When a client moves into aged care, given that for many, a significant proportion of wealth is tied up in the family home, it is important to understand the impacts on social security and aged care means testing where the home is kept and rented out ... Read more

Residential aged care is that next step where, for a variety of reasons, a person can no longer live at home. Generally, this option is known to be for those who need that additional level of care. Read more

Accumulated through compulsory and voluntary contributions as well as earnings, superannuation is a significant source of retirement savings. As clients approach retirement, their minds often turn from accumulating to accessing their superannuation ... Read more

The superannuation system is based on the notion that you can build up your nest egg steadily over the course of your working life, but that is not always the case. Read more

People often ask why interest rates are so low, what is a negative interest rate and when will rates rise again. This paper explains the economics behind low interest rates, considers what Australia's central bank, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) ... Read more

Megatrends and disruption are not mutually exclusive, but inexorably entwined. Disruption is now playing a stimulant role to what has been going on for many years in pervasive global megatrends. Read more

The behaviour of financial assets during the 2020 pandemic triggered a re-examination of the role of correlation in portfolios. Most market participants were surprised that the historically observed negative correlation between certain assets did not ... Read more

If a security were to rise from 97 cents to $70,000 in 10 years, it would be hard for a financial adviser to not get calls from clients asking about it. Read more

One of the emerging risks raised in this year's Swiss Re SONAR New emerging risk insights report (SONAR report) is 'mental health among the young'. Read more

You might have read in the news of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) changes coming to income protection insurance contracts. APRA has announced a significant shakeup to income protection policies, and none of it benefits the customer. ... Read more

Financial advice is a service valued by many Australians, and many more are interested in seeking advice. However, it is currently not accessible to all. Read more

This paper looks at how financial advice businesses struggling to contain costs can use insights from benchmarking data to support better operational and strategic decisions. Read more

The minute the current fee-disclosure statement (FDS) and opt-in requirements became law, advisers across the country hung their heads in the knowing that this was going to add nothing to their client relationships other than an increase in costs due ... Read more

For the past decade, individual jurisdictions have fallen short of achieving the standardisation in trade reporting that would enable regulators to reach the level of transparency and global risk monitoring in the over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives ... Read more

Many responsible managers (RMs) of Australian financial services (AFS) licensees are curious to know what they have to do and whether they are personally exposed. To get a handle on these issues, you need to understand the framework in which RMs exi ... Read more

Making the most of introducing managed accounts into a financial advice practice will take a journey of two to three years. Read more

Thinking about setting some financial goals this year? Sounds simple enough right? But simple doesn't always mean easy. Read more

Individuals like Melissa Caddick, Melinda Scott and Bernie Madoff, when first exposed, initially elicit expressions of shocked disbelief; quickly replaced by outrage, overreaction and their categorisation as outliers. Read more

With Australia's COVID-19 vaccine program in full swing, businesses and banking institutions across the country are cautiously optimistic that the nation's economic recovery is about to kick into gear. Read more

With the financial year-end fast approaching, there is still time to take advantage of the various superannuation contribution strategies and concessions that are available. This paper comprises a brief summary of these strategies and concessions. Read more

The general transfer balance cap (GTBC) was introduced from 1 July 2017 and is a cap on the how much can be transferred to a retirement phase pension for a member. The cap ultimately restricts the entitlement an individual has to receive a tax exemption ... Read more

While most would agree that getting good client feedback is desirable, it can be difficult for a financial adviser to know what their clients actually think. Read more

Every March 31, the fringe benefits tax (FBT) year ends. With the ever-increasing budget deficits as a result of COVID-19, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will be reviewing whether all employers who should be paying FBT, are paying it and that ... Read more