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Trust will define the future of AI in advice
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…
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Is superannuation still king? The three questions your clients are actually asking about Division 296
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,…
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The accommodation shift for aged care
One of the most fundamental decisions for anyone contemplating a move into residential aged care is understanding the room cost and how they will fund it. And this became more complicated and expensive from 1 November 2025. Higher room prices The first impact was the rise in room prices throughout 2025, with average…
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Your practice already has permission: Stop waiting for DBFO
The Minister for Financial Services has said it plainly. DBFO reforms remain a priority, but Shield and First Guardian have made the environment "more complex," and there are no firm timelines for Tranche 2. In other words, don’t hold your breath; you might be waiting a while. The proposed new class of adviser may not…
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We’ve heard this track before
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…
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Where next with the CSLR?
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…
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No-one knows retirement like an adviser
Australia is entering a decisive phase in its retirement system. A perfect storm of demographic change, policy reform and rising cost pressures is forcing a fundamental rethink of financial advice. By 2034, almost a quarter of Australian adults will be entering the retirement phase, shifting the system’s centre of gravity…
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The black lanyard
The first thing you should know about Advisely's expedition to Perth's FAAA Congress is that we had a sexy elevator. It wasn't sexy at first. When it shuddered to life, you’d hear a mechanical scream. But once you reached your hotel floor, a beautiful – barely intelligible, but beautiful – voice emerged from the din.…
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Into the void
The FAAA Congress has come around again – only this year, things seem different. Maybe it’s the heat or it’s just the end of the year, but something’s missing. Advisers moved through the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, refueling on fresh juice and whatever merch would fit in their branded tote bags. There was much…
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Search and destroy
Geoff Wilson's first rule of investing is pretty simple: don't lose money. If you want to know the second and third rules, refer back to the first. While the particulars of his investment philosophy have evolved over the past 50 years – and more on that in a bit – that first rule is sacrosanct. And it’s exactly what led…