financial advisers

Financial planning

Financial advisers will be given access to annuities through platforms, as demand for annuities increases. ...

Financial planning

BT Financial Group has opened the way for clients to not only rate their planners but post comments on how they performed....

Financial planning

AFA to counter poor perception via grass roots

The new AFA president said it would not match resources with anti-advice groups but focus on member and consumer engagement....

Financial planning

BTFG moves unilaterally on adviser register

BTFG moves unilaterally be introducing its own adviser register and providing scope for client feedback and assessment....

Life/Risk

Life insurers partly responsible for poor insurance report

Life insurance manufacturers need to take responsibility for last week’s ASIC report into life insurance and supply products that meet consumer needs and not research hou...

Financial planning

Rule changes made planners ‘new’ entrants again

A raft of legislative and regulatory change in the financial planning sector has essentially made long-time advisers feel like new entrants to the profession, according t...

Financial planning

Could robo-advice be the future of the profession?

Financial advisers are among the most likely professionals to be eradicated by technology or “robo-advice” – a prognosis that has drawn both disbelief and opportunism fro...

Financial planning

Mortgage broking less risky than advice sector

MFAA claims mortgage brokers have not been through any major scandals as a result of lower levels of risk and the application of higher professional standards...

Policy & Regulation

Labor’s FOFA block defeated

Plans to disallow significant portions of the Government’s FOFA reforms have been blocked by the Senate....

Financial planning

ASIC has power on planner education: Cormann

ASIC has the power to move to lift planner education standards, according to Finance Minister, Mathias Cormann....

Financial planning

Advice about more than product selection

AMP chief executive, Craig Meller says self-interested parties are seeking to dumb down advice to just product selection....

Financial planning

Adviser registry to provide cost-efficient transparency

The Government's proposed registry of financial advisers will provide transparency without the costs associated with regulation the Minister for Finance and acting Deputy...

Editorial

Selling confidence in advisers

Restoring confidence in the financial advice profession has become a catch cry for institutions recently, but the reality of the proposal is still a way off, Amelia Const...

Superannuation

Associations should set CPD standards: SPAA

Professional associations should take over setting CPD standards if adviser standards are to improve, SPAA argued. ...

Financial planning

ASIC open to sharing powers but with only one industry body

The corporate regulator states a co-regulatory model could work for financial advisers but says it is cost-effective and ethically practical to only work with one profess...