Editor's Choice
Australia's retirement system receives first A-grade
|Australia's retirement system has finally received an A-grade rating in the annual Marsh CFA Institute Global Pension Index after stagnating at the B+ level for the last five years.
Brighter Super changes up investment, insurance fees
|Not-for-profit fund Brighter Super has introduced numerous changes to its fees, decreasing investment fees while increasing insurance costs.
Channel Capital wins distribution mandate
|Channel Capital has been appointed by Coller EQT to distribute, promote and service investor support to the two secondaries strategies currently available in Australia.
Perpetual asset management outflows hit $9.6bn
|Perpetual's asset management business recorded $9.6 billion in net outflows during the September quarter, weighing on funds under management as its Corporate Trust Division reached a record $1.4 trillion in funds under administration.
Further Reading
Products
Expert Feed
When geopolitics becomes a portfolio risk
Geopolitics is back - again - and Australian investors can no longer treat it as distant background noise.
Does association membership still matter?
With all the changes the advice sector has experienced in recent years, such as regulatory reform and increased education and professional standards ...
Digital assets and where they stand in 2026
So far in 2026 digital assets have captured the headlines largely for the wrong reasons, but that doesn't tell the full story.
Rethinking default design in a changing market environment
The evolution underway in the US DC system highlights the value of periodically reassessing default design assumptions.
Featured Profile
David Sharpe
CHAIRMAN
FINANCIAL ADVICE ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA
FINANCIAL ADVICE ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA
A family man, business owner, cricket fanatic and financial adviser, David Sharpe has many facets. One of his biggest legacies, as he steps down as chair of the Financial Advice Association Australia, is leaving the profession stronger than he found it.
The Financial Standard podcast Tune in each week as we discuss the latest developments in Australia's wealth management industry. |  |
The disappointing aspect of the government's approach to regulation in the financial services arena, is that they are perpetually looking in the rear-view mirror and 'fixing' what they perceive to be wrong: the dog is chasing it's tail.
What is needed is a 'clean sheet' approach involving collaboration between the legislators, regulators, providers, advisers and clients to design a 'system' to meet a community need.
Coincidentally, many of the necessary elements are in place; regrettably, their implementation has been haphazard, onerous, costly and poorly communicated.
Our practice - and the team comprising it - cope with the change by keeping the one focus that has always been the purpose of our existence, on our clients, their best interests and to do so as 'professionally' as possible, ethically, transparently and as well communicatred as we can.