Since the official introduction of self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) in 1999, they have become a significant part of Australia’s $2.6 trillion[1] superannuation sector. At the end of 2018, with assets worth $728 billion, SMSFs represented 27 percent of the total super sector. Bound by an array of rules and regulations, this article, sponsored by GSFM Pty Ltd, examines the super sector and ethical considerations for advisers recommending SMSFs to clients. ...

In the first article of this ethics series, we examined the broad application of ethics in financial practice. In this second article, the focus is on life insurances and the ethical considerations that are essential when making recommendations to clients. Round five of last year’s Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry (Royal Commission) highlighted numerous cases in which ethical conduct in both the provision ...

Improving the financial outlook for the family is the key driver for most Australians, yet many fail to fortify that legacy through sound estate planning and adequate insurance. In this article, Zurich examines the importance of estate planning and within that, the role played by insurance, the funding mechanism for a comprehensive estate plan. The typical family dreams – ‘buying the family home’, ‘I want to plan for the kid’s ...

In The conversation – talking risk with clients (Part 1), we looked at the reasons your clients need risk insurance and strategies for having what can often be a difficult conversation. In this second part, we examine how you can use storytelling as an effective strategy to introduce this conversation. This series is proudly sponsored by Zurich Australia. Since humankind developed language approximately 100,000 years ago, people have told stories. ...