Industry

The lockdowns of 2021 and a trend for younger people to set up a self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) have driven a sharp growth in the number of funds being established in Australia with assets their assets under management (AUM) now approaching $1 trillion.

Once a stalking horse for a small cabal of noisy backbenchers, “Home First, Super Second” has found its way into the Coalition’s policy arsenal ahead of an unpredictable election.

“We are at a critical crossroad, with an aging population, and the “Great Australian Wealth Transfer” at our doorstep” explained Lifespan Financial Planning CEO Eugene Ardino in an open letter to Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese on the eve of the Federal Election.

The Financial Planning Association (FPA) has outlined its policy platform, or target areas for the next Federal Government.

A bounce in share markets in March supported superannuation fund performance in the first quarter of 2022. However, with inflation concerns mounting, global share markets remain volatile, including the hard-hit US share market, which is likely to dent superannuation returns for the current financial year. 

In 2021 the “Your Future Your Super” (YFYS) performance test was introduced to gauge whether default super funds, which collected billions in guaranteed contributions, were up-to-scratch in terms of their investment performance. Speaking at the SMSF Association’s National Conference 2022, Philip La Greca, executive manager of SMSF Technical & Strategic Solutions at Super Concepts, who…

Key findings from the Australian Financial Advice Landscape Report 2022 have painted a grim picture for the financial advice industry, predicting higher client fees and dwindling adviser numbers. Without a doubt, the last few years have been tough on financial advisers. Increasing compliance burdens have gone through the roof, going back to university to sit…

The Stockbrokers and Financial Advisers Association (SAFAA) is changing its name to the Stockbrokers and Investment Advisers Association (SIAA). The subtle change of replacing ‘Financial’ with ‘Investment’ Advisers is believed to better reflect the new SIAA’s broader purpose and its place in the industry. The old word, “financial,” was inaccurate and slightly misleading, according to…

Year after year of growing compliance requirements placed on the financial advice sector likely came to a crescendo with the Financial Services Royal Commission. The introduction of FASEA, additional education requirements and Code of Ethics whilst on their own were a positive step towards professionalisation. However, they added another burden to an industry that most…

While the government’s Your Future, Your Super (YFYS) reform package, which took effect last July, has been widely derided by the industry, it is the first step in a move to requiring the industry to improve its efficiency, transparency and accountability. One of the unexpected consequences of the YFYS changes is the fact that it…

There was both despair and positivity when the much-anticipated changes to the transparency of industry super fund proposals was released recently. Both 2020 and 2021 have seen growing pressure on the industry fund sector from the Coalition government and a number of committees as they sought to lift the lid on the massive part of…

The regulatory focus has once again returned to the industry or union superannuation fund sector in recent weeks. The Australian Securities and Investment Commission disclosed that they had been investigating the investment decisions of super fund executives at as many of 23 funds amid the pandemic. The incredibly uncertain times that occurred in March 2020…