Count expands AFSL network
Following its acquisition of financial advice business Affinia from TAL, Count has welcomed an additional 11 advisers to its network.
While Affinia now sits under the Count umbrella following the acquisition, Tribel Advisory is the first advice firm to move over from the Affinia AFSL to the Count one.
Tribel is also one of the first firms to join from Affinia since Count’s acquisition in May 2023, which welcomed around 100 advisers to its national community.
The addition brought the combined business to a total of 400 advisers at the time and $17 billion in client funds under administration, representing 3,500 clients.
Hugh Humphrey, Count chief executive, previously said the acquisition of Affinia would position Count as one of Australia's leading integrated accounting and wealth services providers and a major player in the future of wealth management.
Commencing in 2015, Tribel’s client-centric offering aims to demystify the complexities of financial planning and empowers clients to achieve holistic financial wellbeing.
Jayson Walker, Tribel’s chief executive, described it as a “natural move” to join Count with their business model strongly paralleling Count’s commitment to the wealth services industry.
“Count is a business that supports advisers and accountants who are ultimately aiming to become professional integrated wealth and accounting firms. If that's the vision and direction in which Count is heading, why wouldn't we want to align and partner with a group that is going to deliver support to groups like us?”
According to Andrew Kennedy, Count’s chief advice officer, the entire Count network will be able to culturally benefit from the acquisition.
He said: “Tribel is a highly successful business that will act as a role model for others in our network. Their professionalism, community focus and unwavering commitment to clients encompasses everything we stand for as a business.”
Tribel’s holistic approach is to guide clients over the course of their financial journey, not just through traditional services such as insurance, investment and superannuation advice, but by helping clients consume solutions throughout their life.
The advice firm additionally does pro bono advisory work for the Cancer Council by offering financial advice to Australians affected by cancer each month.
Last month, it was also announced Count has entered into a binding scheme of arrangement under which Count will acquire 100 per cent of the shares in Diverger for total cash and scrip consideration of $45.3 million.
The deal, expected to complete in February 2024, will create a diversified financial services business with total revenue of $132 million, FUMA of $29 billion and around 550 financial advisers.
The combined business would be Australia's third largest licensee, behind Insignia and AMP.
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