How we found the Financial Planner of the Year
Money Management has been presenting the Financial Planner of the Year Award since 1987, and in 2004, received a record number of nominations from across Australia. Nominees were required to submit entries demonstrating outstanding achievement and the pursuit of professional excellence in the categories of career achievement and professional development, input to the profession and contributions to the community.
As always, the comprehensiveness and high standard of entries made the judging process a difficult task. Our five judges scored each entry to come up with a list of finalists and ultimately the overall winner.
Each entrant received a score out of 100, with a mark out of 40 for career achievement, which includes education, practice development, management and career highlights; a mark out of 40 for input to the profession, covering involvement with industry associations and bodies, and improving consumer awareness of planning through the media and pro bono work; and a mark out of 20 for contributions to the community, which includes efforts such as charity work and involvement with community programs and causes.
The Financial Planner of the Year receives a trip to the 2005 US FPA Success Forum in San Diego to the value of $10,000. Money Management would like to thank the judges for their assistance, the entrants for their participation, and the award’s major sponsor, Tyndall.
Recommended for you
Ahead of the 1 January 2026 education deadline for advisers, ASIC has issued its ‘final warning’ to the industry, reporting that more than 2,300 relevant providers could be on their way out.
As high-net-worth investors look to opportunities in alternatives, Praemium has revealed that advisers who can deliver on this demand tend to have deeper relationships with their clients as they are seeking more involvement in the investment process.
As adviser-client relationships stabilise, Investment Trends’ latest report said digital hybrid advice models are key to addressing the supply-demand gap in Australia.
A Koda Capital partner and executive team member, who joined the firm from almost a decade in advice roles at AMP, has departed the wealth manager.

