-
1 week ago | 
ifa.com.au | Keith Ford |Laura Dew
The global equities contrarian value fund is described as an all-cap global equity strategy with high active share that favours shares with low momentum, low price to earning and price to book characteristics.
With a minimum time frame of seven years, it aims to provide investors with a total investment return that outperforms the MSCI ACWI ex Australia.
-
2 weeks ago | 
ifa.com.au | Keith Ford |Laura Dew
The separately managed accounts (SMAs) added to Netwealth include the Activam Conservative, Balanced, Index-Focused Balanced, and High Growth portfolios.
Each portfolio blends a mix of asset classes to optimise client outcomes while managing risk and provides a greater choice to match client goals and risk profiles.
The launch of the SMAs on Netwealth joins existing availability of BT, Macquarie and AMP North platforms.
-
1 month ago | 
ifa.com.au | Keith Ford |Laura Dew
The latest data from Wealth Data research shows 257 advisers have joined the industry since the start of FY2024–25.
However, losses of 27 earlier this month mean the number has fallen from a peak of 272 at the start of May. Losses of 18 during the week to 15 May were the largest weekly loss since the start of 2025, Wealth Data said, although the largest loss during the financial year was 35 in the last week of December.
-
1 month ago | 
ifa.com.au | Keith Ford |Laura Dew
Australia’s second largest advice licensee, Count Limited, has successfully defended a class action in Federal Court regarding its subsidiary Count Financial and advice relating to a self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF).
In a brief ASX statement on 27 May, the licensee said: “Today the Federal Court of Australia dismissed a claim brought as a class action against Count Limited's subsidiary Count Financial Limited (Count Financial).
-
1 month ago | 
ifa.com.au | Keith Ford |Laura Dew
According to Morningstar analyst Shaun Ler, there is now an "equal probability" that the remaining Insignia takeover bid would succeed or fail, while also knocking down the "fair value" estimate of the firm's share price.
Last week, Insignia Financial announced that Bain Capital had withdrawn from the acquisition process.
The US private equity firm had been the first bidder to put in an offer for Insignia in December last year, originally pricing the takeover at $4 per share.
-
1 month ago | 
ifa.com.au | Keith Ford |Laura Dew
For the year to 30 April, there have also been 180 new entrants to the financial advice profession. The same period in 2024 saw 109 new entrants, 95 of whom are still current on the Financial Advisers Register.
The latest two financial adviser exams have reported a pass rate of 77 per cent in December – the highest in two years – and 73 per cent in March, subsequently helping the number of new entrants into the industry.
-
1 month ago | 
ifa.com.au | Keith Ford |Laura Dew
Morgans has announced that CEO John Clifford, who has worked at the firm since 1993 and became managing director in August 2016, will step down.
He will be succeeded by James Macaulay, who is currently the deputy CEO and director of private wealth and has worked at Morgans for almost 20 years. Having joined in 2005, he was promoted to the deputy CEO position last year.
“The board of directors thank John for his contribution and leadership.
-
1 month ago | 
ifa.com.au | Keith Ford |Laura Dew
In its half-year results, the big four bank said the platform’s FUA had risen by 6 per cent over the past year, sitting at $113.3 billion last March, and by 2 per cent during the half.
Average FUA on the platform now sits at $524,000, up 6 per cent from $496,000 six months ago.
Net flows excluding benefit payments were up 72 per cent over the year from $1.9 billion last March to $3.3 billion. However, they were only up by 7 per cent in the last six months from $3.1 billion to $3.3 billion.
-
1 month ago | 
ifa.com.au | Keith Ford |Stewart Bell
The crux of the issue lies in the human element of our industry.
Technology hasn't quite yet reached a point where it can shoulder the bulk of advisory tasks, so large chunks of the advice process remain largely manual and human-dependent.
And, as growing firms find themselves needing to serve more clients, the need for skilled advisers becomes more critical.
-
1 month ago | 
ifa.com.au | Keith Ford |Laura Dew
The Financial Services and Credit Panel (FSCP) believed the individual contravened sections 961B(1), 961G and 921E(3) specifically they did not demonstrate compliance with the Code of Ethics’ value of diligence and Standard 5.
In its determination, the panel said the relevant provider gave advice in June 2022 recommending a client make a superannuation non-concessional contribution of $110,000 for the 2021-22 financial year and $301,681 (total) for the 2022-23 financial year.
