FASEA officially wound up



The Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) has officially wound up with the corporate regulator now overseeing the financial adviser exam with the cost above previous guidance.
The FASEA website was now defunct and pointed to Treasury and Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) financial adviser hub websites.
Before the end of 2021, ASIC released the first sitting of its exam for 2022 and information for advisers on how to book the exam.
The February 2022 exam had the sitting dates of 17, 18, 19, and 21 February, with enrolments open from 10 January until 28 January, 2022.
Advisers would have to book through ASIC’s financial advice hub that would redirect to the Australian Council for Education and Research (ACER) booking portal.
ASIC confirmed the exam would cost $973 despite the previous estimate of the exam cost of $948 under the Better Advice Bill. Under FASEA, the exam cost $540 plus GST.
The cost was amended on 16 December, 2021, under the Corporations (Fees) Amendment (Relevant Providers) Regulations 2021.
The cost to review the marking of one or more answers to non-multiple-choice questions under ASIC would be $218.
Prior to the end of last year, FASEA also noted that despite its consultation on the amendment to Standard 3 of its code of ethics, it received varied responses and would leave any amendments up to Treasury.
Recommended for you
The inquiry into the collapse of Dixon Advisory and broader wealth management companies by the Senate economics references committee will not be re-adopted.
After seven weeks of strong growth, Wealth Data analysis shows financial adviser gains are now tapering off and returning to a regular pace.
Count chief executive Hugh Humphrey has said FY25 was a “milestone year” for the business as it completed its Diverger integration, exceeding targets with $5.1 million in cost synergies.
US wealth manager Focus Financial Partners, which includes Australia’s Escala Partners, has appointed a chief strategy officer to fuel further Australian growth.