Welcome note

A sharper focus

When we published the first edition of this special guide nine years ago, we had a specific goal in mind: to showcase that there is a community of outstanding financial advisers who are starting to use this new ‘shiny’ tool called ‘social media’.

Hard to believe it now but there was a time when social platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter were rarely used to educate the investing public about the merits of good financial advice. Today it’s part of the standard toolkit - even if the platform of choice has changed. For example, Twitter was all the rage a decade ago before being superceded by Instagram and TikTok.

For this year’s crop, many are embracing podcasts, reflecting the growing consumption of this media platform.

But beyond the social reach, we wanted to make sure that the select group of financial advisers in this guide have the right combination of experience and foresight to truly champion the industry. Financial

FS Power50

Standard’s editor Jamie Williamson notes the key regulatory reforms (page 6) that will test the mettle of our FS Power50 list.

If you are new to this guide, turn to page 43 for an explanation of our selection process. Our quick stats on page 46 suggests there has been a changing of the guard, with 20% of this year’s batch making it to the list for the first time in 2022. That said, we are incredibly proud of the mainstays because their practices flourished despite the demands of tightening regulation and compliance.

On behalf of the Financial Standard team, I’d like to congratulate all of the financial advisers who made it to this year’s FS Power50. We appreciate your participation behind the scenes as we tried to learn more about you and your practice in the making of this guide. Through our research and the various interviews, trends and patterns have emerged, including the adoption of scaled and digital advice, the rise of ethical investing and the growth of niche practices geared towards millennials.

But with more Australians moving into retirement in the next decade and a new wave of budding investors gaining their financial literacy through social platforms, the need for financial advisers with ‘influence’ has never been greater. Power on.

Michelle Baltazar

director of media Rainmaker Group

^La Trobe Financial’s 12 Month Term Account was judged the Best Credit Fund - Mortgages for 2022 by Money magazine. For a full list of our awards please visit our website. La Trobe Financial Asset Management Limited ACN 007 332 363 Australian Financial Services Licence 222213 Australian Credit Licence 222213 is the responsible entity of the La Trobe Australian Credit Fund ARSN 088 178 321. It is important for you to consider the Product Disclosure Statement for the Credit Fund in deciding whether to invest, or to continue to invest, in the Credit Fund. You can read the PDS and the Target Market Determinations on our website or ask for a copy by calling us on 13 80 10.