Former financial adviser pleads guilty



Former financial adviser, Trevor William Martin, who was an authorised representative of The Salisbury Group and AMP-owned Charter Financial Planning, has pleaded guilty to three counts of dishonestly obtaining client funds.
The investigation conducted by Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) between 2011 and 2015 found that he had obtained approximately $208,000 from clients by:
- Advising clients of investment opportunities
- Telling clients that he would invest monies on their behalf
- Inducing clients to transfer money to his business account
- Not investing the monies as represented
- Using the money for his own personal expenses and other purposes
ASIC informed that sentencing for the matter was listed for 16 August in the District Count of New South Wales.
At the same time, the court imposed several bail conditions on Martin, including the surrender of his passport.
The charge of dishonestly obtaining property by deception carried a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment, ASIC said.
Recommended for you
BT is to launch a new low-cost “Focus” investment menu for its Panorama platform this October, in partnership with Vanguard, seeking to compete with industry superannuation funds.
Net gains of financial advisers have already doubled since the start of FY25, according to this week’s Padua Wealth Data, with momentum gathering pace far faster than the previous financial year.
National advice firm MiQ Private Wealth has appointed a new chief executive to lead the business through a “transformative era” after penning a partnership deal with AZ NGA earlier this month.
WT Financial’s managing director, Keith Cullen, believes the firm’s Hubco model with Merchant Wealth Partners will be a “repeatable growth model” for the business as it scales its adviser numbers.