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21 September 2026
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‘Regrets, I’ve had a few …’ Special 250th Edition ebook plus Royal Commission coverage.
For a Special 250th Edition, we asked: "What is an enduring investment lesson you learned from making a mistake?" and we received a wide range of responses that might prevent someone from repeating the same error.
The characteristic tone of the Royal Commission was set on the first day focus on financial advice, and no witness has been able to defend commissions to advisers and the vertical integration model.
Grandfathering and the implications for commissions has become a major flash point, and the Royal Commission is focussing on problems created when advisers are given the wrong incentives.
The Royal Commission is asking whether percentage-based fees offer the wrong incentives and why administration is not a flat fee business. Where might this go in wealth management?
The Royal Commission is exposing the product / advice disconnect, and different rules are required for aligned and non-aligned advisers to recognise the conflict in vertical integration. The medical profession is a model.
The Financial Services Royal Commission is discovering behaviour that is far worse than expected, with widespread implications for wealth management. Banks are challenged making the vertical integration model work.
The Royal Commission's attention switched from the big players to a small independent advice firm with only six staff, but it showed the potential for conflicted advice runs deep.
Following the Ripoll Inquiry in November 2009, the Labor Government formulated the Future of Financial Advice proposals. A lot has happened since, and the Royal Commission is dealing with the consequences.
Conventional wisdom encourages retirees to preserve superannuation. But if those likely to qualify for the Age Pension later in life spend a little more today, it may deliver higher lifetime income and a more stable retirement.
Fear of running out has become a defining retirement anxiety. Why do some retirees die with substantial wealth while others deplete their nest egg? Evidence suggests the answer is more complicated than we think.
Tax rules have changed, but many investors are still using yesterday’s strategies. Insurance bonds may offer advantages for those seeking greater control, tax efficiency and certainty about their wealth.
Treasury’s latest CGT reform draft delivers a win for testamentary trusts and deceased estates, exempting estate-derived gains from the 30% floor. However, questions on death and divorce rollovers remain unresolved.
Reversionary pensions have long been a staple of SMSF estate planning, but are they still the best option? Meg Heffron revisits a once-clear favourite and asks whether changing super rules have shifted the balance.
The 4% rule has long been retirement's gold standard. But after a difficult period for investors, fresh analysis suggests a more conservative approach may significantly improve the chances of making savings last.