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50 for 50: A journey through advice and investment
I turn 50 this year. I know — many of you will be shocked. Surely someone so full of energy, wit, and devastating good looks couldn’t possibly be hitting the half-century mark? But it’s true. And instead of dwelling on it, I’m embracing it. I’m celebrating by doing 50 things for 50 — new experiences, new places, new challenges. One of those is traveling to different parts of the world to understand how financial advice is evolving globally.
The world of advice, investment solutions, portfolios, and platforms is shifting rapidly. The traditional silos are melting away, with firms vertically integrating and offering overlapping services. It’s no longer just advisers advising, fund managers managing, and platforms platforming. Instead, it’s a melting pot of roles, blurring lines between advice, investment management, and fintech. It’s fascinating to witness.
Last year, I spent time in the US, meeting professionals in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles. What struck me was the scale of the advice industry — firms managing hundreds of billions of dollars, embracing technology at a pace that makes our local industry look like we’re still faxing investment recommendations. The US has long been the leader in independent financial advice, but even there, the convergence of investment management and financial planning is accelerating. RIAs (Registered Investment Advisers) are building their own portfolios, platforms are moving into direct client relationships, and technology is driving hyper-personalisation at scale.
This year, I’m turning my focus to Asia. Singapore, in particular, is a financial powerhouse — an intersection of old wealth, new capital, and some of the most sophisticated regulatory frameworks in the world. Asia will be a key driver of demographic and economic power for the remainder of my career (and beyond), and it’s essential to understand how advice is growing in the region. With rising affluence, younger investors embracing digital-first solutions, and a strong institutional wealth management sector, the opportunity for financial advice is immense. But the model is different — fewer independent advisers, more private banking influence, and a regulatory landscape that doesn’t always encourage the kind of client-centric advice model we see in Australia.
I’m also making a point of visiting New Zealand this year. Across the ditch, the financial advice industry is growing in scale and sophistication. It reminds me of where Australia was a couple of decades ago —small, fragmented, but with massive potential. I hope that, as an industry, we in Australia can help our Kiwi counterparts navigate their next phase of growth. We’ve made plenty of mistakes from which they can learn, and plenty of innovations they can embrace.
Travel broadens the mind. Whether it’s sipping coffee with a veteran adviser in Boston, discussing fintech trends with a wealth platform CEO in Singapore, or watching an independent New Zealand firm carve out its niche, every conversation is a learning opportunity. The challenges may differ by market, but the core questions remain the same: How do we deliver value to clients? How do we embrace change without losing sight of what matters? Where does the future of financial advice truly lie?
Turning 50 isn’t about slowing down. If anything, it’s about speeding up — exploring, learning, and bringing new ideas home. I can’t wait to share what I learn along the way. In fact, you can even join me on this journey. I’ll be heading to Queenstown for Investment Leaders Forum QT in August, touring the US at the back end of August and early September, and then visiting Singapore in mid-October. I’m looking forward to sharing these experiences with friends new and old, and I guess with the big 5-0 the drinks will be on me!
