, which in 2010 met with a net deficiency of $22 million.
ASIC's investigation commenced after the collapse of the trust, and subsequently banned Whitting from providing financial services for four years.
The adviser was not required to enter a plea and will appear in court again in June, 2013.
Recommended for you
A strong demand for core fixed income solutions has seen the Betashares Australian Composite Bond ETF surpass $1 billion in funds under management, driven by both advisers and investors.
As the end of the year approaches, two listed advice licensees have seen significant year-on-year improvement in their share price with only one firm reporting a loss since the start of 2025.
Having departed Magellan after more than 18 years, its former head of investment Gerald Stack has been appointed as chief executive of MFF Group.
With scalability becoming increasingly important for advice firms, a specialist consultant says organisational structure and strategic planning can be the biggest hurdles for those chasing growth.

