Ludovic Theau from Australian Ethical speaks to Laurence Parker-Brown from The Inside Network on what has changed across this investment theme in the last few years. The Inside Adviser
The average financial adviser is older and brings in more revenue than they did a year ago, but that hasn’t translated into a fatter salary according to data from Adviser Ratings.
CFS and The Inside Network align for adviser-focused insiders community
Leading education and conference group, The Inside Network, has partnered with Colonial First State for the launch of a new community focussed on supporting financial advisers to bridge the growing advice gap.
The Inside Network’s insiders community is a collective of independent and dealer-aligned financial advisers, and practices that will benefit from the group’s program of events and educational offerings spanning investment, portfolio construction and practice efficiency.
The community will support collaboration, offering access to a significant network of industry stakeholders, while offering a range of discounts on both business and lifestyle services.
With affordability still a pressing issue for government, insiders will launch an awards program that seeks to acknowledge the many contributors to the success and strength of financial advice practices and the industry in general.
For CFS, the move is confirmation of the group’s commitment to the future of the financial advice industry, coming after the release of the first new investment platform, CFS Edge, in two decades.
“Being an investment guy at heart, I get a huge amount of value in being part of a cohort that has a deep understanding of the investment piece.”
Charlie Viola, managing director at Pitcher Partners
According to CFS’ distribution lead Bryce Quirk (pictured, right), the advice industry is at a “critical juncture” and in dire need of support if it is to deliver quality advice to greater numbers of Australians.
“From our perspective, the insiders community is an ideal vehicle to deliver our core values – helping Australians achieve financial freedom through strong, long-term performance, low fees, and access to a wide range of investment products from leading investment managers,” Quirk said.
The Inside Network’s executive chair, Jamie Nemtsas (pictured, left), carried a similar theme, noting that the involvement of CFS would provide the necessary support for the insiders community to add scale to its offering and become even more valuable for advisers and their associates. Collegiate communities like insiders, he believes, will form an integral role in rebuilding the advice industry after a confluence of events contributed to adviser numbers falling over 40 per cent to less than 16,000 in 2023.
“We’re seeing a strong upsurge in like-minded communities in different parts of the economy, the tech sector being a prime example – in this instance, the insiders is creating an environment in which advisers can share their expertise, ideas, and industry insights with the aim of both running more efficient practices that ultimately support advising more clients” he said.
The partnership between The Inside Network and CFS will see the group expand beyond its suite of popular, investment-focused events, towards practice growth, business efficiency and the future of the industry.
According to prominent adviser and foundation Insiders member Charlie Viola, a partner at advice group Pitcher Partners, having CFS on board with the community solidifies the value it brings to advisers.
“To have CFS actively involved in insiders can only enhance it and make it more accessible to more good quality advisers seeking out value adding investment knowledge,“ he said.
