Children First Foundation aids children from developing and war torn countries to have life changing surgery in Australia and provides funding support for Australian families with disabled or chronically ill children.

Genesys Managing Director Tim Steele said Genesys advisers have been dedicated supporters of Children First since the charity first began and the sponsorship is in the fabric of the Genesys business.

“I know from first-hand experience that Children First is a charity that is very close to the hearts of Genesys advisers. To reach $1 million in donations is a fantastic achievement and is a reflection of the importance of community for these advisers, with many participating in various ways to assist the foundation,” Mr Steele said.

The $1 million milestone was reached at the recent Genesys adviser conference, where the recipients of its annual adviser recognition awards were also presented.

Sydney-based practice Stanford Brown was awarded Member Firm of the Year for the third year in a row, in recognition of the firm’s strong business strategy and operations, and its commitment to quality advice processes.

Aaron Klumpp from FHM was presented with the Richard Harvey award, which recognises an up and coming adviser who makes a significant contribution to their business and to Genesys, as well as the financial planning profession as a whole.

Peter Audet from Brisbane-based member firm Varria Wealth was presented with the Ballesty Sikkema award, which honours an adviser who is a strong role model and mentor to their peers, their contribution to the profession and strong community links.

“Peter is a strong role model and is clearly passionate about educating young advisers to not only achieve their business goals but to better understand and empathise with a client’s individual circumstances. This extends to his local community where he generously offers his time to help others”, Mr Steele said.

Genesys firm Pensions Transfers Direct (PTD) was presented with the Powerhouse Award which recognises exceptional productivity, and was awarded to PTD because of their expertise in helping individuals, government institutions and financial planning practices to make informed decisions about a very niche area of advice, which is the transfer of UK pensions.

The Genesys adviser recognition awards are presented annually and recognise advisers who demonstrate professionalism, the delivery of quality advice and commitment to community.

The post Genesys advisers raise $1 million for Children First appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Stanford Brown Financial Advisers has picked up both the Member Firm of the Year Award for wealth management expertise and the Ballesty Sikemma Award for outstanding professional performance by an individual adviser.
 
Sacha Sanders from Potential Private Wealth was honoured with the Richard Harvey Award which recognises excellence in up-and-coming advisers.
 
Genesys Wealth Advisers Managing Director Paul Robertson said the awards are an opportunity to step back and reflect on what it means to be a financial adviser in today’s community.
 
“Our time is spent guiding clients through their financial lives, providing them with one of the ingredients for their future well-being, so it’s important to recognise advisers who excel at what they do,” Mr Robertson said.
 
The Genesys Annual Awards recognise outstanding achievement in financial planning and are presented to high achievers across a variety of categories.
 
Member Firm of the Year Award
Stanford Brown Financial Advisers
 
This award recognises the quality of the member firm’s strategy, business operations and advice processes.
 
Mr Robertson said Stanford Brown Financial Advisers displays a high standard of professionalism across all areas of their business, from the quality of their advice to the standard of their client service and business strategy.
 
Ballesty Sikkema Award
Mr David Brown, Stanford Brown Financial Advisers
 
Named in honour of the founders of the Genesys business, Paul Ballesty and John Sikkema, this award recognises an adviser who maintains the highest standard of business professionalism.
 
Mr Robertson said David has hit the financial planning trifecta – he’s a strong role model to his peers, makes a significant contribution to the industry and is an active contributor to his local community.
 
Richard Harvey Award
Mr Sacha Sanders, Potential Private Wealth
 
The award recognises an up-and-coming Genesys adviser who has made a significant contribution to their profession and is named in honour of the late Richard Harvey who is remembered for the mentoring he offered his colleagues, particularly those just starting out.
 
Mr Robertson said in his short career, Sacha has already had a big impact on the financial services industry and has an unflinching commitment to professional development.

The post Quality advice recognised through Genesys awards appeared first on AdviserVoice.

AMP’s Ascend SMSF enables AMP aligned planners to deliver a better customer experience at a lower cost to the customer as a result of improved technology and usability, through the fund’s administration service and investment options.

The Ascend SMSF service is being rolled out to SMSF accredited planners in AMP’s aligned advice network in the second half of 2012 starting with AMP Financial Planning and Hillross. 

The enhancements and new features include a significantly improved online service, powered by Super IQ technology, with an easy to use web portal, better reporting, instant online access to fund information and the ability for planners to complete a new SMSF application in minutes rather than hours. 

At the same time, administration and audit fees have been reduced and additional investment options added, including AMP’s North platform and PortfolioCare, and The Australian Money Market term deposit service.  

AMP SMSF Managing Director Paul Sainsbury said the new Ascend SMSF service, which is exclusive to AMP’s aligned financial planning network, is a key component of AMP’s new SMSF business strategy. 

“Ascend SMSF recognises the growing role of financial planners in the SMSF sector by providing a high level of support to deliver high quality solutions to SMSF customers. 

“We have taken significant steps to enhance Ascend SMSF and to make it even more competitive.   The new service offers more features at a lower price and improves the automation of management reporting and compliance obligations so planners and advisers can spend more time with their clients,” Mr Sainsbury said.

The original Ascend service launched in 2009 was only available to AMP Financial Planning and Hillross financial planners and advisers.

 Options

There are two options within Ascend:

Essentials – A package of SMSF-aligned products and services, including platforms, within the administration service.  This provides an easy transition into SMSFs for planners and clients new to SMSFs. 

Platinum – A more flexible service with a broader range of products and services suitable for more sophisticated clients with the same benefits around online services, compliance and reporting. 

AMP Financial Services’ aligned financial planning network comprises AMP Financial Planning, Charter Financial Planning, Hillross, Genesys Wealth Advisers and ipac.

27 July 2012

The post AMP launches new Ascend SMSF service appeared first on AdviserVoice.