Transparency key in fee debate
Transparency represents the key to the fee-for-service versus commissions debate, according to a survey of financial advisers conducted by ZurichAustralia.
The online survey found that 58 per cent of advisers thought providing the customer fully understood what they were being charged it was not really a problem.
The survey found that 20 per cent of advisers believed that, given the choice, most customers would prefer commissions, while 14 per cent said switching to fee-for-service would go a long way towards legitimising the professional standing of advisers.
The survey suggested that advisers were divided on the question of whether the proposed abolition of end taxes and reasonable benefits limits was likely to affect their business, with 44 per cent saying there was likely to be no net effect while 40 per cent were not sure.
Recommended for you
A former Victorian financial adviser has been sentenced after stealing $4.4 million from clients, family and friends to feed his “raging gambling addiction”.
Advice licensee Centrepoint Alliance has acquired the financial advice book of superannuation fund Brighter Super and will become the preferred partner to provide advice to its members.
The association has expressed its support for the Opposition’s commitment to making financial advice a “national priority”, alongside its bold target of reaching 30,000 advisers.
Australian investors are increasingly turning to financial advisers as their top source of information, with more than a third using them for investment guidance.