FPA, AFA and licensees to front key parliamentary committee The same Parliamentary Committee which has been applying close scrutiny to industry superannuation funds and their financial planning expenditures is about to turn its attention to the financial planning industry. For more.

AFSLs and ASIC oversight not for us say litigation funders and lawyers Litigation funders, lawyers and even the ACCC are warning a key Parliamentary that the imposition of licensing and oversight by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission may not be in the best interests of consumers where class actions are concerned. For more.

Another question-mark over FASEA exam extension The prospect of yet another Parliamentary argument around legislative amendments has again thrown passage of the Government’s extension of the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority exam into question. For more.

LICs/LITs see no structural flaws The claims of ‘flawed’ listed investment companies and listed investment trusts is a failure of selection rather than structure, according to Zenith Investment Partners. For more.

ESG outperformance depends on manager quality The outperformance of an ESG fund relies on the skill of the manager and the inherent style bias incorporated into the fund, according to AMP Capital. For more.

Fund reveals how ATO revoked early release requests A major industry fund, LUCRF has revealed the manner in which the Australian Taxation Office has at first approved hardship early release superannuation requests and then revoked them. For more.

Retail CRE valuation to fall to up to 30% Investors should factor in a 20-30% fall in valuation for parts of discretionary retail in commercial real estate sector, such as regional shopping malls, as they were most affected by a structural shift due to COVID-19. For more.

Tax agent banned for tax avoidance scheme The Tax Practitioners Board has terminated the registration of former KPMG partner, Christopher Allenby. For more.

Early release or a kick-start? So, what does the cost of a motorcycle trail bike have in common with the average drawdown of superannuation early release? For more.

One way ticket for Poms Outsider was relieved but not particularly surprised to read that over half of British expats would not move back to their UK motherland – and not just because one of his best and most modest journalists is a Pom. For more.

Who wants membership of a licensee club? Outsider knows that the Financial Planning Association (FPA) and the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) seek to represent financial planners and he knows that the Financial Services Council (FSC) seeks to represent insurers and other product providers so who is representing the licensees? For more.