On this page
- What makes a financial adviser ‘independent’?
- Sydney independent financial advisers
- Melbourne independent financial advisers
- Brisbane independent financial advisers
- Perth independent financial advisers
- Adelaide independent financial advisers
- Canberra independent financial advisers
- Hobart independent financial advisers
Note: You can learn more about the importance of independent financial advice in the SuperGuide article: Independent financial advice: Why it’s important, and how to find it.
SuperGuide has been tracking Australia’s independent financial advisers since 2010. We have always recognised that financial advice can add significant value to your retirement plans, so long as it’s truly independent, free from conflicts of interest and in the best interests of the clients.
Important: SuperGuide does not have a commercial arrangement with any of the advisers listed below, and advisers do not pay SuperGuide to be featured on this list.
What makes a financial adviser ‘independent’?
According to ASIC, which regulates all Australian financial advisers:
Under [Section 923A of] the Corporations Act, a person who carries on a financial services business or provides a financial service is prohibited from using the terms ‘independent’, ‘impartial’ or ‘unbiased’, or any other term ‘of like import’ in relation to the business or service except where the person meets certain conditions, such as not receiving any commissions, volume-based payments or other gifts or benefits.
Most of the financial advisers listed below belong to the Profession of Independent Financial Advisers (PIFA), formerly known as the Independent Financial Advisers Association of Australia (IFAAA), which requires all members to meet the following criteria:
- No ownership links or affiliations with product manufacturers. Impartiality is impossible where an adviser has links to a product manufacturer. Ownership links create an environment where the adviser resembles, at best, a well-intentioned salesperson.
- No commissions or incentive payments from product manufacturers. Commissions are payments made by product manufacturers to their distribution network. They create a conflict of interest between advisers and their clients.
- No asset-based fees. Asset fees, although authorised by the client, are calculated on the volume of business an adviser places with a product manufacturer. (On this basis, advisers who receive a percentage fee from an administration platform or wrap can’t describe themselves as independent.) Asset fees are incentives that prevent an adviser from being impartial and therefore create a conflict of interest between adviser and client.
President of PIFA Daniel Brammall has also described how to identify an independent financial adviser in the SuperGuide article What makes a financial adviser independent?
The list below includes financial advisers who are not members of the PIFA but who have signed a declaration that they only charge fees for service, and do not receive any remuneration from:
- Commissions
- Trailing commissions
- Asset-based fees for service, including trailing income or fees based on a percentage of assets under management
- Bonuses (of whatever description)
- Conflicted remuneration as defined in the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) pt 7.7A div 4
- Any other form of monetary or non-monetary remuneration that could reasonably give rise to a conflict between my interests and the interests of my clients.
The financial advisers listed below that are not members of the PIFA have signed a similar declaration, which you can see here.
Sydney independent financial advisers
There are 23 independent financial advisers listed across Sydney, including 12 that are members of the Profession of Independent Financial Advisers (PIFA). Below this list you can also find 5 independent financial advisers that service regional NSW.
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb | PIFA member? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vince Lam | Plutus Financial Guidance | Chatswood | Yes |
| Christine Fenech | Quantum Financial | Chatswood | No |
| Claire Mackay | Quantum Financial | Chatswood | No |
| Tim Mackay | Quantum Financial | Chatswood | No |
| Ricky Truong | Quantum Financial | Chatswood | No |
| Ben Liddicoat | BBK Financial Planning | Dulwich Hill | Yes |
| Jo-Anne Nelson | Arc Financial Solutions | Neutral Bay | Yes |
| Howard Pitts | Arc Financial Solutions | Neutral Bay | Yes |
| David Harper | Naked Wealth | Newport | Yes |
| Kevin Smith | The Professional Super Advisers | North Sydney | No |
| Deborah Lin | Liquidity Independent Advisers | Oatley | Yes |
| Fergus Hardingham | FM Financial Solutions | Pyrmont | Yes |
| Philip Davies | Liquidity Independent Advisers | Sutherland | Yes |
| Michael Morrison | M Financial Planning | Sydney | Yes |
| Michael Radalj | Your Private Advisers | Sydney | Yes |
| Bill Raffle | Bennelong Private Wealth | Sydney | Yes |
| Peter Surtenich | Suetonius Wealth Management | Sydney | Yes |
| Harry Buckeridge | Providence Wealth Advisory Group | Sydney | No |
| Michael Ogg | Providence Wealth Advisory Group | Sydney | No |
| Carlo Queddeng | Providence Wealth Advisory Group | Sydney | No |
| Grant Patterson | Providence Wealth Advisory Group | Sydney | No |
| William Porter | Providence Wealth Advisory Group | Sydney | No |
| James Smith | Providence Wealth Advisory Group | Sydney | No |
NSW regional independent financial advisers
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb | PIFA member? |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Cruz | Evolution Financial Planning | Ballina | No |
| Stephanie O’Connor | Custom Accounting | Cootamundra | Yes |
| Kyle Frost | Millennial Independent Advice | Newcastle | Yes |
| Daniel McGregor | Wealth Train | Orange | Yes |
| Richard Barber | Liquidity Independent Advisers | Shellharbour | Yes |
Melbourne independent financial advisers
There are 18 independent financial advisers listed across Melbourne, including 14 that are members of the Profession of Independent Financial Advisers (PIFA). Below this list you can also find one independent financial adviser that services Geelong.
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb | PIFA member? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trent Alexander | Financial Planning Expert | Caulfield North | Yes |
| Rick Horvat | Horvat Financial Advisors | Essendon | Yes |
| Mathew Horvat | Horvat Financial Advisers | Essendon | Yes |
| Adriano Donato | Roskow Independent Advisory | Hawthorn | Yes |
| Matthew Ross | Roskow Independent Advisory | Hawthorn | Yes |
| Tom Barlow | Roskow Independent Advisory | Hawthorn | No |
| Stephen Farrell | Guided Wealth | Hawthorn East | No |
| Amir Salehi | Planning Wealth Independent Advisory | Kew | Yes |
| James Stephan | Stephan Independent Advisory | Kew | Yes |
| Joe Stephan | Stephan Independent Advisory | Kew | Yes |
| Dennis J. Maddern | Maddern Financial Advisers | Malvern | Yes |
| Dominic Alafaci | Collins House | Melbourne | Yes |
| Natasha Hall | Planning Hall | Melbourne | Yes |
| Jason Smith | Think Independent | Melbourne | Yes |
| Sean Dwyer | Curve Financial | Moorabbin | Yes |
| Berivan Dubier | Curve Financial | Moorabbin | Yes |
| Cameron Howlett | Independent Wealth Partners | Parkville | No |
| Corin Jacka | Priority1 Wealth Management Group | Ringwood North | No |
VIC regional independent financial advisers
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb | PIFA member? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Thoms | Super-Focus | Geelong | Yes |
Brisbane independent financial advisers
There are 16 independent financial advisers listed across Brisbane, including 4 that are members of the Profession of Independent Financial Advisers (PIFA). Below this list you can also find 3 independent financial advisers that service regional Queensland.
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb | PIFA member? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Bobir | Tupicoffs | Brisbane | No |
| Rocco Costa | Tupicoffs | Brisbane | No |
| Simon Hepson | Tupicoffs | Brisbane | No |
| Neil Kendall | Tupicoffs | Brisbane | No |
| Ross McConachie | Tupicoffs | Brisbane | No |
| Mark Milner | Tupicoffs | Brisbane | No |
| Delma Newton | Tupicoffs | Brisbane | No |
| Mark O’Flynn | Tupicoffs | Brisbane | No |
| Rebecca Scarrabelotti | Tupicoffs | Brisbane | No |
| Aaron Crosthwaite | Curve Financial QLD | Fortitude Valley | Yes |
| Justin Brand | Brand Financial | Newstead | No |
| Caleb Dozzi | Dozzi | Newstead | No |
| Ellie Fordham | Dozzi | Newstead | No |
| Neil Salkow | Roskow Independent Advisory | Stones Corner | Yes |
| Samuel Turrisi | Roskow Independent Advisory | Stones Corner | Yes |
| Guy Rasmussen | Whole Wealth | West End | Yes |
QLD regional independent financial advisers
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb | PIFA member? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jayne Graving | Arch Financial Planners | Maroochydore | No |
| David Harper | Naked Wealth | Noosaville | Yes |
| Keith Henderson | Malibu Wealth Advisory | Noosaville | Yes |
Perth independent financial advisers
There are 5 independent financial advisers listed across Perth, including one that is a member of the Profession of Independent Financial Advisers (PIFA). Below this list you can also find 2 independent financial advisers that service regional WA.
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb | PIFA member? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Barton | Andep Investment Consultancy | Perth | No |
| Elizabeth Gliddon | Andep Investment Consultancy | Perth | No |
| Christopher Young | CY Financial Advice | South Perth | Yes |
| Nick Bruining | N.C. Bruining & Associates | Subiaco | No |
| David Sharpe | Globe Financial Planning | West Perth | No |
WA regional independent financial advisers
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb | PIFA member? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mick Steffan | Independent Advisers WA | Bluff Point | Yes |
| Peter Humble | Rise Wealth | Eaton | Yes |
Adelaide independent financial advisers
There are two independent financial advisers listed in Adelaide, including one that is a member of the Profession of Independent Financial Advisers (PIFA). Below this list you can also find one independent financial advisers that services Port Lincoln.
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb | PIFA member? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craig Meathrel | Strategiq Wealth | Eastwood | No |
| Jacie Taylor | Periapt Advisory | Kent Town | Yes |
SA regional independent financial advisers
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb | PIFA member? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Foster | Horizon Advisory | Port Lincoln | Yes |
Canberra independent financial advisers
There are 5 independent financial advisers listed across Canberra, who are all members of the Profession of Independent Financial Advisers (PIFA).
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb | PIFA member? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Harvey | Construct Wealth | Dickson | Yes |
| Naomi Horobin | Clover Financial Group | Kingston | Yes |
| Phil Thompson | Rise Financial | Monash | Yes |
| Daniel Brammall | Brocktons Independent Advisory | Phillip | Yes |
| Susannah Kulincevic | Brocktons Independent Advisory | Phillip | Yes |
Hobart independent financial advisers
There are 4 independent financial advisers listed across Hobart, including one that is a member of the Profession of Independent Financial Advisers (PIFA).
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb | PIFA member? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jane Clark | Jane Clark Financial Management | Howden | No |
| Simon Duigan | Core Independent Financial Advice | Kingston | Yes |
| Anton Diedericks | WellAdvised Financial Advisers | North Hobart | No |
| Jared Schrank | WellAdvised Financial Advisers | North Hobart | No |
Disclosure: SuperGuide is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Independent Financial Advisers Australia. Daniel Brammall is a Director of both Independent Financial Advisers Australia and the Profession of Independent Financial Advisers (PIFA).
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This is a great service that SuperGuide provides.
The difficulty is that only very few advisers qualify.
I have been told that the very tight definition of ‘independent’ was engineered by the banks in order to minimise competition.
If anyone who *could* offer truly independent advice because they are not connected with a insurance or investment provider (including no in-house products) was allowed to call themselves ‘independent’, as they allow in many other countries, then the banks and AMP would have competition from more than just the few advisers on this list.
Declaration: I am a financial adviser. I accept insurance commissions and so-called asset-based fees, where my income goes up and down with the client’s investments. Otherwise I could call myself ‘independent’.