Advice should be embedded in super
The Investment and Financial Services Association (IFSA) has called for changes to the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act (SIS Act) to expressly recognise the role of financial advice in superannuation.
In its submission to the Cooper Review, IFSA has pointed out that the regulatory and legislative environment surrounding superannuation has changed dramatically since the SIS Act was originally introduced, and that it needs to be amended to reflect these changes.
The submission noted that amongst the most dramatic changes was the implementation of the Financial Services Reform Act (FSRA).
The IFSA submission has also taken a direct swipe at the level of investment in direct property and other illiquid assets by industry superannuation funds, suggesting that they should be revalued every 12 months as a mandatory requirement.
Calling for appropriate further amendments to the SIS Act, IFSA said illiquid funds or investment options should be defined as those with 20 per cent or more invested in illiquid assets, consistent with the Corporations Act definition.
It said that the illiquid assets would then need to be revalued at least every 12 months, and that illiquid funds would need to align their redemption and valuation processes to preserve equity and guard against arbitrage.
Recommended for you
The FSCP has announced its latest verdict, suspending an adviser’s registration for failing to comply with his obligations when providing advice to three clients.
Having sold Madison to Infocus earlier this year, Clime has now set up a new financial advice licensee with eight advisers.
With licensees such as Insignia looking to AI for advice efficiencies, they are being urged to write clear AI policies as soon as possible to prevent a “Wild West” of providers being used by their practices.
Iress has revealed the number of clients per adviser that top advice firms serve, as well as how many client meetings they conduct each week.