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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.
ACT independent financial advisers
Canberra
PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Philip Harvey | Construct Wealth | Dickson |
| Naomi Horobin | Clover Financial Group | Kingston |
| Phil Thompson | Rise Financial | Monash |
| Daniel Brammall | Brocktons Independent Advisory | Phillip |
| Susannah Kulincevic | Brocktons Independent Advisory | Phillip |
NSW independent financial advisers
Sydney
PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Vince Lam | Plutus Financial Guidance | Chatswood |
| Ben Liddicoat | BBK Financial Planning | Dulwich Hill |
| Jo-Anne Nelson | Arc Financial Solutions | Neutral Bay |
| Howard Pitts | Arc Financial Solutions | Neutral Bay |
| David Harper | Naked Wealth | Newport |
| Deborah Lin | Liquidity Independent Advisers | Oatley |
| Fergus Hardingham | FM Financial Solutions | Pyrmont |
| Philip Davies | Liquidity Independent Advisers | Sutherland |
| Michael Morrison | M Financial Planning | Sydney |
| Michael Radalj | Your Private Advisers | Sydney |
| Bill Raffle | Bennelong Private Wealth | Sydney |
| Peter Surtenich | Suetonius Wealth Management | Sydney |
Not PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Christine Fenech | Quantum Financial | Chatswood |
| Claire Mackay | Quantum Financial | Chatswood |
| Tim Mackay | Quantum Financial | Chatswood |
| Ricky Truong | Quantum Financial | Chatswood |
| Kevin Smith | The Professional Super Advisers | North Sydney |
| Harry Buckeridge | Providence Wealth Advisory Group | Sydney |
| Michael Ogg | Providence Wealth Advisory Group | Sydney |
| Carlo Queddeng | Providence Wealth Advisory Group | Sydney |
| Grant Patterson | Providence Wealth Advisory Group | Sydney |
| William Porter | Providence Wealth Advisory Group | Sydney |
| James Smith | Providence Wealth Advisory Group | Sydney |
NSW regional
PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Stephanie O’Connor | Custom Accounting | Cootamundra |
| Kyle Frost | Millennial Independent Advice | Newcastle |
| Daniel McGregor | Wealth Train | Orange |
| Richard Barber | Liquidity Independent Advisers | Shellharbour |
Not PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| James Cruz | Evolution Financial Planning | Ballina |
QLD independent financial advisers
Brisbane
PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Todd Meynink | Asset Science | Ashgrove |
| Aaron Crosthwaite | Curve Financial QLD | Fortitude Valley |
| Justin Brand | Brand Financial | Newstead |
| Neil Salkow | Roskow Independent Advisory | Stones Corner |
| Samuel Turrisi | Roskow Independent Advisory | Stones Corner |
| Guy Rasmussen | Whole Wealth | West End |
Not PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal Bobir | Tupicoffs | Brisbane |
| Rocco Costa | Tupicoffs | Brisbane |
| Simon Hepson | Tupicoffs | Brisbane |
| Neil Kendall | Tupicoffs | Brisbane |
| Ross McConachie | Tupicoffs | Brisbane |
| Mark Milner | Tupicoffs | Brisbane |
| Delma Newton | Tupicoffs | Brisbane |
| Mark O’Flynn | Tupicoffs | Brisbane |
| Cynthia Sercombe | Tupicoffs | Brisbane |
| Caleb Dozzi | Dozzi | Newstead |
| Ellie Fordham | Dozzi | Newstead |
QLD regional
PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| David Harper | Naked Wealth | Noosaville |
| Keith Henderson | Malibu Wealth Advisory | Noosaville |
Not PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Jayne Graving | Arch Financial Planners | Maroochydore |
SA independent financial advisers
Adelaide
PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Jacie Taylor | Periapt Advisory | Eastwood |
Not PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Coby Faulkner | Wotherspoon Wealth | Glen Osmond |
| Samuel Garreffa | Wotherspoon Wealth | Glen Osmond |
| Samantha Harrison | Wotherspoon Wealth | Glen Osmond |
| John Wotherspoon | Wotherspoon Wealth | Glen Osmond |
| Simon Wotherspoon | Wotherspoon Wealth | Glen Osmond |
SA regional
PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron Foster | Horizon Advisory | Port Lincoln |
TAS independent financial advisers
Hobart
PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Simon Duigan | Core Independent Financial Advice | Kingston |
Not PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Jane Clark | Jane Clark Financial Management | Howden |
| Anton Diedericks | WellAdvised Financial Advisers | North Hobart |
| Jared Schrank | WellAdvised Financial Advisers | North Hobart |
VIC independent financial advisers
Melbourne
PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Trent Alexander | Financial Planning Expert | Caulfield North |
| Rick Horvat | Horvat Financial Advisors | Essendon |
| Mathew Horvat | Horvat Financial Advisers | Essendon |
| Adriano Donato | Roskow Independent Advisory | Hawthorn |
| Matthew Ross | Roskow Independent Advisory | Hawthorn |
| Amir Salehi | Planning Wealth Independent Advisory | Kew |
| James Stephan | Stephan Independent Advisory | Kew |
| Joe Stephan | Stephan Independent Advisory | Kew |
| Dennis J. Maddern | Maddern Financial Advisers | Malvern |
| Dominic Alafaci | Collins House | Melbourne |
| Natasha Hall | Planning Hall | Melbourne |
| Jason Smith | Think Independent | Melbourne |
| Sean Dwyer | Curve Financial | Moorabbin |
| Berivan Dubier | Curve Financial | Moorabbin |
Not PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Barlow | Roskow Independent Advisory | Hawthorn |
| Stephen Farrell | Guided Wealth | Hawthorn East |
| Cameron Howlett | Independent Wealth Partners | Parkville |
| Corin Jacka | Priority1 Wealth Management Group | Ringwood North |
VIC regional
PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Thoms | Super-Focus | Geelong |
WA independent financial advisers
Perth
PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher Young | CY Financial Advice | South Perth |
Not PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Dennis Barton | Andep Investment Consultancy | Perth |
| Elizabeth Gliddon | Andep Investment Consultancy | Perth |
| Nick Bruining | N.C. Bruining & Associates | Subiaco |
WA regional
PIFA members
| Adviser name | Business name | Suburb |
|---|---|---|
| Mick Steffan | Independent Advisers WA | Bluff Point |
| Peter Humble | Rise Wealth | Eaton |
If you’re an independent financial adviser that would like to be included on our list, please follow the instructions here.
Learn more about financial advice in the following SuperGuide articles:
- How to find low cost (or free) financial advice
- What is the value of financial advice when it comes to your retirement?
- 5-step guide to the different types of financial advice on offer
- SMSFs: What advice can your accountant provide?
- 7-point guide to what happens when you meet a financial adviser
- Video: What difference does it make that a financial adviser is independent?
- Independent financial advice: Why it’s important and how to find it
- Financial coaching: What is it and why may you need it?
- What makes a financial adviser independent?
- 8 warning signs that you’re with a bad financial adviser
- Financial advice: What are the risks and benefits?
- Super advice: How to find a suitable financial adviser
- Retirement planning: How much does financial advice cost?
Related articles
July 2, 2019- July 2, 2019
- December 5, 2019
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’.