financial services reform

Accounting

Accountants have warmly welcomed the recommendation by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services (PJCCFS) to allow them to provide advice o...

Financial planning

Lifespan nears a decade

Treading a familiar path, John Ardino left an institution following a takeover to start an independent group. Ten years later it is still going. John Wilkinson reports....

Financial planning

Regulators warned of compliance over-kill

The Federal Government’s top finance industry advisory group - the Financial Sector Advisory Council - is calling on Australia to resist excessive regulation of the finan...

Financial planning

Ex-Challenger staffer goes locum

Former Challenger executive Jamie Kelly has started up his own practice to offer locum services to the financial planning industry....

Financial planning

A progressive planning perspective

Over the past three years, more and more advisers have said they are becoming ‘lifestyle’ focused with their financial planning business and we have heard buzz words such...

Financial planning

Smaller players start to close the gap

For the first time since Money Management began publishing its Top 50 Distributors list, the big players have loosened their stronghold on Australia’s financial advice di...

Financial planning

Government acknowledges FSR flaws

The Federal Government has acknowledged inherent flaws within the new Financial Services Reform regime are largely due to the legislation being principle-based rather tha...

Life/Risk

Life insurance not a risky play under FSR

The Financial Services Reform Act has changed the world of risk insurance, but as Ross Kelly writes, opinion is divided on whether the task has become harder for advisers...

Financial planning

ATO backs planners in tax advice tug-of-war

The Australian Taxation Office in consultation with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission will not move to regulate ‘incidental’ tax advice given by financ...

Financial planning

AMP Financial Planning restructures management

AMP Financial Planning has appointed former ING head of aligned distribution Grant Pearson as its new head of advice segments, as part of a restructure of its senior mana...

Financial planning

FTS to develop adviser support tools

Strategy firm Financial and Technical Solutions (FTS) has been signed up by financial planning compliance system, Keys, to provide technical advice in developing specific...

Financial planning

Committee backs accountant super advice extension

Accountants have received support to provide advice on all non-self managed superannuation structures after a recommendation by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corpo...

Financial planning

Dealer groups take the hint

The ‘very poor’ ratings received by some dealer groups in the ACA/ASIC shadow shopping survey has led them to rethink how they operate. BEN ABBOTT investigates....

Financial planning

The year of practice management

This year will see the FSRA come into force in financial planning practices everywhere, but what else is on the agenda? JULIE BENNETT reports....

Superannuation

Super group creates new SMSF accreditation

A new professional accreditation for advisers on self managed superannuation funds (SMSF), who meet higher standards higher in the area than the minimum under PS 146, is ...