Australian Journal of Financial Planning

BY   |  WEDNESDAY, 14 OCT 2026    12:16PM The Government's planned changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing scheduled to apply from 1 July 2027 have fundamentally altered the way advisers assess investment outcomes. For Australian investors and financial advisers, the treatment of negative gearing and capital gains tax (CGT) has become increasingly complex.

BY   |  WEDNESDAY, 7 OCT 2026    10:44AM A story is being told about Australian financial advice that I think gets the picture badly wrong. The story goes something like this. The adviser population has collapsed from roughly 26,500 to around 15,600 since the Royal Commission. Compliance costs are rising, and margins are compressing. Robo-advice and artificial intelligence are coming for the rest. On this telling, the profession is in long, slow decline. The numbers in that story are largely accurate.

Australia's managed accounts industry has just delivered another period of blockbuster growth. Funds under management (FUM) reached $292.9 billion at the end of December 2025, up 25.8% year-on-year, with separately managed accounts making up 64.4% of that total. By almost any measure, it's one of the great growth stories in local advice. The platforms, licensees and advisers who backed managed accounts early have been proven right.

BY   |  THURSDAY, 24 SEP 2026    2:04PM Recent changes to the rules around self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) have caused some controversy, but for those most likely to benefit from these structures, little has altered. The Government's decision to restrict SMSFs from using Limited Recourse Borrowing Arrangements (LRBAs) to purchase residential property came into effect from August 10 this year.

BY   |  FRIDAY, 18 SEP 2026    1:00PM Australian shopping centres continue to stand out as one of the most resilient and compelling real estate investment opportunities in Australia. The sector is being supported by strong household spending, continued population growth, constrained new supply, healthier tenant economics and a stronger transaction market.

BY   |  WEDNESDAY, 9 SEP 2026    4:02PM In every successful financial planning business that I have had an association with, communication is the foundation of performance, collaboration and accountability. While meetings are often criticised for consuming valuable time, the reality is that well structured meetings remain one of the most effective tools for aligning teams, solving problems and driving business results.

The collapse of Shield and First Guardian Master Funds has attracted significant media attention in recent months. However, many other court decisions that contain equally important lessons for investors, fund managers and responsible entities have received far less coverage. One such case is the June 2026 New South Wales Supreme Court decision in Garan Holdings v Stonepoint Capital Management.

BY   |  FRIDAY, 28 AUG 2026    11:47AM Private credit has become one of Australia's fastest-growing investment sectors, offering investors access to income opportunities outside traditional bank lending. But as the sector expands, it is also attracting greater scrutiny around transparency, asset valuations, liquidity and risk management. While private credit can provide an important source of funding and support economic growth, not all private credit strategies carry the same risk.

When investors frame the conversation about the risks of modern slavery, we tend to cite a common set of facts and a common set of arguments as to why modern slavery and other forms of human rights exploitation can bear a financial cost as well as a pose a moral challenge. Modern slavery is an umbrella term used to describe serious forms of exploitation, including forced labour, debt bondage, servitude, forced marriage and human trafficking.

In 2026, we continue to see a rapidly evolving superannuation system, with total assets reaching approximately $4.4 trillion. Growth across MySuper, Choice and retirement segments remain strong, while market concentration continues to increase, and platforms and managed accounts play an increasingly important role in how portfolios are constructed and delivered to members.