'True advice' needs to move past product advice



There are gaps in the financial services market that a "true advice model" can help to fill, according to Yellow Brick Road (YBR) chief executive Matt Lawler.
Preferring to steer clear of the "one-stop shop" label, Lawler said using a holistic approach to advice at the accumulation phase of a client's life-cycle is a clear winner among Australians who currently have a range of financial issues to address.
He said to move past a "pure product advice model", it is important for advisers to continually offer more services to clients and utilise specialists in other financial fields such as mortgage broking and accounting.
"We're really looking for gaps in the market where we don't think Australians are being served as well as they could be," Lawler said.
"Definitely the cash space was a gap that we saw - fixed interest products in general."
In relation to YBR's own retail managed fund (YBR Smarter Money), Lawler said there was not only interest generating from the self-managed super fund market but from investors who are currently between property.
"They may have sold a property recently and they're just going to sit on some property for a while until the next property becomes available.
"In that intervening period they're looking to maximise the returns they can get on their cash investments."
As investors' risk tolerance continues to adjust over the next period, Lawler said it was important for advisers to work closely with their clients to address their changing needs.
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