Financial Standard

Nominations open for the 2026 Power50

STAFF WRITER   Nominations for the 2026 Financial Standard Power50 are now open as we recognise the country's most influential advisers who continue to raise the standards for the profession and provide outstanding service to clients and the wider community.

Advice veteran's exit creates $1bn Tassie wealth group

KARREN VERGARA   Mancell Financial Group (MFG) founder Peter Mancell has retired as a financial adviser after 46 years, selling the business he built to pave the way for a $1 billion wealth management firm in Tasmania.

Income generating index ETFs gain traction post Budget

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Income ETFs have seen another record month of flows as the shift towards yield-focused funds gathers momentum, according to the latest ETF Market Scoop from Global X ETFs.

TA Associates sells Russell Investments

KARREN VERGARA   Russell Investments marks another change in ownership as private equity firm TA Associates announced it will sell the fund manager to a B Capital-led consortium that includes CalPERS.

Final report into Life Code makes 85 recommendations

MATTHEW WAI   The final report of an independent review of the Life Insurance Code of Practice has been finalised, proposing some 85 recommendations across aspects of mental health, customer vulnerability, claims handling, and sales practices.

Treasury releases adverse genetic test results ban draft regulation

KARREN VERGARA   Treasury is seeking feedback on draft regulations that ban the use of adverse genetic test results in life insurance, which come into effect on October 8.

Lack of awareness impacts retirement satisfaction: TAL

MATTHEW WAI   New research indicates that although around 90% of retirees selecting pension accounts or lifetime income streams were satisfied with their decision, less than two in five (38%) pre-retirees understood how those products work.

Investment performance will not help smaller balances: Research

MATTHEW WAI   Recent research from Monash University demonstrated retirees will require a balance above $400,000 to achieve sustainable retirement without investment-related constraints.

IMF downgrades Australian outlook

ELIZA BAVIN   The International Monetary Fund has downgraded the outlook for Australia while the RBA's Sarah Hunter has signalled another cash rate hike could be on the cards.

Inflation cools, RBA facing 'uncomfortable trade-off'

ELIZA BAVIN   While inflation has cooled, it remains stubbornly above the Reserve Bank's target range, putting the central bank in a tricky position, experts say.

Treasury responds to Debelle's review into the AOFM

KARREN VERGARA   Treasury has responded to the Guy Debelle-led review into the Australian Office of Financial Management (AOFM), agreeing to all six recommendations.

ASIC cancels Trive Financial's AFSL as review into CFDs continues

VINNY VUCAGO   ASIC has cancelled the Australian financial services licence (AFSL) of contracts for difference (CFD) issuer Trive Financial Services Australia, after determining the company was no longer carrying on a financial services business in Australia.

MaxCap hires from Vanguard, AustralianSuper

MATTHEW WAI   MaxCap has welcomed two senior directors, including a portfolio manager from Australia's largest super fund, reporting to the recently named chief executive Kylie Robb.

Focus Partners Australia appoints head of wealth advisory

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Focus Partners Australia has appointed a head of wealth advisory, hiring from Ord Minnett.

ASFA makes suggestions for performance test overhaul

VINNY VUCAGO   The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) has called for the federal governments annual superannuation performance test to be modernised, arguing the current framework is discouraging long-term investment assets such as housing, infrastructure and renewable energy.

AutralianSuper injects $500m in Indian infrastructure

MATTHEW WAI   AustralianSuper will increase its commitment to India's National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) with a further $500 million, taking the fund's overall holdings in India across all asset classes to $3.3 billion.

HeirWealth launches AI integration

VINNY VUCAGO   HeirWealth has launched a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server allowing financial advisers, accountants and family offices to query consolidated client wealth data through artificial intelligence assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude.

SS&C to accept digital cash for tokenised investments

MATTHEW WAI   SS&C Technologies Holdings is planning to adopt digital cash such as stablecoins and tokenised commercial bank deposits during the transactions of tokenised investments.

Australia welcomes 25k to millionaires' club: UBS

KARREN VERGARA   Australia's club of millionaires jumped by 25,000 last year thanks to booming property values and fat superannuation balances, according to the lasts UBS Global Wealth Report.

Family office succession takes back seat to investments

KARREN VERGARA   While family offices have investment strategies down pat, the state of their succession plans paint another story, which reports suggest could undermine a seamless transfer of a vast amount of wealth.