Newspaper icon
The latest issue of Financial Standard now available as an e-newspaper
READ NOW

Financial Planning

ASIC presses on with Westpoint compensation

ASIC RELEASE  |  MONDAY, 30 NOV 2009
ASIC has reached an agreement to settle class actions against Bongiorno Financial Advisors, which has links to the failed Westpoint Group.

Men behaving womanly

MICHELLE BALTAZAR  |  MONDAY, 30 NOV 2009
Men are living longer than they used to, partly because they are adopting the same healthy lifestyles as women, and the narrowing of the mortality gap between both genders must be factored in any financial plan, said a demographics expert.

IOOF eyes more cost cutting

MICHAEL HOBBS  |  MONDAY, 30 NOV 2009
Chris Kelaher, managing director at IOOF Holdings, has flagged cutting the number of products and services, including investment platforms, the business provides to financial planners.

UniSuper rolls out advice service

COMPANY RELEASE  |  MONDAY, 30 NOV 2009
UniSuper has launched its financial advice service across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

Planners should already be fiduciaries

ALEX DUNNIN  |  MONDAY, 30 NOV 2009
As the industry digests the Ripoll Report and the focus shifts to the core question of what fiduciary responsibility means for advisers, a leading superannuation author says advisers accepting commissions as payments are already breaching these obligations.

Shadforth eyes direct shares

MICHAEL HOBBS  |  FRIDAY, 27 NOV 2009
Shadforth Financial Group is looking to appoint an external firm to provide direct shares capabilities to its financial advisers and is also reviewing its broking business in a bid to provide different levels of advice to a wider range of clients.

The downside of Ripoll

MICHELLE BALTAZAR  |  TUESDAY, 24 NOV 2009
The challenge facing financial planners in complying with the Ripoll Report's recommendation of legislating fiduciary duty is how it can be codified, said a law expert.

Ripoll recommends investor compensation fund

MICHAEL HOBBS  |  TUESDAY, 24 NOV 2009
The Parliamentary Joint Committee (PJC) said the government should investigate launching a "last resort statutory compensation fund" to cover financial advice licensee failings.

Lessons learned from Opes Prime

RUTH LIEW  |  TUESDAY, 24 NOV 2009
From selling sophisticated products to retail investors to ineffective disclosure, the Ripoll Inquiry has investigated the factors that fuelled the failure of Opes Prime - and outlined what needs to be done to prevent future disasters.

Ripoll heats up sales or advice debate

RUTH LIEW  |  TUESDAY, 24 NOV 2009
Are financial planners sales professionals or do they advice clients to use products that best suit their needs? The Ripoll Inquiry has taken a serious look at where planners' allegiances lie.