James Edmonds

Praemium has strengthened its custodial offering by integrating Clearstream’s Vestima platform into Praemium Spectrum – delivering a new level of global fund access and operational efficiency for financial advisers.

Vestima is the world’s largest fund processing platform, supporting over 245,000 funds across 55 markets with nearly €4 trillion in assets under custody and a trusted global network of distribution partners. Its comprehensive suite of services—spanning order execution, settlement, safekeeping, and asset servicing—streamlines cross-border fund distribution and ensures the highest standards of asset safety.

For advisers using Spectrum, this provides access to a broader universe of investment options, including international funds that were previously out of reach. Vestima’s integration simplifies the administration of global assets, reduces operational friction, and enhances portfolio construction flexibility, allowing advisers to deliver more tailored, diversified solutions to their clients.

Initially, Vestima will support the transition of selected funds from the OneVue client migration. Praemium’s Investment Governance team is actively working to expand the approved product list, unlocking access to a wider range of global markets.

“This integration will provide a significant advantage for advisers seeking to differentiate their offering,” said James Edmonds, Praemium’s Chief Operating Officer. “Praemium is ahead of the curve as one of the only platforms in Australia to offer this capability through Vestima, and it reflects our commitment to innovation and delivering best-in-class solutions.”

Ravi Subramaniam, CEO Clearstream Australia Limited, added: “Vestima delivers secure, efficient execution and custody, backed by Clearstream’s trusted global infrastructure. Its integration into Praemium’s platform streamlines access to international funds for Australian advisors, reinforcing our commitment to supporting the growth of cross-border fund distribution and operational excellence.”

By incorporating Vestima, Praemium continues to deliver flexible, future-ready solutions that adapt to the evolving needs of advisers and their clients, empowering them to build portfolios with greater choice, efficiency, and confidence.

The post Praemium expands global fund access with Clearstream’s Vestima platform appeared first on AdviserVoice.

ADX Financial Planning, Sullivans Financial Strategies and Hado Investments sign up with Premium.

With recruitment and trade season in full swing for many of the major football codes following the completion of the finals series, financial advisory group Premium Wealth Management has also been active on the recruitment trail with three major new signings of its own.

Premium has announced the signing of ADX Financial Planning, formerly part of Moon Cunningham, licensed through Count; Sullivans Financial Strategies, formerly with Lonsdale; and self-licensed group Hado Investments.

Premium’s new head of practice development Justin Viney said “All three practices have joined Premium in the last month and all are accountancy practices keen to grow their financial advice offering within their tax practice.”

“These welcome additions to our group, which now has more than $2billion in funds under advice, show that our iPremium offer is resonating with accountancy firms looking for a flexible and professional licensing solution.

“Joining the Premium Wealth stable enables specialist practices to grow their financial planning division with a proven structure that provides step by step support.”

“The professional market response to iPremium has been excellent and we now have a solid pipeline of practices looking to join us.” Viney said.

John Sullivan, director and founder at Sullivans Financial Strategies added: “We looked at several dealer groups in the market and found that the Premium offer is the best for accountants keen to build a financial planning division. We value our independence and this is a good fit as we did not wish to be aligned to large ASX listed corporations, such as banks, insurance companies and the like.”

“Premium Wealth Management knows the value accountants can bring in providing quality financial advice to their clients and have built their offer around this understanding,” Mr Sullivan said.

Viney noted that Premium Wealth now has three license options – SMSF advice license, iPremium and the traditional Premium offer for large and mature practices.

“We believe the license changes for accountants represents a new opportunity for them to build a value adding service for their tax / accounting clients as well as increasing the value of their practice” Viney said.

The post ‘Recruiting Season’ in full swing at Premium appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Cruz is a respected and experienced compliance operative, who has also worked at Count Financial previously. At IOOF he managed the audit for a number of businesses, including the Lonsdale dealer group.

Premium CEO, Paul Harding-Davis said: “Johan is part of the new generation of wealth management professionals who have majored in financial planning as part of his business degree.

“We conducted an extensive search to fill this critical role and we are confident we have found the right person in Johan – he has the credentials, experience and importantly, is an excellent cultural fit with our team of advisers.

“Johan’s extensive experience working with both accountants and financial planners will be an important asset in working with Premium, given our multiple service models.”

Premium Wealth Management has more than $2 billion under advice.

The post Johan Cruz to head Premium’s compliance appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Viney, is a former general manager of practice development at IOOF’s Lonsdale Financial Group.

Premium’s managing director Paul Harding-Davis said: “Justin has extensive experience across both financial planning and accountancy practice development and will be a valuable asset to Premium as we grow the business.”

“His key brief will be to interact with accounting firms seeking to broaden their offering to include a rigorous and proven financial planning option. Premium’s experience, systems and accreditation offers small and medium practices, in particular, an attractive pathway to broadening the advice services they can offer clients,” he said.

Justin Viney is a Certified Practising Accountant and financial adviser. He has owned his own accounting and financial planning practices and is an experienced Responsible Manager for AFSL’s.

“I am very excited to be joining Premium Wealth Management. I look forward to working with Paul and the team as we roll out new licensing solutions which are particularly suited for accountancy practitioners looking for a flexible and professional licensing offer,” said Mr.Viney.

Premium Wealth Management has more than $2billion under advice.

The post Justin Viney to head Premium’s network expansion drive appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Premium Wealth Management has further expanded its membership base with Queensland-based practice Total Solutions Group joining its dealer group.

Total Solutions Group manages the accounts for 8,000 clients of Save on Tax in two offices.  Save on Tax Principal Peter Mitchelson is a former academic in tax and accounting, and an accomplished author for the largest academic publishing houses in the world. Peter designed Australia’s first online Masters in Financial Planning degree program, fully accredited by the FPA in 2001.Total Solutions Group was born to service the financial and lending needs of the Save on Tax clientele and provide an additional layer to their exceptional service.

Premium CEO, Paul Harding-Davis, said Queensland is continuing to be an area of strong growth for the dealer group.

“Premium gives our member organisations the opportunity to continue operating as boutique businesses, while at the same time streamlining back office systems and gaining economies of scale.  Queensland has always favoured the boutique model, so we are pleased that our approach continues to find resonance in this market.

“Peter Mitchelson and his team, including Michael Chazikantis, the Director of Total Solutions Group, have ambitious growth plans and I found our discussions to represent a new way of thinking about business growth in this market.  We are very pleased to welcome Total Solutions Group to Premium Wealth.

Peter Mitchelson said Premium Wealth was a natural fit with his business.

“I knew the excellent reputation of the Group and that they have helped many other businesses successfully grow, while remaining non-institutionally owned.  I also believe the strong compliance regime, education and support systems sets Premium apart from other dealer groups.”

The post Total Solutions Group joins Premium Wealth Management appeared first on AdviserVoice.

CEO of Premium, Paul Harding-Davis said ‘We like to provide our practices with innovative and client focused resources. We found the Knowledge Centre is a great addition to our adviser’s websites and a tangible addition to the client service proposition’.

The dealer group liked the fact that each Knowledge Centre can be branded in line with the individual practices.

‘In the last couple of years there has been a much greater focus on what advisers are providing their clients online’ says Robert Skinner of innergi.

‘An adviser should be focussed on seeing and servicing clients , and not on creating a massive online resource’, added Skinner, who sold his planning practice four years ago to focus on innergi with his business partner Matt Linnert.

Skinner added ‘The Knowledge Centre does not replace a personal social media strategy. However, it can certainly enhance it. In saying that many of our clients are not heavily involved in social media’.

Innergi’s Knowledge Centre provides a wide base of engaging and educational content for the clients of the planner. As it is fully branded by the practice, it naturally forms part of an extension to an existing website.

Many studies have pointed to the importance of regular communication with clients – innergi’s platform generates a regular monthly newsletter, with new content added each month. Premium was attracted to the fact that the newsletters are dynamic and encourage clients to go on a self-discovery journey through to other segments of the resource – each visitor views 10 pages on average when they use the Knowledge Centre.

Skinner concludes ‘In this technology based environment, it is good to be in a position to help planners add to their client propositions and tools they provide to clients. I think it is good for a planner to provide a safe, branded educational platform to clients. It is an additional demonstration of the care for the client’s financial wellbeing.’

Innergi’s Financial Knowledge Centre includes modules, videos, articles, life event activities, calculators, quizzes, jargon busters, downloads and a regular competition. A recent enhancement for innergi’s platform has been the administration portal. The portal allows advisers to add, edit or delete content – giving advisers control of what is on their individual Knowledge Centre platform.

The post Premium Wealth and Financial Knowledge Centre appeared first on AdviserVoice.

“These prestigious awards are a testament to the excellent work done by many around the world,” said Jim McCaughan, CEO of Principal Global Investors.

“We’re pleased to be recognized globally for our broad expertise and ability to deliver strong investment performance.”

Investments & Pensions Europe
Earlier this month, Investments & Pensions Europe (IPE) magazine presented Principal Global Investors with two 2013 Pension Fund Perception Programme Awards. IPE is the leading European publication for institutional investors and those running pension funds. The awards recognize asset managers rated highest by their pension fund clients.

2013 Pension Fund Perception Programme Awards won by Principal Global Investors include:

• Managers Recommended to Other Pension Funds by 100% of Clients
• Highest-Rated Managers for Environmental, Social & Governance

Principal Global Investors was also nominated for the Highest-Rated Managers for Quality of Investment Management award.

Institutional Investor
Institutional Investor magazine will recognize Principal Global Equities with the top award in the non-U.S. equity value (excluding emerging markets) category at its 4th Annual U.S. Investment Management Awards on May 16 in New York City.

The awards highlight U.S. institutional investors in more than 35 asset classes and strategies who stood out for their exceptional performance, risk management and service. Award winners were chosen by the editorial staff of Institutional Investor based on the results of a survey of U.S. institutional investors.

Global Finance
Global Finance magazine recently announced the winners of its 6th annual awards for the World’s Best Islamic Financial Institutions. The publication, which provides data and analysis on international financial markets in 192 countries, named CIMB-Principal Islamic Asset Management the Best Asset Management Company. CIMB-Principal Islamic Asset Management is a partnership between Principal Global Investors and CIMB Group Holdings Berhad to provide Shariah-compliant investment solutions to global institutional investors.

The awards will be given on October 12 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

AsianInvestor
Principal Global Investors has been nominated for an award given by AsianInvestor magazine, the leading publication dedicated to the region’s asset management industry. The 2013 AsianInvestor Investment Performance Awards are based on a firm’s performance (in absolute or risk-adjusted terms) and ability to provide the best strategies and solutions to Asian clients.

Principal Global Investors’ nomination is in the Asia ex-Japan Equity category. The awards will be presented at an event on May 23 in Hong Kong.

These awards and nominations follow the December 2012 ranking of The Principal® as the top large company on Pensions & Investments magazine’s inaugural list of the Best Places to Work in Money Management.

The post Principal Global Investors recognised for investment management leadership appeared first on AdviserVoice.

The new licensing regime, which comes in to effect on 1 July 2016, will involve for some extensive additional training and an application process that could take longer than previous thought. 

Premium Wealth CEO, Paul Harding-Davis, said accountants who are considering becoming licensed to be able to continue to provide SMSF advice need to consider taking steps sooner rather than later to prepare their business and clients for what’s involved in transitioning to the financial planning licensing world.

“Accountants will need to start having conversations with licensees today in relation to finding a cultural fit for their business. Additionally, accountants will need enough time to complete minimum education requirements, obtain PI and also learn the practical side of preparing advice documents, and meeting compliance requirements,” he said.  “For example,, as recently as the SPAA conference last week, ASIC reminded all of the need for an accountant to produce an SOA and to have conducted a broad enough fact find.”

“This is not an overnight process and those accountants who leave the transition to the last minute will be behind the eight ball if they wish to continue to provide SMSF advice to their clients after the 2016 deadline.”

Recent reports on accounting practices suggest that only around one third  plan to have a licensing framework in place by 1 July, 2013 and many are still unsure of when they would have the appropriate framework in place.

“The earlier accountants begin the process the smoother the transition will be,” said Mr Harding-Davis.

To facilitate in this process, Premium Wealth Management is currently developing practical training workshops for accountants who wish to provide SMSF advice once the current accountant’s exemption ends on 1 July 2016.

Through the workshops accountants who are new to financial planning will also have access to networking and mentoring from Premium’s highly experienced financial advisers, most of whom are also accountants.

The workshops will be part of the licensing services that are available to accountants from Premium Wealth.  The program offers three tiers of licensing along with the necessary support services that go with that such as training, professional indemnity insurance, software support, research and planning. The workshops will facilitate the practical application of this support and will help accountants become familiar with the new way of operating.
 
“We believe the referral opportunities our licensing program will create will be of significant value for both the advisors and the accountants in our network. We think it’s unlikely that all accountants will want to become proficient in specific investment or risk advice, so reliance upon the knowledge of advisors within the group will be essential in this regard,” Mr Harding-Davis said.

The post SMSF accountants risk falling behind appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Boston Private Wealth is located in Sanctuary Cove and is headed by Neil Heriot. Mr Heriot has been operating as a financial advisor for more than 25 years. Boston manages the financial affairs of more than 100 clients and has been a long-time advocate of a ‘fee for service’ model.

Premium CEO, Paul Harding-Davis, said although Premium had not been specifically focusing on the Queensland area, the state is well-known for its boutique advice firms and the flexible business model of Premium was well suited to firms who wanted to retain control of the way in which their business is managed.

Queensland based director John Woodhouse said “Premium Wealth is finding many like-minded boutique advisory firms, who want the support of a national dealer group, but without the constraints of institutional ownership. Queensland has always been a prime location for the boutique firm, given its large number of retirees, small business people and growth
prospects. We are very excited to welcome Boston to our group and we look forward to announcing further recruitment in the coming months.”

Earlier this year, Premium announced that Meridien Wealth and Platinum Wealth had joined the dealer group. Both are based in Queensland.

The post Premium Wealth Management adds practice appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Platinum’s group of companies has been in operation for almost 12 years, recently adding wealth management to its suite of client services. 

Premium CEO, Paul Harding-Davis, said Premium wasvery pleased to expand its Queensland reach and welcome Platinum to the Premium group. 

“We are actively growing our firm through alliances with firms that want the support of dealer network, but also wish to remainfree of institutional ownership.  Platinum is our second Queensland alliance in as many months, with Meridien Wealth Management joining us in August.  We are very pleased to welcome Platinum to the group and look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship, for both our businesses and clients.” 

Platinum Principal, Robert Kirk, said the firm had looked at a number of dealer groups and found that Premium was the best fit for its business and clients.  

“We were looking for a group with similar depth of knowledge and focus on holistic financial management, rather than simply selling life insurance or other products.  As Premium was founded by accountants, we were attracted to the focus on training and qualifications that the group holds.  Additionally, as Premium operates on a fixed rate and is not driven by volume or funds under advice fees, it made a better fit for our business.” 

Mr Harding-Davis said he anticipated that the recently announced accountants licencing program will also lead to additional recruitment in the near future. 

‘We will offer the three tiers of licencing and the support services that go along with it, such as monitoring, audit and training.  Additionally, accountants will need to be RG146 compliant, so we provide access to the necessary training packages, along with a sensible pricing model.  As most of our advisers are part of accounting firms, we also offer significant advantages with our collegiate approach to knowledge sharing. We believe the referral opportunities this will create will also be of significant value for the advisors in our network.”

The post Premium Wealth Management secures new advice firm appeared first on AdviserVoice.