FS Advice

Wills and 'the guilt of giving'

LARISA KAPUR   A Will should be structured in a way that reflects your personal wishes, not the expectations of those around you.

An introduction to philanthropic giving

DAVID BARRETT   This article introduces financial advisers to the financial planning considerations that arise when clients have philanthropic goals.

21 years of data and passive usually beat active

BETASHARES   The results are in - 21 years of data, and passive usually beat active. The SPIVA scorecard comes of age this year.

Halal investing versus ethical investing

HEJAZ FINANCIAL SERVICES   Halal investing is a process that aligns with Islamic principles and is sometimes called Shariah investing or Shariah-compliant investing.

A ticking time bomb

JONATHAN LIGHT, VALESKA BLOCH, JOSHUA ANDERSON, EMILIANA GALLEGO   Insurers heavily scrutinise organisations' ability to prevent, anticipate and withstand cyber-attacks when deciding whether or not to offer cyber insurance.

Gearing and insurance

NADIA CASSIDY   With the considerable changes to insurance since the Life Insurance Framework and changes legislated by The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) in the last few years, insurance is an area that we are seeing advisers approach less and less.

Are NFTs and NFPs a match made in heaven?

DARREN FITTLER   Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) exploded in popularity in 2021. Fundraising teams within some charities and not-for-profits (NFPs) who were in the midst of pivoting their strategies because of COVID-19, took note of this demand and used NFTs to raise substantial sums for their causes.

AI regulation in Australia

SIMON BURNS, JEN BRADLEY   The Australian Government has recently released the discussion paper Supporting responsible AI: discussion paper, seeking industry feedback to inform the government's approach to regulating AI-whether through mandatory or voluntary mechanisms-to help support responsible AI practices and mitigate potential risks.

Debunking myths of lifetime annuities

MANSI DESAI   Lifetime income streams, such as a lifetime annuity, can provide an important benefit to a portfolio, in that they can help address the issue of longevity risk.

The evolution of superannuation operating models

PETER SHERRIFF, CLAYTON ISSITT   Regulatory and stakeholder demands are driving superannuation funds to evaluate their operating models, with a focus on improving efficiency, preparing for potential mergers and scaling in a sustainable fashion.

Navigating the transfer balance cap

STEPHEN BLAKE   The transfer balance cap imposes a limit on the amount of capital that can be held in retirement phase in order to support a retirement phase superannuation income stream - also commonly referred to as a superannuation pension.

The decumulation puzzle

SIMON BRINSMEAD, MEHER EDIBAM   The UK defined contribution (DC) pension system is a relatively immature system compared with three decades of defined contribution history here in Australia. Despite this, the UK is already making significant progress in moving forward with ideas to make retirement simple for members.

Fringe benefits tax essentials

CHRISANTHE LEKATIS   Fringe benefits tax (FBT) is a tax payable by employers on certain benefits provided to employees.

Asset distribution and guardianship of children in estate planning

NATALIE COMERFORD   Couples often find themselves at a crossroads when contemplating what happens to their assets after they pass away, and deciding who would assume guardianship of their children.

Thinking about self-licensing?

SEAN GRAHAM   We recently learnt that 98% of the new advice licensees that commenced operation in 2023 were 'micro-licensees'-that is, licensees with fewer than ten advisers.

Understanding AFCA: Powers and remedies

BARTIER PERRY LAWYERS   The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) complaints against financial firms in the banking and finance space rose 27% in the financial year ending 30 June 2023, bringing the total complaints in that sector to 53,638.

Is debt recycling a smart strategy?

MARK LAMONICA   Investors seeking to use the equity in their homes to grow their wealth are faced with numerous considerations and should approach such a strategy with care and caution.

The 'sophisticated' investor

NICOLE RADICE, REBECCA RUTLAND   When raising capital in Australia, corporations are generally required to comply with the disclosure obligations under the Corporations Act 2001 (Corporations Act) by providing prospective investors with sufficient information about the company's operations and financial position prior to offering the relevant securities.

CX: Experiences that keep your customers coming back

JODIE KNOWLTON   The way customers or clients interact with businesses has rapidly evolved in recent years. What has not changed, however, is the need to provide an outstanding experience in order to retain those customers.

Lessons for communicating risk and uncertainty

SIMON RUSSELL   For those who never saw the film Don't Look Up, it is a movie about how the human race responds when they discover that a large comet is on a collision course with Earth. One interesting aspect about the movie was how it dealt with risk and uncertainty in decision-making.