SuiteBox wins global KPMG Fintech Innovation Challenge

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Auckland and Sydney-based technology company SuiteBox has won global recognition by taking out the Mobile Category in the KPMG Fintech Innovation Challenge, organised by Matchi. The global challenge aims to... Read more continue reading

Business confidence jumps to highest level in almost five years

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Business confidence has jumped to its highest level since March 2011, registering a net balance of +39, according to the latest Sensis Business Index (SBI) survey. The survey shows more... Read more continue reading

New accounting treatment on leases can impact small businesses

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Small business owners such as retailers or distributors who lease their premises could find themselves being forced to renegotiate the terms of their bank loans in the wake of a... Read more continue reading

Searching for choice and flexibility in education savings

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Parents want choice, flexibility, and an assurance they won’t be locked into a pre-determined future when looking at options for saving for their children’s education, but not all options offer... Read more continue reading

Insurance bonds can avoid bequest trap

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An often overlooked investment can give parents in blended families certainty that their nominated beneficiaries will receive their bequest without challenges from disgruntled family members. An insurance on bond is... Read more continue reading

Complacency breeds failure – only the paranoid survive

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Information Security will be an integral driver in the FinTech space in 2016 and well beyond, suggests Julian Plummer – Managing Director of financial planning software provider, Midwinter. Quoting Andy... Read more continue reading

First home buyer level drops to 11-year low

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A reduction in the proportion of first-time home buyers in the market in November to its lowest level since June 2004 highlights the difficulty that many Australians face in buying... Read more continue reading

The 9 building blocks of a business which will stand the test of time

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Anybody who has had the privilege of seeing the Great Pyramids up close will recall how perfectly symmetrical and “in balance” they are from a distance as you approach them.... Read more continue reading

Advice industry won’t be alone in dealing with change in 2016 and beyond

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As another year comes to an end, Connect Financial Service Brokers (Connect) CEO Paul Tynan strongly recommends advisers to quickly forget about the ‘good old days’, FoFA and the Life... Read more continue reading

An open letter to the financial planning professional community addressing the draft legislation of Professional Standards for Financial Services Industry

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My concerns with the draft legislation and proposed professional standards framework is: The proposed legislation and standards will not adequately cover people in the financial services sector who specialise in... Read more continue reading