Has the Govt created an advice structural imbalance? Australian retirees who are amongst those most needing professional financial advice are at risk of missing out because of the structural imbalances occurring as a result of adviser exits. For more.

Mortgage brokers angered by clawbacks Mortgage brokers believe the embedding of commission clawbacks in legislation will see them working for nothing. For more.

Big bank platform dominance at an end The latest Investment Trends research suggests the days of the big banks dominating and leading the platform space have come to an end. For more.

Australian dividends 3.3% down While global dividends rose to new record in 2019, Australia had a difficult year with dividends falling 3.3%. For more.

Kapstream ‘confused’ by US trade war threats The potential and unknown impact of a ‘full-blown trade war’ in the US remains a blot on the horizon for the Kapstream Capital Absolute Return Income fund. For more.

Synchron’s Trapnell clarifies new role After stepping aside from running the day-to-day business of Synchron, director Don Trapnell has clarified his role and the future transition plan for the company. For more.

Melbourne-based MEDIQ partners with Focus Financial Melbourne-based wealth management firm MEDIQ Financial Services has become the latest firm to join the Focus Financial Partners partnership. For more.

Bennelong makes two senior appointments Greg Thomas will move from BennBridge in the UK to Bennelong in Sydney and Doug Stewart will replace him in the UK. For more.

No lift in advice remediation provisioning by IOOF IOOF has announced it will not be provisioning beyond the $223 million for advice remediation it announced in August last year. For more.

BHP Billiton reports 39% profit increase Mining giant BHP Billiton, one of Australia’s largest miners, has reported a 39% profit increase but cautioned coronavirus could lead it to revise its expectations downwards for the year ahead. For more.

In times of drought Jassmyn Goh speaks to rural advisers to find out how the years long drought has affected their clients and what other hidden challenges they face in these trying times. For more.

Do clients care about climate change? With growing demand from investors for investment strategies that take into account ESG considerations and more knowledge of how their money is being invested, advisers need to look for more tailored solutions, Oksana Patron writes. For more.

Investing to influence climate change As people become conscious of the impact of climate change and what they can do to help mitigate it, Chris Dastoor writes where they invest can help drive change. For more.