Double-digit gains help recover FY25 losses

Adviser numbers are slowly creeping back up after a disastrous June, with the 2025–26 financial year gains almost balancing out the losses from the previous financial year.

In the latest Wealth Data figures, the week to 17 July saw a net gain of 24 advisers, bringing the total up to 15,339, continuing the momentum from a 17 net gain the previous week.

This week’s growth brings the 2025–26 financial year to date to gains of 155, a quick recovery from the previous financial year which ended with a net loss of 159. 

However, over the 2025 calendar year, losses remain at 134.

Supporting this growth are the 17 new entrants this week, in line with gains of 16 new entrants in the previous week. This follows the publication of the results of its adviser exam for the June sitting which saw 66 per cent of the 237 candidates achieve a pass.

Looking at adviser movements for the week, 38 licensees saw net gains of 51 advisers, with the biggest winner this week being a newly commenced licensee starting out with four advisers who were previously at Spark Financial Group.

WT Financial Group is up net three advisers, including one new entrant and two returning after a break, locking in back-to-back weekly gains after picking up net five the previous week.

Bell Financial is notably active this week, appointing four advisers, including two new entrants and two returning advisers, while also losing two advisers – both of whom are yet to be appointed elsewhere.

Eight licensees are up by two advisers each, including United Super, Australian National Investment Group, and Bentleys Queensland.

Rhombus is also up by two, with one returning after a break and another switching from Horsey Jameson Bird. A newly commenced licensee also picked up two, both leaving from Hillross, while Guideway scooped up two of the new entrants. Cobalt Advisers nabbed one adviser each from iPraxis and Enva Australia.

A tail of 28 licensees are all up by net one adviser each, including William Buck, Centrepoint Alliance, and the remaining new licensee.

On the other end of the spectrum, losses for licensees appear to be slowing down after the flurry of activity in June, with some 20 licensees down by net one adviser each, including Aware Super, Oreana, and Shaw and Partners.

ASVW Holdings is down by net two, neither of which have been reappointed elsewhere yet, and Industry Super Holdings is likewise down two, having lost three who are yet to be appointed elsewhere and picking up one from IMFG.