JAMIE WILLIAMSON   Westpac is realigning its wealth strategy and BT Financial Group will cease as a standalone division. The group has also agreed to sell a number of advisers to Viridian Advisory.KANIKA SOOD   The share of financial advisers using ETFs for their clients has increased last year, according to the latest BetaShares Investment Trends ETF report.

HARRISON WORLEY   Shareholders of a listed investment company fear Labor's proposed franking credit changes will hit them hard.KANIKA SOOD   QIC has partnered with a Dutch pension giant to acquire 36% of a European airport.

ELIZABETH MCARTHUR   The life insurance industry is pushing ahead with the rollout of new rules on genetic testing despite a delay.HARRISON WORLEY   TAL went back-to-back, winning the Association of Financial Advisers' Life Company of the Year award for a second year running in Sydney recently.

HARRISON WORLEY   The flow of retirement savings from superannuation funds to the self-managed sector continues. But is the river drying up?KANIKA SOOD   A fund that gives SMSFs and HNWs exposure to unlisted infrastructure assets like airports and toll roads is planning to raise $50 million in March

BENJAMIN ONG   Year to date, the AUD has appreciated by 0.9% versus the greenback.BENJAMIN ONG   In case you haven't noticed, the volatility ("fear") gauges of both the equity and bond markets have been coming down since the Fed announced its pause early this year.

ELIZABETH MCARTHUR   The Federal Government has responded to the recommendation from the Royal Commission that financial service industry codes of conduct should be enforceable by ASIC.KARREN VERGARA   Financial Standard's latest spot poll reveals Labor's proposed changes to negative gearing will not curb the housing affordability crisis.

KARREN VERGARA   A $330 million fund manager appointed a new chief operating officer, while its chief financial officer has resigned.HARRISON WORLEY   The chief risk and compliance officer of an industry superannuation fund managing more than $6 billion has made the move to a bigger fund.

KANIKA SOOD   Industry Super Australia chair Greg Combet says the ACTU had the right to express its views and the law ensures that only what is in members' interest get through a superannuation trustee board.KANIKA SOOD   The UK has green flagged a new type of pension scheme on the back of union demand, joining Denmark and Netherlands which use a similar system.

ELIZABETH MCARTHUR   The $1 billion New Payment Platform seems to be another headache for the big banks.KANIKA SOOD   The business management platform for advisers has integrated with IRESS XPLAN, leveraging its recently released open API.

KANIKA SOOD   A new tribe of art collectors is emerging across the globe as younger high-net-worth individuals loosen their purse strings to buy more readily than the old guard, says a new UBS report.KANIKA SOOD   A prominent high-net-worth financial adviser is aiming to have 7-10% of his clients' portfolios in alternatives as the markets mature but he's eschewing hedge funds and picking private assets instead.