Since the Aged Care Act reforms took effect on 1 November 2025, advisers across the country have had to get across a new accommodation pricing structure, a new Support at Home program, and a client base asking harder questions than ever before.
A client’s choice of aged care adviser can be the difference between a smooth transition and a costly, stressful one. That stake is exactly what the Aged Care Adviser of the Year Award was built to recognise, and it is why Aged Care Steps (ACS) says the Award, now in its fifth year, matters more than ever.
Nominations for the 2026 Award are open, with two categories again open to individual advisers and advice businesses: the Aged Care Adviser of the Year, and the Aged Care Advice Initiative of the Year.
What winning means for recognised advisers
For Zachary Dodds CFP®, the 2025 Aged Care Adviser of the Year, the recognition landed off the back of eight years spent building a specialist practice at Muirfield Financial Services.
“What sets good aged care advice apart isn’t just knowing the rules; it’s the network you build around a client: aged care providers, hospitals, other professionals who can be trusted to look after that family properly,” says Zac. “Being recognised twice by ACS in consecutive years tells me that approach is resonating, not just with clients but with the industry. It’s given me more conviction to keep raising the profile of aged care advice, not less.”
Kerri Mendl, Managing Adviser at Alteris Financial Group, the 2025 winners of the Aged Care Advice Initiative of the Year, says the recognition validated a philosophy Alteris has held since 2014.
“We’ve always believed that giving advice is only part of the job,” Kerri says. “What the award told us is that clients notice the difference when you meet them where they are in their journey, not just when they need advice. That’s what we built our client nurture program around, and it’s why winning in 2025, on top of our recognition in 2023 and 2022 is really significant for the Alteris team.”
Why ACS continues to support advisers with the Award
According to Assyat David, Director of Aged Care Steps, the Award exists to give proper weight to work that too often goes unrecognised.
“Aged care advice sits at one of the most stressful points in a family’s life, and doing it well takes a level of technical rigour and patience that doesn’t always get seen outside the advice room,” Assyat says. “We started this Award to change that. Every year the nominations remind us how much genuine expertise is out there, often from advisers who wouldn’t think to put themselves forward. If that’s you, we want to hear from you in 2026.”
How to enter
Advisers and advice businesses can nominate themselves or be nominated by a colleague. Entries are assessed by an independent panel of industry professionals.
Nominations close Friday 4 September at 6:00 pm Sydney time. Full details, category criteria and the nomination form are available at agedcaresteps.com.au.
