Advisers ‘overwhelmingly positive’ about future



Majority of advisers polled at the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) National Practitioner Roadshow voted themselves "overwhelmingly happy", while citing their interest in embracing peer-learning to help other advisers succeed.
A total of 93 per cent of the 1,600 advisers said they felt optimistic about their future in the industry, with Roadshow specialist speaker, Paul Kearney, encouraging attendees to adapt to marketplace shifts.
The major shifts in the advice landscape afoot, attending advisers were also quizzed on the future of the industry as a whole, with 59 per cent voting that political and legislative shifts had the greatest direct impact on the delivery of their work, ahead of technological shifts (22 per cent) and societal shifts (six per cent).
A further 84.7 per cent agreed that they would have to let go of certain beliefs, habits, and bias to move forward in the industry, with 31.6 per cent of advisers stating that additional money in their business would be spent on customer-centric technology enhancements.
"What was evident in our live poll, is that advisers need to invest in themselves to adapt," AFA general manager of member services, Nick Hakes, said.
"Advisers need to... collobrate with their peers and to cultivate a culture where they can gain fresh perspectives."
Recommended for you
With the final tally for FY25 now confirmed, how many advisers left during the financial year and how does it compare to the previous year?
HUB24 has appointed Matt Willis from Vanguard as an executive general manager of platform growth to strengthen the platform’s relationships with industry stakeholders.
Investment manager Drummond Capital Partners has announced a raft of adviser-focused updates, including a practice growth division, relaunched manager research capabilities, and a passive model portfolio suite.
When it comes to M&A activity, the share of financial buyers such as private equity firms in Australia fell from 67 per cent to 12 per cent in the last financial year.