Australians don’t like the way financial advice is being currently offered to them and would prefer piece by piece advice when they need it. Michael Blomfield, chief executive of Investment Trends revealed one result of this is that 53 per…
Industry news
Investment research houses to merge
Two investment management research houses are set to merge, with Zenith Investment Partners announcing that it has entered into an agreement to purchase Chant West’s superannuation research and consultancy business. The deal, which is subject to Chant West shareholder approval,…
FASEA approves more courses
The Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) has approved coursework from two industry association and two university bridging courses, in the latest update of its list of approved courses. As part of its education standards for financial advisers, FASEA…
360 Capital on a roll
360 Capital Group has entered into a binding agreement to acquire Ralton Asset Management, a managed accounts specialist. It is one of several deals the increasingly active investment company has done in recent months. Ralton will continue to operate its…
ASIC licensing and banning powers beefed up
Recommendations of the 2016 ASIC Enforcement Review Taskforce that the regulator’s powers be strengthened have finally been put into legislation, with the passage of a bill last week that strengthens ASIC’s licensing powers and extends its banning powers. It also…
SuperAA morphs into Seamless SMSF
The self-managed super fund (SMSF) administration and audit firm Superannuation Advisors Australia – known as “SuperAA” is changing its name to Seamless SMSF to better reflect its service delivery and product suite. Set up in 2013 by CEO Mike McHenry,…
Mortgage broker best interests duty bill passed
From July, mortgage brokers will have to comply with current responsible lending obligations and a new best interests duty. Responsible lending and best interests are not the same thing. According to the information memorandum accompanying the bill that was passed…
Industry pushes back against latest financial services reforms
Proposed annual fee renewal arrangements, the disclosure of “lack of independence” and a deferred sales model for add-on insurance are the most controversial aspects of a raft of changes to financial services law introduced in a draft bill last week…
Meet the face of millennial female financial advice
Victoria Devine used to talk about finance with her friends over brunch, without skimping on smashed avocado. Now she is paving the way to the future of financial advice by starting these same conversations amongst a much larger audience. Devine…
FASEA expands education programs
FASEA has expanded the list of approved education programs and courses available to existing advisers and new entrants to the industry. FASEA has released the 2020 legislative instrument and explanatory statement for its relevant providers, degrees, qualifications and course standards.…
