Run a smarter advice practice with insights from the industry's best.
Sometimes we can be too clever for our own good, and owning it is the most useful thing I can tell you. Early on, as a planner, I gave in to it — proud of how tightly I could model. Plans tuned to the last dollar, contributions timed to the birthday, every lever pulled. Technically beautiful. Then the real world turned up,…
For most of my career, industry super funds occupied a fairly defined place in my advice toolkit. I primarily used them for accumulators or retirees with relatively modest balances. When a client transitioned into retirement, the conversation would often move towards wrap platforms because they provided the flexibility,…
We hope that this series of insight pieces drawn from the most recent analysis of Business Health’s CATScan* Client Satisfaction Survey data will help you to deliver the experience your clients are looking for and expect from you, their adviser. The CATScan dataset now contains feedback from over 60,000 clients of…
In financial advice, Artificial intelligence (AI) success will be about trust not adoption. AI is moving quickly from experimentation into everyday business. Across industries, organisations are exploring how AI can improve productivity, simplify processes, and create better experiences for customers. Financial advice is…
Industry data tells us 79% of advisers are already using AI - but more than one-third cite inaccurate outputs and limited integration as barriers to getting more value from it*. So, what does AI adoption really look like across Australian wealth businesses, where is it delivering value, and what do advisers need next?…
Most advice firms don't suffer from a lack of good ideas. Many firms invest in new technology, redesign workflows and they implement compliance improvements. Firms document processes and communicate them to staff. Yet months later, many leaders find themselves asking the same question: "Why isn't anyone following the new…
When was the last time we really thought about the Authority to Proceed, and whether we can improve it? Investment and advice complaints to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) rose 18 per cent in 2024-25. The single biggest issue was a failure to act in the client's best interests. It made up more than 30…
For years, professional firms have been told to take “reasonable steps.” In the world of AI and cyber security, what was considered "reasonable steps" yesterday is not considered reasonable anymore. In May 2026, ASIC and the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) warned that advanced AI models are changing the cyber…
The most common question I get from advisers, after they’ve vented about timelines or compliance, is “what are other practices doing well?” They want to know what’s working elsewhere, what they could pinch and what’s worth trying. It’s a fair question because the practices running smoothly have usually figured something…
You've just finished the website redesign. New photos, new copy, new booking button. Then you stall on whether to include that one question: "How much do you charge?" Answer it on your website and you're worried it'll scare people off before they've even met you. Leave it out and you're worried you look like you've got…
It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
Recently, Iress Client Solutions Design Consultant and CommPay expert, @margie.hynes, hopped on to XPlan Hub for an AMA all about helping you unleash the full potential of CommPay. Here are four of the most useful questions that you may find useful: Q: Is there a way to automatically add to CommPay when creating a new…
We've gathered some of our favourite CommPay hidden gems and pro-tips to help you work smarter, improve efficiency, and get even more value from CommPay. You may already know a few—but chances are you'll find at least one feature that changes the way you work. Sometimes it's the little things—a shortcut, a setting, or a…
Tracking upcoming revenue is critical to practice management, yet many teams I talk to fall into one of two camps: they are either spending hours manually updating a massive, colour-coded spreadsheet, or they are simply relying on whatever revenue happens to land in their bank account from the Licensee. Both approaches…
What if you could stop piecing together your revenue position manually and instead see what is happening with your earnings in real time? Whether you are the adviser or the practice manager, keeping a pulse on revenue is one of the most important aspects of running your business. Unlock the full potential of your revenue…
What if you could automate your most time-consuming CommPay admin tasks? Stop running reports and uploading files manually, and start investing that time back into other business needs. It's time to reclaim your firm's most valuable asset: time When it comes to maximising efficiency in CommPay, what we often hear from…
So far, we’ve journeyed through the evolution of WealthSolver, from its SuperSolver roots to its powerful backend configurations, research abilities, and deep dive scenario modelling. But as the Australian advice landscape shifts, so does the complexity of the problems we need to solve. With the Retirement Income Covenant…
Whether you’re an old hand at WealthSolver or a newbie just getting your head around this indispensable advice tool, there's always more to discover. WealthSolver, like many Xplan tools, is full of hidden valleys, harbouring lesser explored secrets which may make your advice journey that much smoother. Oftentimes, we get…
Who says research has to be a chore? In our previous posts, we looked at how WealthSolver evolved from its ‘SuperSolver’ roots into a powerhouse for compliance and automation. But if you’re only opening WealthSolver when you’re deep inside a client’s file, you’re missing out on half the fun. Welcome to the WealthSolver…
In our previous article, Unlocking the full potential of WealthSolver, we explored how this module serves as the primary engine for product comparison and fee analysis. But as any seasoned Xplan user knows, an engine is only as effective as its calibration. While the "front end" allows you to run scenarios and compare…
Who remembers when WealthSolver was ‘just’ SuperSolver? SuperSolver was built to solve a very specific problem: the complexity of comparing Australian superannuation funds. At the time, industry funds and retail funds had vastly different fee structures, and comparing "apples-to-apples" was a nightmare for advisers.…
Everything you need to know about running a successful back-office.
How to create outstanding experiences that build trust and loyalty.
Advice practices share what they’re doing to achieve success in their business.
Industry insights on the changing landscape and future of advice.
