financial advice

Financial planning

FMD Financial acquires two financial planning firms

Melbourne-based financial planning business FMD Financial has acquired two advisory firms - Investwell Financial Planning and Financial Lifestyle Managers....

Policy & Regulation

Getting on top of FOFA: learn from the UK

Learning from the lessons of similar reform in the United Kingdom, Australian financial advisers need to ensure adequate standards and controls are in place ahead of the ...

Editorial

ASIC moves to undo some of the FOFA excesses

The approach ASIC has signaled it will adopt to scaled advice and the best interests duty is a welcome development for financial planning industry....

Financial planning

How much is a financial adviser’s independence worth?

John Hewison believes the financial planning industry cannot move much forward until the link between product and advice is broken....

Financial planning

FPA upgrades consumer website

The Financial Planning Association has upgraded its consumer-facing website in a move it says is designed to help Australians make informed financial decisions....

Financial planning

FPA launches new consumer website

The Financial Planning Association has launched a new consumer website called FPA Difference as part of Financial Planning Week, which ends this coming Sunday....

Policy & Regulation

Reasons to delay FOFA implementation don't stack up

Despite FOFA reforms now being imminent, there are several regrettable reasons many businesses are using to delay addressing the changes, according to a paper from PwC an...

Financial planning

Financial Planning Week begins

Promoting the value of advice and improving consumer confidence are some of the main goals of this year's Financial Planning Week, according to FPA chief Mark Rantall....

Policy & Regulation

AMP results highlight FOFA shortfalls: Cormann

One-off expenses AMP estimates it will incur dealing with regulated changes highlight the need to have performed a regulatory impact assessment on FOFA, according to Sena...

Financial planning

Accounting bodies risk planning exodus

Australia's three professional accounting bodies are in danger of losing members heavily engaged in the financial planning industry over new standards being proposed by t...

Financial planning

CommCentral launches adviser revenue management software

CommCentral has launched new software which manages different adviser remuneration models combined with inbuilt FOFA rules....

Policy & Regulation

No difference in treatment of scaled and holistic advice

ASIC signals it will apply the same rules to both scaled and holistic advice....

Superannuation

Reforms bring aged care advice into focus

There has been an increasing focus on advice around aged care and support services, with the announcement of the Federal Government's aged care reforms....

Financial planning

GFC made Australian banks too big to fail

Calls for independent inquiry into Australian financial system to redress undue influence of major banks....

Editorial

Keeping the client relationship strong

Even the strongest of client relationships can be tested when returns are weak. As Tom Reddacliff explains, long-term relationships between financial planners and their c...