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Australia, UK partner to procure well-regulated financial markets
Following its inaugural meeting in September 2025, the second UK-Australia Joint Financial Regulatory Forum took place this week, with Australia remaining vocal about placing greater emphasis on governance and asset valuation of private markets.
Count takes 30% stake in Brisbane advice firm
Count has agreed to acquire a 30% stake in Brisbane-based accounting and financial advice firm Apiary Financial, continuing its push to expand its equity partnership network while reporting stronger first-quarter earnings.
Audit quality continues to fall short: ASIC
The corporate regulator has called for improvements in audit quality and financial reporting after its latest surveillance found companies, including superannuation funds, are still not getting the fundamentals right.
ETFs entering 3.0 era: JPMAM
JPMAM believes thematic ETFs may become a thing of the past as actively managed ETFs become more prevalent.
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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
Jacqueline Fernley
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
ARC POINT OCIO PTY LTD
ARC POINT OCIO PTY LTD
Jacqueline Fernley is a self-confessed nerd, a market animal and as of this year, her own boss. Riddhima Talwani writes.
The Financial Standard podcast Tune in each week as we discuss the latest developments in Australia's wealth management industry. |  |
That is EXTREMELY poor form by the DSS - to make a ruling on a product, that is then launched and sold and then decide to reverse their decision in order to reduce their payments to those in Aged Care. A blatant and morally corrupt money grab at our most vulnerable. If the Government want to make changes to Social Security, they should propose them ahead of time (like the changes to AP income assessment from 1st January 2015), NOT look through previous rulings to reverse immediately without ruling to save some money and not even allow grandfathering for those who are already in product - entered into it in good faith.
"The Department of Social Services is working with Challenger to ensure that investors are appropriately informed by Centrelink about this reassessment prior to any changes taking effect."
That's like informing a person who is about to be run over by a car, that it hurts...!!
What good does that do for anyone, the driver, or the pedestrian?
Yep, nothing.
Various governments have changed their mind on how to assess various types of income streams probably 5-6 times over the last 10 years. Absolutely disgraceful. Basically no-one can plan their retirement properly because the govt backflips every 2-3 years.