Sydney planner permanently banned
Sydney-based financial adviser, Gavin Fineff, has been permanently banned from providing any financial services, controlling a financial services business, or performing any function involved in carrying on a financial services business by the corporate regulator.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) found Fineff misused his position for personal gain which deprived clients and others of their funds.
He also engaged in misleading and dishonest conduct where he sourced over $5 million from clients and individuals as loans and, without their knowledge, gambled and lost a significant amount of those funds.
Fineff was an authorised representative of Sentinel Wealth Management from 12 December, 2011, to 20 March, 2020. He was also a responsible manager under Sentinel’s Australian financial services licence from 12 November, 2015, to 20 March, 2020.
ASIC said it also found Fineff was providing financial services outside of his authorisation from Sentinel and that he had acted in conflict, and competed, with Sentinel.
ASIC found Mr Fineff:
- Breached financial services laws by failing to act in the best interests of his clients and engaging in unlicensed conduct;
- Is likely to breach financial services laws in the future;
- Is not adequately trained or competent to provide financial services, perform any function as an officer that carries on a financial services business or control an entity that carries a financial services business; and
- Is not a fit and proper person to provide financial services, perform any function as an officer that carries on a financial services business or control an entity that carries a financial services business.
Recommended for you
The director of Ascent Investment and Coaching, Michael Dunjey, has been charged with 33 criminal offences.
Adviser Ratings’ latest financial landscape report finds there is a demographic of advice practices achieving an average revenue of $5 million, with only 3 per cent of practices overall seeing a revenue decline.
The FAAA is calling for regulators to take a partnership approach with financial advisers regarding incoming legislation, rather than treating the industry as “guinea pigs”.
There have been strong numbers of returning advisers this year so far, according to Wealth Data, already surpassing the same period for 2024.
