Most consumers do not understand that there is no regulation of residential property managers, the chief executive of the Real Estate Institute says.

The man behind the merger of Guardian Trust and Perpetual Trust is causing waves in Australia with a site that pays commissions to customers rather than advisers, and essentially encourages churn.

AML auditors say they are encountering many advisers struggling to meet their obligations under the regulations.

New Zealanders could slash their life insurance premiums by up to 75% if they were able to access cover via their KiwiSaver accounts, the chief executive of a transtasman advice firm says.

The release of the rest of the Financial Markets Conduct Act regulations hasn’t answered some advisers’ questions about the provision of discretionary investment management services (DIMS) under the new rules.

Many authorised financial advisers are out of their depths discussing bonds with their clients, industry commentators claim.

Minimum standards the FMA is proposing to use to assess advisers’ eligibility to provide personalised DIMS have been revealed.

A large proportion of the reporting entities (REs) monitored by the Financial Markets Authority as part of its oversight of the anti-money laundering regulation were non-compliant.

Questions are being asked about what the Financial Advisers Act is trying to achieve.

A baseline review of the New Zealand financial services sector forms a good starting point for discussion as the Financial Advisers Act comes under official scrutiny, commentators say.

Regulations providing the detail of the Financial Markets Conduct Act, including discretionary investment management services, were approved yesterday by the new Commerce Minister.

If 200% upfront commissions are still producing healthy profits for life companies, it’s questionable whether they’ll come down, one industry expert says.

Financial advisers are being told to encourage their clients to hold on to growth assets as they near retirement.

Falling rates of health insurance in New Zealand appear to be stabilising, the latest Health Funds Association figures show.

There are calls for investors to be given more clarity about the fees they pay for advice.