Retirement
New Framework Aims to Bridge Australia’s Financial Advice Gap
A ground-breaking framework introduced by the Actuaries Institute promises to revolutionise how Australians access financial support, potentially transforming the financial wellbeing of millions. The Help, Guidance and Advice (HGA) framework, unveiled today, is designed to provide a structured approach that enables financial institutions to deliver a broad spectrum of affordable and quality support to their customers.
New Framework Aims to Bridge Australia’s Financial Advice Gap
A ground-breaking framework introduced by the Actuaries Institute promises to revolutionise how Australians access financial support, potentially transforming the financial wellbeing of millions. The Help, Guidance and Advice (HGA) framework, unveiled today, is designed to provide a structured approach that enables financial institutions to deliver a broad spectrum of affordable and quality support to their customers.
Andrew Gale, an experienced non-executive director and chair of the Institute’s HGA Working Group, emphasises the framework's potential to democratise access to financial advice. “Middle Australia stands to benefit most because comprehensive personal advice is out of reach for many, but help, guidance and specific purpose simple advice at pivotal moments would significantly improve their financial wellbeing,” Gale asserts.
The HGA framework is poised to cater to the diverse needs of Australians, offering everything from basic financial facts to detailed advice on retirement planning and other financial matters. Gale notes, “Our framework provides the architecture that will enable millions of people of all ages to receive support in different levels of complexity and that fits their individual needs.”
With a significant wave of retirees anticipated in the coming decade, the framework's timing is critical. Many Australians nearing retirement face challenges in accessing full, comprehensive financial advice due to cost and complexity. The HGA framework aims to fill this gap by offering targeted help and guidance on common issues such as Age Pension entitlements and strategies for managing superannuation.
Gale highlights the framework's potential impact on younger Australians as well, who often require assistance with consolidating superannuation accounts, budgeting, and selecting appropriate life insurance. By providing scalable and cost-effective support, the HGA framework could enhance financial literacy and decision-making across various demographics.
The development of the HGA framework involved extensive consultation with key stakeholders, including superannuation funds, consumer groups, and industry bodies. The Institute’s paper, "Financial Advice Reform and Help, Guidance and Advice," outlines the framework's potential to expand the capacity of financial advisers, accountants, superannuation funds, and digital tools to offer support. This expansion could benefit an estimated 710,000 Australians planning to retire within the next five years.
A significant aspect of the HGA framework is its potential to address regulatory challenges in the financial advice sector. Gale points out that current regulations fail to differentiate between simple guidance and comprehensive planning, treating all financial advice as equally complex. “Guidance currently operates in a regulatory grey area between Help and Advice. It provides an important bridge between providing someone with basic financial information and personalised advice. It is widely seen as a scalable and cost-effective mechanism for delivering meaningful support,” Gale explains.
The framework advocates for greater regulatory and legislative recognition of guidance, enabling superannuation funds and their trustees to provide more certain support to their members. Gale adds, “We would like to see greater regulatory and legislative recognition for Guidance so, for example, super funds and their trustees have more certainty in the support they can provide their members.”
The Actuaries Institute is optimistic about the forthcoming Delivering Better Financial Outcomes (DBFO) legislation, which is expected to play a crucial role in enhancing access to affordable financial help and guidance. Gale acknowledges the DBFO reforms as a positive step but suggests that further regulatory reform will be necessary to fully leverage the potential of guidance within the financial advice landscape.
As the financial advice sector continues to evolve, the HGA framework represents a significant stride towards bridging the advice gap in Australia. By offering a structured approach to financial support, it holds the promise of improving the financial wellbeing of Australians across different life stages, empowering them to make informed decisions with confidence.
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