STEPHEN ROMIC   The Royal Commission has the financial services industry on edge. Both large institutions and small are sitting up and paying attention as they have never before. Big changes are ...DANIEL BUTLER   We outline below the key superannuation changes announced in the Federal Budget 2018 on 8 May 2018. Some of the proposed changes will have a substantial impact on SMSFs if they ...

BEN INKER   For the last eight years, investing has seemed to be a pretty easy activity to most observers. Not only have markets given strong returns, but the apparent riskiness of both individual ...DOMINICK DEALTO   What a difference a quarter makes. When I last wrote in January, we remained cautiously risk on, but extremely nervous in the process. As I noted at the time, we saw risks that ...

NOBLEOAK LIFE INSURANCE   The traditional decision making models of 'needs awareness', 'information search', through to the 'purchase decision' is fast becoming outdated in the new ...NOBLEOAK LIFE INSURANCE   For the second year running, NobleOak has commissioned research to identify customer trends and behaviour in the life insurance and wider financial services industries. Surveying ...

JEROEN VAN OERLE   Robo-advice is a hotly debated topic in the fintech space. On the one hand it has opened up the low-wealth market, that was previously unservable, to finally be consulted on their ...HUB24 PTY LTD   In a world where technology is reshaping the way we live, it was always a question of when, not if, digital innovation would change the way consumers manage their money and their ...

DANIEL BUTLER   While there are a large number of cryptocurrencies in existence (currently over 1600), this article will focus on Bitcoin for simplicity. Our comments contained here may apply ...DAVID BARRETT   The transitional capital gains tax (CGT) relief election associated with the 2017 super reform measures is a generous concession offered to super fund trustees. It protects assets ...

JEREMY COOPER   Former Prime Minister Paul Keating conceded some years ago that the super system was not designed for people who were going to live over the age of 80. The system he conceived ...LIZ FORSYTH   No matter what we're buying, we all want a good customer experience - we want to think 'wow'. As consumers, we're becoming increasingly aware of what great customer ...

YVONNE CHU   WHAT'S CHANGED? From 1 July 2017, the 10% test that previously applied to personal deductible contributions has been removed. As a result, all clients under the age of 75 (including ...RAHUL SINGH   1 July 2017 heralds the start of a new set of rules relating to superannuation. A number of changes affect payment of a superannuation death benefit, requiring a change of thinking.

VINCE BATTAGLIA   Possible law reforms are on the agenda following the conclusion of the second round of hearings of the Financial Services Royal Commission. We identify the trends arising from ...GERARD MAGNER   The collapse of the Westpoint group and the loss of many millions of dollars of investors' funds has been the subject of much publicity. ASIC has recently announced that it ...

JAMIE WILLIAMSON   Having steadily evolved over time, the traditional role of the paraplanner is no more. With advice practices demanding more from support staff, the benefits of outsourcing becoming ...JULIE FOX   Claiming personal tax deductions for personal super contributions is a valuable new opportunity, if you don't get caught out by any of the common traps. This article outlines the ...

JENNY PEARSE   The rapid evolution of digital, mobile and social technology has propelled the financial advice industry into an era of transformative agility and adaptability. Australian financial ...MARTIN BRECKON   In a post FoFA world, the philosophy of best interest duties has become a part of doing business. though we can make a recommendation to hold life insurance cover in super, what ...