Nick Bradford’s Post

📰 Announcing our planned acquisition of Iress’ superannuation business, reinforcing our commitment to advancing the superannuation industry in Australia. 🔖 Read the news: https://okt.to/oNVL3k As we welcome the Iress superannuation team and their clients, our priority is to enhance member engagement and increase the capabilities of the market leading Acurity platform to better support our clients' needs. We look forward to building on the success of the superannuation business, leveraging our experience to deliver even greater value to members. 💬 Read our Founder and CEO, Peter Hughes’ comments on the news in the link above. #Superannuation #Acquisition #ApexGroup #FinancialServices #Iress

📰 Announcing our planned acquisition of Iress’ superannuation business, reinforcing our commitment to advancing the superannuation industry in Australia. 🔖 Read the news: https://okt.to/NV1o0r As we welcome the Iress superannuation team and their clients, our priority is to enhance member engagement and increase the capabilities of the market leading Acurity platform to better support our clients' needs. We look forward to building on the success of the superannuation business, leveraging our experience to deliver even greater value to members. 💬 Read our Founder and CEO, Peter Hughes’ comments on the news in the link above. #Superannuation #Acquisition #ApexGroup #FinancialServices #Iress

📰 Announcing our planned acquisition of Iress’ superannuation business, reinforcing our commitment to advancing the superannuation industry in Australia. 🔖 Read the news: https://okt.to/19fjHJ As we welcome the Iress superannuation team and their clients, our priority is to enhance member engagement and increase the capabilities of the market leading Acurity platform to better support our clients' needs. We look forward to building on the success of the superannuation business, leveraging our experience to deliver even greater value to members. 💬 Read our Founder and CEO, Peter Hughes’ comments on the news in the link above. #Superannuation #Acquisition #ApexGroup #FinancialServices #Iress

A&O Shearman Luxembourg’s M&A and financial services regulatory teams have successfully advised global specialist provider of corporate & global expansion, active wealth, pensions & incentives and fund services ZEDRA Group in its strategic investment in RBB Business Advisors, a French firm specializing in accounting, HR, and tax services for both domestic and international clients. This expansion will see ZEDRA integrating 33 employees from RBB Business Advisors, increasing its total headcount to over 1,200 professionals across 17 countries throughout Asia, the Americas, and Europe. The advisory team was led from Luxembourg by partners Jacques Graas and Baptiste AUBRY, alongside counsel Alann Le Guillou, senior associates Anne-Sophie Besançon, Joachim Apra, Victor Ferreira, associate Angeliki Kontodimos and junior associate Damien Frutuoso. #MandA #CorporateServices #WealthManagement #FundServices #LuxembourgLaw #AOShearman

Is your super being managed in a way you never intended it to be? Perhaps you started with First State Super, then went to VicSuper and now Aware Super have taken the reins. Or, maybe you set out with Media Super which merged with Cbus in early 2022. This likely created some headaches… additional paperwork, new log in details, the need to update employers, create new beneficiary nominations… the list goes on. Not to mention that each change results in a new fee structure, a new investment menu and different levels of personal insurance cover. Consolidation within the superannuation industry has been rife in recent years. According to The Super Guide, a staggering 36 mergers have completed in less than three years. And it doesn’t end there, Mercer Super predicts the number of super funds in Australia will decline another 30% over the next five years. So, if you’re not reviewing your super fund on a regular basis, you’ll likely end up in a completely different one than where you started. This may be a positive or it could jeopardise what can become one of your most valuable assets.  If this all seems overwhelming, we can help - reach out by visiting my bio and booking in a 15-min intro call. #superannuation #financialadvice #investing #NeoWealthManagement

Superannuation funds will have to deal with the ACCC more often than ever before under the ACCC’s proposed merger reforms - not just for fund mergers, but also for their ordinary, direct investment activity. In this video, I discuss how superannuation funds are likely to be impacted with my competition law partner, Jeremy Jose. If you work within a super fund’s investments team or investments-legal team, it is definitely worth watching - let me know if you would like to discuss any of these issues further!

Big Superannuation Companies vs. Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSF) It has frequently been reported that large superannuation companies face challenges in effectively managing your money due to their bureaucratic frameworks and elevated fee structures. These issues can result in inefficiencies and a lack of personalised service, ultimately diminishing your returns. In my experience, large superannuation funds sometimes do not make the best investment decisions, particularly due to the ever-expanding pool of cash they need to continually invest as Australians accumulate more superannuation. For example, in the CBD office markets in Australia, some of these large superannuation companies continued to invest in this asset class even when the market showed signs of decline, demonstrating a preference for large, convenient investments over sound strategy. Additionally, they may invest in generic portfolios that do not cater to specific risk tolerances or ethical considerations. In contrast, setting up a Self-Managed Super Fund (SMSF) allows individuals to take control of their retirement savings, enabling them to leverage investments in commercial or residential real estate, which can yield significantly better internal rates of return than those typically offered by large super funds. Remember—no one cares about your money more than you do. Having full control of your SMSF facilitates better financial decisions, rather than leaving your future in the hands of large businesses that must prioritise both their own corporate profits and returns for their investors. With an SMSF, you have the power to make informed decisions about your investments, potentially leading to better long-term financial outcomes. Please be aware that this is not financial advice. If you decide to pursue a self-managed super fund (SMSF), it is essential to be well-informed, as the risks associated with an SMSF can be significantly higher than those of a corporate superannuation fund if you lack the necessary knowledge and expertise. https://lnkd.in/gbmHVhR3

Important Update: CareSuper is merging with Spirit Super. This will affect your superannuation arrangements. We would like to inform you that CareSuper is merging with Spirit Super, and the current CareSuper fund will close on Friday, 1 November 2024. From this date, superannuation contributions for the following fund will no longer be processed automatically: CareSuper (Unique Super Identifier (USI): CAR0100AU) Employees with CareSuper accounts will be transferred to a new fund with the same name but different details. The new USI will be MTA0100AU, and the ABN will be 74 559 365 913. CareSuper will issue new member numbers to employees starting from Friday, 1 November 2024. Actions Required: Please visit CareSuper’s website to read more about the merger and any actions needed to ensure your employees' contributions are processed correctly. Once employees receive their new membership details, you will need to update their information in your payroll system with the new fund details. Please feel free to contact our office should you have any queries.

Insignia Financial has shifted to outsource the administration of its $180 billion superannuation assets, inking a deal with SS&C Technologies and reassigning 1300 workers to the service provider during the process. The decision stands in stark contrast to peers such as Aware Super, which recently internalised member services, but CEO Scott Hartley said that option is a “costly exercise”. #administration #superannuation #InvestmentMagazine https://lnkd.in/g-x3665c

Family offices have emerged as the fastest growing proportion of private capital investors, increasing from 7% to 36% in the four years to December 2023. The number of active Australia-based family offices is eight times higher than four years ago, data from Preqin shows.    Meanwhile, the proportion of superannuation funds as private capital investors has more than halved, dropping from 47% to 20% over the same period. This decline is potentially due to a trend of mergers between superannuation funds and their need to invest at scale.    Government agencies, insurance companies, banks, endowment plans, fund of funds, and other limited partners have remained relatively consistent during this time. For more data, research and insights visit:    https://lnkd.in/gxdh2ffK   #InvestmentCouncilAU