Editor's Choice
Advisers lean on AQF7 to meet education standards: Rainmaker
A new report indicates that Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) 7 qualifications are the most common forms of qualification among financial advisers, held by 85% of the population.
Labor commits to compulsory super for under-18 workers
Labor has unanimously supported extending superannuation to under-18 Australian workers.
Trump slugs Australia with new 'forced-labour' tariffs
US President Donald Trump will slug trading partners, including Australia, with new tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on the premise of pressuring foreign governments to strengthen bans on "the importation of goods produced with forced labour."
Centuria quashes governance allegations amid fund downgrades
Centuria Capital Group has swiftly provided a response to media reports suggesting that its exposure to the Bathla Group, a Sydney-based property constructor and developer, raised questions over its governance, following a downgrade of one of its private credit funds this week.
Videos
Brought to you by ![]()
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
Hugh Killen
MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL COMPANY LIMITED
AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL COMPANY LIMITED
For Hugh Killen, several life lessons came from spending time on pastoral properties stretching across northern New South Wales and South-West Queensland.
The Financial Standard podcast Tune in each week as we discuss the latest developments in Australia's wealth management industry. |  |
I'd like to clarify one thing in your story. It's not that existing MDI options don't work - it's that they involve lots of moving parts, plenty of trustee involvement & lots of complexity all round. It's coming to terms with all of this that seems to have slowed down the momentum for MDI implementation.
In my talk, I identified a range of areas where MDI could be - & will be - extended but this is going to take some time, & will be accompanied by the growth of associated advice services.
Does this explain why Australia's largest super fund has increased its Member Direct annual fee by a massive 119% effective from June 1st, 2015? Is this an exit strategy or just a means of having members fund ballooning costs of running MDI options. Such fees render the MDI option borderline.