29 November 2025

Recently trending

The growing debt burden of retiring Australians Warren Buffett's final lesson LICs vs ETFs – which perform best?Family trusts: Are they still worth it?13 ways to save money on your tax - legally

Ian Kelly, CFP, BTACS Financial Services: "Probably the best source of commentary and information I have seen over the past 20 years."

Rob Henshaw: "When I open my computer each day it's the first link I click - a really great read."

John Egan, Egan Associates: "My heartiest congratulations. Your panel of contributors is very impressive and keep your readers fully informed."

Jonathan Hoyle, CEO, Stanford Brown: "A fabulous publication. The only must-read weekly publication for the Australian wealth management industry."

Reader: "Love it, just keep doing what you are doing. It is the right length too, any longer and it might become a bit overwhelming."

Professor Robert Deutsch: "This has got to be the best set of articles on economic and financial matters. Always something worthwhile reading in Firstlinks. Thankyou"

Reader: "An island of professionalism in an ocean of shallow self-interest. Well done!"

David Goldschmidt, Chartered Accountant: "I find this a really excellent newsletter. The best I get. Keep up the good work!"

Reader: "Congratulations on a great focussed news source. Australia has a dearth of good quality unbiased financial and wealth management news."

Reader: " Finding a truly independent and interesting read has been magical for me. Please keep it up and don't change!"

Reader: "Carry on as you are - well done. The average investor/SMSF trustee needs all the help they can get."

Reader: "Best innovation I have seen whilst an investor for 25 years. The writers are brilliant. A great publication which I look forward to."

Reader: "It's excellent so please don't pollute the content with boring mainstream financial 'waffle' and adverts for stuff we don't want!"

Reader: "I can quickly sort the items that I am interested in, then research them more fully. It is also a regular reminder that I need to do this."

Reader: "Great resource. Cuffelinks is STILL the one and only weekly newsletter I regularly read."

Don Stammer, leading Australian economist: "Congratulations to all associated. It deserves the good following it has."

Eleanor Dartnall, AFA Adviser of the Year, 2014: "Our clients love your newsletter. Your articles are avidly read by advisers and they learn a great deal."

John Pearce, Chief Investment Officer, Unisuper: "Out of the (many many) investmentrelated emails I get, Cuffelinks is one that I always open."

Steve: "The best that comes into our world each week. This is the only one that is never, ever canned before fully being reviewed by yours truly."

Reader: "Is one of very few places an investor can go and not have product rammed down their throat. Love your work!"

Scott Pape, author of The Barefoot Investor: "I'm an avid reader of Cuffelinks. Thanks for the wonderful resource you have here, it really is first class."

Ian Silk, CEO, AustralianSuper: "It has become part of my required reading: quality thinking, and (mercifully) to the point."

Andrew Buchan, Partner, HLB Mann Judd: "I have told you a thousand times it's the best newsletter."

Noel Whittaker, author and financial adviser: "A fabulous weekly newsletter that is packed full of independent financial advice."

Reader: "The BEST in the game because of diversity and not aligned to financial products. Stands above all the noise."

Reader: "Keep it up - the independence is refreshing and is demonstrated by the variety of well credentialed commentators."

Reader: "I subscribe to two newsletters. This is my first read of the week. Thank you. Excellent and please keep up the good work!"

Home / Vertical Integration

Vertical Integration

1-3 out of 3 results.

Four things advisers can do to manage conflicts

Simon Carrodus
28 August 2019
7
2

Thanks to the Royal Commission, everybody is aware of the problems with vertical integration and in-house conflicts for financial advisers. What should advisers and their clients look for?

CBA waves white flag on wealth management

Graham Hand
28 June 2018
4

There's a fundamental difference between banking and wealth management: bankers have no fiduciary obligation to their clients. It's difficult for bankers to own fund managers and financial advice and fully accept the difference.

A tough day in the royal office for Henderson Maxwell

Tim Fuller
24 April 2018
25

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.

Firstlinks is sponsored by:

Most viewed in recent weeks

The growing debt burden of retiring Australians

More Australians are retiring with larger mortgages and less super. This paper explores how unlocking housing wealth can help ease the nation’s growing retirement cashflow crunch.

Harry Chemay
29 October 2025

Warren Buffett's final lesson

I’ve long seen Buffett as a flawed genius: a great investor though a man with shortcomings. With his final letter to Berkshire shareholders, I reflect on how my views of Buffett have changed and the legacy he leaves.

James Gruber
12 November 2025

LICs vs ETFs – which perform best?

With investor sentiment shifting and ETFs surging ahead, we pit Australia’s biggest LICs against their ETF rivals to see which delivers better returns over the short and long term. The results are revealing.

James Gruber
29 October 2025

Family trusts: Are they still worth it?

Family trusts remain a core structure for wealth management, but rising ATO scrutiny and complex compliance raise questions about their ongoing value. Are the benefits still worth the administrative burden?

Peter Bardos
22 October 2025

13 ways to save money on your tax - legally

Thoughtful tax planning is a cornerstone of successful investing. This highlights 13 legal ways that you can reduce tax, preserve capital, and enhance long-term wealth across super, property, and shares.

James Gruber
5 November 2025

Why it’s time to ditch the retirement journey

Retirement isn’t a clean financial arc. Income shocks, health costs and family pressures hit at random, exposing the limits of age-based planning and the myth of a predictable “retirement journey".

Kaye Fallick
19 November 2025

Alliances

Site Map

About Firstlinks

Disclaimer
The data, research and opinions provided here are for information purposes; are not an offer to buy or sell a security; and are not warranted to be correct, complete or accurate. Morningstar, its affiliates, and third-party content providers are not responsible for any investment decisions, damages or losses resulting from, or related to, the data and analyses or their use. To the extent any content is general advice, it has been prepared for clients of Morningstar Australasia Pty Ltd (ABN: 95 090 665 544, AFSL: 240892), without reference to your financial objectives, situation or needs. For more information refer to our Financial Services Guide. You should consider the advice in light of these matters and if applicable, the relevant Product Disclosure Statement before making any decision to invest. Past performance does not necessarily indicate a financial product’s future performance. To obtain advice tailored to your situation, contact a professional financial adviser. Articles are current as at date of publication.
This website contains information and opinions provided by third parties. Inclusion of this information does not necessarily represent Morningstar’s positions, strategies or opinions and should not be considered an endorsement by Morningstar.