Financial Standard

Centrepoint Alliance locks in hundreds of Brighter Super advice clients

ANDREW MCKEAN   Centrepoint Alliance, which entered into an agreement to acquire the advice book of Brighter Super, has confirmed that most eligible members opted to stay in the transition.

Entireti, Otivo enter strategic alliance for digital advice

ANDREW MCKEAN   Entireti and licensed digital advice platform Otivo have partnered up to build a scalable, low-cost solution to "meet the needs of consumers across the advice continuum."

Why emotions, cash derail good investments

KARREN VERGARA   While we know that during turbulent times it is critical not to let emotions get in the way of investing, an investment expert and former policymaker says it is equally important to remain active and not lean in on cash.

Most investment managers see outflows - but who captured the most?

ANDREW MCKEAN   Over the past year, most investment managers recorded net outflows, however, a few defied that trend in a big way, netting over $1 billion, according to Rainmaker Information.

Zurich fined over false and misleading statements

MATTHEW WAI   Zurich Australia has paid two infringement notices issued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) over alleged false and misleading statements to two policyholders.

TPD claim settlements take 'considerably longer': Rainmaker

MATTHEW WAI   New group insurance research finds that total permanent disability (TPD) claims are taking much longer to process, while death claims appear to have more efficient processes in place.

Panic selling of SMSF assets 'totally unnecessary'

ELIZA BAVIN   SMSF Alliance principal David Busoli says concerns over the government's $3 million super tax are overblown.

Webull launches SMSF account offering

ANDREW MCKEAN   Webull Securities Australia has launched a self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) account offering, targeting cost-conscious younger investors.

J.P. MAM slashes recession probability to 30%

KARREN VERGARA   J.P. Morgan Asset Management has slashed the probability of a recession eventuating in 2025 in half to 30% amid relief from the latest tariff announcements, but it warns risks remain elevated.

Productivity Commission identifies priority reform areas

ELIZA BAVIN   The Productivity Commission has identified 15 priority reforms areas to boost productivity and is seeking input to inform the draft recommendations in its interim reports.

ASIC accuses Kalkine of providing unlicensed advice

ELIZA BAVIN   The regulator said it has concerns Kalkine's customer service representatives were providing unlicensed financial advice.

Former director sentenced over 'test' trading accounts

MATTHEW WAI   A former financial services director, who dishonestly obtained near $1 million by tricking his clients into investing into a "test" trading platform, has had his sentence handed down.

Super moves: Future Fund, WTW

ELIZABETH FRY   A head of credit from WTW has rejoined the asset consultancy and the Future Fund beefs up its Sydney office.

ANZ Staff Super loses investment head

ELIZABETH FRY   The staff superannuation scheme's investment head has resigned after less than a year in the role.

Super tax debate suffocates action for low-income Australians

ANDREW MCKEAN   As politicians, industry groups, and financial experts spar over the $3 million super tax, which will only affect a fraction of Australians, another critical problem is being ignored.

Age-based super strategies could add thousands to retirement savings

ANDREW MCKEAN   Australians in default investment options could collectively be $46 billion better off with age-based personalised strategies, according to analysis from Russell Investments.

Criminal attacks, human error drive data breaches

JAMIE WILLIAMSON   There was 54 data breaches reported to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by financial services organisations in 2024.

AMP, intelliflo introduce dashboard enhancements for advisers

MATTHEW WAI   AMP and intelliflo have announced a suite of enhancements on their respective systems to offer better efficiency for advisers.

Family offices to splash cash in APAC

JAMIE WILLIAMSON   Most family offices intend to boost their allocations to Asia Pacific, excluding Greater China, over the next five years.

Bangarra Group awards real estate mandate

KARREN VERGARA   Family office Bangarra Group has appointed a real estate fund manager to help it build more than 3000 homes in the UK, of which one third will be dedicated to affordable housing.