Ravi Agarwal

The Self-Managed Superannuation Fund Association is pleased to note the presence of 14 of its members on the list of Barron’s Top 50 financial advisors for 2018; noting that good advice from trusted partners is a key foundation of any superannuation plan.

The Australian, via its partnership with New York based Barron’s has published its report naming the Top 50 financial advisors 2018 edition, highlighting those who rank the highest according to assets under management, revenue and quality of practice under the Barron’s global ranking formula.

SMSFA Chief Executive John Maroney says “We are pleased to note the inclusion of 14 of our members in the list of Australia’s Top 50 Financial Advisors.  These members have been recognised for the quality of their practice and customer service”

Maroney adds, “The importance of high quality financial advice standards and delivery has never been greater, as the population ages and as millions of Australians need to be better prepared for retirement. Maintaining and improving the availability of high quality financial advice are crucial goals for the community and for the financial sector”.

SMSFA Members in the list of Australia’s Top 50 Advisors for 2018:

• Ravi Agarwal, VIC, MEDIQ Financial Services
• Tim Mackay, NSW, Quantum Financial
• Neil Heriot, QLD, Boston Private Wealth
• Michael Lee, WA, Shadforth Financial Group
• Mark Schultz, NSW, Elston
• Dean Ireland, QLD, Elston
• Paul Nicol, VIC, GFM Wealth Advisory
• Campbell Sorell, VIC, Shadforth Financial Group
• Luke Eyres, VIC, Innate Financial Group
• Craig Sawyer, NSW, PKF Wealth
• Kyoung Walker, VIC, Shadforth Financial Group
• Andrew Pidgeon, WA, Shadforth Financial Group
• Darren Withers, QLD, Elston Private Wealth
• Timothy McLaughlan, ACT, Elston Private Wealth

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Brad Fox

The Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) and Zurich have announced the grand finalists in the prestigious 2016 AFA Adviser of the Year and Practice of the Year Awards (the Awards).

This year three leading practitioners and practices are being recognised for their leadership, advocacy and innovation in the financial services industry.

In its 14^th Year, the Adviser of the Year Award was first presented in 2003, as a joint initiative between the AFA and Zurich, and is regarded as Australia’s most prestigious award for financial advice.

In its third year, Practice of the Year is now a highly competitive award with nominations growing significantly each year.

AFA CEO, Brad Fox, says the finalists across both categories have participated in a rigorous assessment process, where they have been judged on areas such as education, experience and contribution to the industry, as well as the processes they employ to deliver an outstanding and consistent customer experience.

“The Awards truly represent the cream of the crop, as evaluated by third party testing and robust business analysis,” says Fox.

“We know each year it is getting more difficult for great practitioners and practices to stand out from the crowd because the standard in our industry continues to be both raised and met. This is a great reflection of the desire in our industry to adapt and change.”

Zurich Life and Investments CEO Tim Bailey says: “As Australia’s premier advice awards, we continue to see finalists who are the true innovators and leaders amongst their peers. The calibre this year is once again exceptional, and proves that the advice profession remains vibrant, forward looking, and well placed to navigate the evolving landscape.”

The 2016 Grand Finalists for the Adviser of the Year Award are:

• Darren Johns, Align Financial, NSW
• Jason Peterson, 5 Financial, NSW
• Gary Spencer, Spencer Private Wealth, NSW

Finalists for the 2016 Practice of the Year Award are:

• Henderson Maxwell, NSW – Sam Henderson
• Mediq Financial Services, VIC – Ravi Agarwal
• Navwealth Financial Group, NSW – Craig Banning

Winners will be announced on 7th October 2016 at the AFA National Conference at the National Convention Centre in Canberra.

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Ravi Agarwal

Melbourne-based accounting and financial planning firm MEDIQ Financial Services has launched a new managed discretionary account solution, in a move that will boost backoffice efficiency, improve the client experience and lower administration costs.

The practice, which is licenced by independently-owned dealer group Synchron and has a specialist focus on doctors and other medical professionals, road-tested three different investment and administration solutions including wrap platforms before partnering with specialist managed discretionary account operator, managedaccounts.com.au.

According to Ravi Agarwal, MEDIQ managing partner, the decision to integrate the managedaccounts.com.au MDA solution into the business was driven by client demand. The majority of clients will transition to the new MDA solution over the next 12-18 months.

“Many of our clients have a self-managed super fund and want to invest directly in broad range of investments without the hassle of responding to a Record of Advice when there are changes to their portfolio,” he said.

“Medical professionals are time poor and they want us to manage their financial affairs. We believe the new MDA solution will dramatically lift efficiency and help us add significant value for clients. This will ultimately help our business grow.”

Chief executive of managedaccounts.com.au, David Heather said MEDIQ’s appointment capped off a stellar year of strong growth and ensured momentum for the remainder of 2015.

“It is great to see yet another firm wanting to gain better control of the client’s investment outcomes, but also deliver a business improvement solution. We have had a surge in firms looking at managed accounts and selecting managedaccounts.com.au to deliver a custom built offering’’ said David.

Agarwal – the winner of several industry awards including the Association of Financial Advisers’ 2013 Rising Star of the Year – established MEDIQ Financial Services in 2010 with a desire to create a multi-disciplinary one-stop shop for medical professionals.

The firm provides advice on tax, accounting, superannuation, investments, insurance and estate planning.

“With an MDA, advisers can be nimble and proactively capture opportunities and execute investment ideas without burdening the client with compliance documents,” Agarwal said.

“Once an adviser and client agree on an investment mandate, the adviser has the freedom to operate within that mandate for a defined period of time. As long as that mandate is appropriate, and regularly reviewed and re-established, every party benefits and the adviser can deliver a service at a lower cost.”

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Anne Graham

The Association of Financial Advisers (AFA)’s industry-leading new-adviser event, the AFA GenXt Roadshow launched in Hobart yesterday.

“The AFA’s theme in 2014 is INNOVATE: Think; Create; Act and the AFA GenXt Road Show, which also visits Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, is the perfect opportunity for advisers to embrace the new opportunities ahead of them in 2014,” said AFA CEO, Brad Fox.

The roadshow, now in its seventh year, presents a curriculum focused on developing high levels of advisory skills and knowledge for financial advisers and their key support staff. These events are always very welcoming and help developing advisers to build long lasting professional connections. They are based firmly on the AFA’s philosophy of ensuring a strong future of advice. Over 1,400 advisers nationally attended the event in 2013, with venues in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane completely selling out.

“The GenXt roadshow is a great way to kickstart the year.  We’ve built an amazing curriculum including an extensive workshop on Emotional Intelligence which all of the research shows is the most valued part of the adviser-client relationship. This is the skills-based practical training that today’s advisers need,” Mr Fox said.

Key presenters of other sessions include the AFA’s 2013 Rising Star, Ravi Agarwal and the AFA’s 2013 Excellence in Education Award Winner, Anne Graham.

“Ravi and Anne share stories of what is working for them as two of Australia’s most successful advisers,” Mr Fox said. “They are both outstanding examples of professional, successful, members of the AFA community and are willing to share their innovations and success to support other advisers.

“In the early part of the year it is so important to make sure you have clarity of purpose and a clear focus for the year ahead – the GenXt Roadshow is the right place to start.”

Click here to register for the AFA’s 2014 GenXt Road Show, please visit .

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Ravi Agarwal

The Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) and ANZ Global Wealth have announced Ravi Agarwal of MEDIQ Financial Services as the AFA’s 2013 Rising Star.

The AFA Rising Star of the Year Award (the Award), supported by ANZ Global Wealth, recognises talented advisers who have been practicing for three years or less, who provide quality financial advice; demonstrate a commitment to education and make a valuable contribution to their profession and to their community.

AFA CEO, Brad Fox, said Mr Agarwal is an excellent role model for advisers entering the profession.

“Ravi has established himself as a highly educated, hard-working and trustworthy financial adviser and is a great example of the younger advisers that are building enviable careers in financial advice,” he said. “We are pleased to recognize Ravi’s great work as a professional adviser, his community contribution via his pro bono work and his role as a financial educator within his target market.”

Mr Fox said Mr Agarwal specializes in servicing medical professionals and has emerged as one of the leading financial advisers in this niche. “Ravi has built a strong business in a short period of time and has demonstrated strong commitment to continuing professional education. He is a great example to others in the way that he is investing in himself, and his business.”

Neil Younger, General Manager Advice and Open Market Channels at ANZ Global Wealth said, “Ravi is a deserving winner and was a true standout from his peers. All six advisers nominated for the Award however were outstanding and should be extremely proud of their achievements to date. We are excited about seeing each of them develop as future role models for other new financial advisers.”

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