Run a smarter advice practice with insights from the industry's best.
The CSLR today announced it has revised the 2026/27 levy estimate from the initial estimate of $137.5 million to $198.1 million, with $190.3 million related to the financial advice sector. This means that a special levy of $170.3 million will be required. The CSLR operator announced on 17 November 2025 that the initial…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
One of the hardest things in any profession is gaining the trust of those you are working for – your clients. It’s hard to earn and easy to lose. One of the things commented on by my younger colleagues is the length of time I’ve been working with most of my clients. I often have a throw-away line similar to: “she’s been…
There’s a track that keeps playing in financial advice. Every few years, a managed investment scheme runs into trouble. People who were counting on that money for retirement get hurt. The profession sits through another review, asking how it happened, followed by another CSLR special levy. Shield and First Guardian — more…
Every time-poor financial planner or business owner knows the feeling. You know you should be showing up consistently, educating your audience, posting regularly, staying front of mind. Often, marketing is the first thing to slip and it is a key value-add for clients, with consistency being key, yet it is the hardest thing…
Most advisers agree that referrals are the most powerful source of new clients. Yet many firms leave them to chance. The advisers who consistently receive referrals do not rely on luck or awkward asks. They build simple, repeatable habits around feedback, reviews, and appreciation. Referrals and reviews are closely linked.…
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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…
Update as at 21 July 2026 Release of the Individuals & Sole Traders form scheduled for release in this week's Xplan release. Following the initial analysis of the recent FAAA/FSC legislative updates, a delivery schedule has been finalised to integrate the updated Customer Identification Forms into Xplan. Release Schedule…
Did you know you can now roll multiple super funds into a single account on one screen without having to pass the money through a "transfer account" first? Why? The old way of moving money between funds was a bit of a treasure hunt and involved way too many steps. This update lets you consolidate Superfund 1, Superfund 2…
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…
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