The ifa Show

In this episode of The ifa Show, host Keith Ford is joined by Dawn Thomas, a senior wealth adviser with The Wealth Designers, to explore the challenges of completing a PhD while continuing to work as a financial adviser, as well as the ongoing challenges that the profession faces. Thomas discusses her PhD on Generation Z’s initial experience with superannuation, and the heavy workload of pursuing her research while balancing work and family obligations.

She also shares why she believes that combining her academic background with her practical experience will enhance her expertise and help improve financial literacy among younger individuals, ultimately fostering greater engagement with the superannuation system.

Listen as they discuss:

• The sacrifices she’s making to complete her PhD.
• Advisers’ struggle to be viewed as a profession.
• Improving people’s engagement with their super, and more.

In this episode of The ifa Show, host Keith Ford is joined by author and financial adviser Helen Baker to unpack the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and how financial advisers can highlight prime investment opportunities in the market. Baker identifies the industries set to benefit from AI for advisers looking to integrate these into client portfolios and the ethical concerns surrounding these new technologies. Listen as they discuss:

• The revolutionary benefits and potential dangers of AI.
• How clients can benefit from AI investments.
• The ESG considerations that advisers should keep in mind.

In this episode of The ifa Show, host Maja Garaca Djurdjevic is joined by Olympian and financial adviser at HLB Mann Judd Sarah Carli to discuss her experience at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the importance of being well prepared both on and off the track. Having competed in the 400-metre hurdles at the recently completed Paris Games, Carli explains the thought process of transitioning to retirement from athletics and dedicating more time to her financial advice career. Listen as they discuss:

• Readjusting to an office environment after competing in the Olympics.
• How a career as a track athlete has helped her become a better adviser and vice versa.
• Why financial advice is an appealing career for young people who may not know what it entails.

In this episode of The ifa Show, host Maja Garaca Djurdjevic and Eugene Ardino, CEO of Lifespan Financial Planning, explore the challenges that single adviser firms face and why they have an important place in the market. Ardino explains what the future holds for these firms and how reductions in red tape will make life easier, as well as how outsourcing arrangements can free the adviser to spend more time providing advice rather than in the back office dealing with admin tasks.

Listen as they discuss:

• Why advisers need to decide early if they want to remain a single practitioner firm.
• The difference between working as an adviser and running an advice firm.
• How single practitioners can ensure they remain sustainable in the long run.

In this episode of The ifa show, host Maja Garaca Djurdjevic and Matt Esler, co-founder and co-CEO of Padua, explore how financial advisers can maximise the potential of their CRM systems.

He emphasises that while CRMs are powerful tools, their effectiveness hinges on the quality of data input.

Esler also discusses the importance of personalisation in client relationships, leveraging tools like Padua’s Discover and Research Manager to enhance the accuracy and relevance of financial advice.

He concludes by reaffirming the evolving role of paraplanners, who will become more strategic in delivering better, faster advice.

Don’t miss Esler’s expert tips on refining your CRM for greater success.

• CRM data gaps: CRM data often has gaps, limiting its effectiveness.
• Personalisation: Tools like Discover help personalise advice and updates.
• Client relationships: Better data leads to stronger client engagement and outcomes.
• Future trends: Embracing new tech and ISO-certified tools for enhanced financial insights.

In this episode of The ifa Show, host Keith Ford is joined by Lana Clark, founder of GSD Lab and senior consultant at Elixir Consulting, powered by VBP, to take an in-depth look at some of the key findings from the firm’s recently released Advice Operations Research Report.

Clark breaks down the ingredients that make up the secret sauce of great advice firm operations, explaining the areas that the research found make the largest contribution to successful firms and how practice principals can ensure the business is ready for the future.

Listen as they discuss:

• The importance of separating the role of practice manager as quickly as possible.
• How building a good culture is harder than it seems but is vital to business success.
• Why nailing down bulletproof processes within an advice firm is a fundamental step.

In this episode of The ifa Show, host Keith Ford is joined by Neil Younger, CEO of Entireti, to discuss the firm’s recently announced strategic partnership that will see Entireti take a majority stake in AMP’s three licensees and the Jigsaw offering. Younger explains how the move will impact the advisers moving across as well as what the deal means for the broader advice landscape. He also covers what the future looks like for licensees, and whether this period of consolidation among the larger licensees is set to continue.

Listen as they discuss:

• Why the growing trend of firms self-licensing is a positive when done for the right reasons.
• What the upcoming second tranche of advice legislation needs to include.
• How the CSLR is affecting the advice community and whether it can be fixed.

In this episode of The ifa Show, host Keith Ford is joined by Ryan Watson, chief executive of Tribeca Financial, to discuss the importance of bringing more advisers into the profession and why he believes there is currently an incredible opportunity to help people through financial advice.   Watson covers the advice firm’s recent expansion with a new Sydney office, how Tribeca goes about attracting talent, and why growth and removing friction from the advice process is an opportunity to help more Australians access a financial adviser.   Listen as they discuss:

• Why there has never been a better time to be in financial advice.
• The freedom, flexibility, and responsibilities that come with holding an AFSL.
• Why value-based pricing and truly client-centric advice is the best way forward.

In this episode of The ifa Show, host Keith Ford is joined by Ben Marshan, director of Marshan Consulting, to break down how the Delivering Better Financial Outcomes reforms will impact advisers and how they can look beyond the shifting regulatory landscape to improve their businesses. Marshan explains how the ongoing financial services reforms have stacked on top of each other to create the unwieldy situation the sector finds itself in, and why streamlining labyrinthine regulation could be an impossible task.

Listen as they discuss:

• How advisers can help their clients find purpose as they enter retirement.
• Why a new class of advisers shouldn’t be viewed as an attack on professional advisers.
• The importance of cutting down on unnecessary compliance steps that are no longer needed.

In this episode of The ifa Show, host Keith Ford is joined by Matt Hale, senior financial planner and director at Rising Tide Financial Services, to discuss where the advice profession is heading and the pressures that are impacting the provision of advice.

 

Hale explains how Rising Tide found its core client base and moulded its offering around their needs as well as the importance of attracting a younger cohort of advisers and the difficulties that can arise in doing so.

Listen as they discuss: • Why it is important to not get too wrapped up in regulatory changes until they actually happen. • How advice firms can look to improve business processes for greater efficiency. • The key role compliance plays when running an advice firm.