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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…
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Why super funds shouldn’t meddle in adviser-client relationships
As financial advisers, we all want the best for our clients as they move into retirement. The government’s latest consultation on superannuation retirement income solutions is meant to help retirees get better outcomes, more choice and clearer information. On the surface, that’s something we can all get behind. As I read…
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The hidden truth in Australia's inheritance tax debate
Australia doesn’t have an inheritance tax – at least, not officially. But heading into 2026, the debate is heating up again, and financial advisers would be wise to pay attention. While many Australians assume their estate planning is simple in a country without death duties, the reality is far more complex. The largest…
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The bleak future of the CSLR
The FAAA saw merit in a comprehensive review of what went wrong at Dixon Advisory and why so much money was lost by so many clients. As it stands, the largest 10 financial institutions have already paid $203 million into the CSLR for Dixon Advisory claims alone. The advice profession, or whoever else pays the special levy,…
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This is tomorrow calling
“Sometimes, you need to be a bit provocative.” As a mission statement for the Financial Services Council’s Value and future of advice licensing green paper, that might seem a little reductive. For FSC CEO Blake Briggs, though, it gets the point across. If you haven’t already, you can read the full paper here. It goes into…
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How the new Aged Care Act impacts advisers
Australia’s aged care system is about to change in ways that will materially affect retirement plans, cash-flow strategies and advice conversations. A new Aged Care Act commences on 1 November 2025, introducing increased rights for older Australians and a strengthened regulatory model. Most importantly, though, it brings…
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Pretty hate machine
Confession time: back when I was a trade journalist during the Royal Commission, I never found the “few bad apples” defence very persuasive. Not because of any strongly-held convictions, mind you; it’s just that the pedant in me couldn’t tolerate an idiom being so woefully misused. If someone mentioned bad apples without…
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More human than human
Hi! I’m Montresor, your new AI assistant. Consider me an enzyme: I'm here to dissolve information into digestible chunks and let you know precisely when something isn’t this because—oh, you better believe it's em dash time—it’s actually that. Along the way, I’ll: * Summarise text into bullet-point lists wherever possible *…