The Financial Markets Authority has been busy. In the last month, it has announced the Trans-Tasman mutual recognition of financial advisers as well as releasing a guidance note on giving KiwiSaver advice. financialalert spoke with advisers, researchers and industry associations about what the changes mean to advisers...

Over the short term, forecasting equity returns is nearly impossible - but over longer terms, forecasting can be done with some degree of confidence, according to AMP Capital's Keith Poore. He's going to walk advisers through how to do just that, at the IFA 2012 Conference this month...

With global equities failing to impress over the past decade, real money might be better made closer to home, according to Andrew Bascand, managing director and portfolio manager with Harbour Asset Management. Bascand gave financialalert an insight into what he'll be speaking about at next month's IFA 2012 Conference.

It's one thing to help a client plan for retirement, but quite another to plan a retirement fund for a nation. Adrian Orr, CEO of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, gave financialalert a sneak preview of the issues he'll be covering when he opens next month's IFA 2012 Conference...

The debate around active versus passive managed equity funds provoked lively discussion at last month's PortfolioConstruction Forum Symposium in Auckland. For this follow up feature, financialalert asked proponents of both approaches why they choose the strategy they do. One thing they all had in common is a strong belief in their position...

Statements of advice are one of the more onerous requirements for financial advisers under the new regulatory regime. Code Standards 9 and 12 now mandate advisers must provide written information to clients regarding personalised services. With very little guidance from the regulator on how to go about this, financialalert asked some advisers what they're doing to comply and how they're going about writing financial plans...

In this second part of our two-part feature on adapting to the new regulatory reality, we look at what to tell clients about investing, how pedantic advisers need to be with record keeping, and what the Financial Markets Authority is doing to educate consumers.

Regulation has forever changed the way advisers and their businesses operate - but has it changed the marketplace for advice? In the first of this two-part feature, financialalert spoke with several practices about how they've adapted to the new reality, what effects regulation has had on their bottom line, and where clients are coming from these days...

In this second feature in our series, financialalert spoke with a major fixed income provider, an Authorised Financial Adviser assessor, various AFAs and our own publisher about how advisers should consider the use of debt in portfolios...

The way investment advisers think about debt within portfolios has changed over recent years given the demise of finance companies and of the ING CDO/CLO fund failures. In the first of a two-part feature, financialalert asked advisers and product providers what debt instruments should feature in portfolios, and what role they should play...

Fees and levies on advisers under the new regulatory environment were due to be established in May 2010. But nearly two years on, advisers still don't know how much they'll be paying. We asked the Ministry of Economic Development for an update...

Communicating with clients in an effective and economical way can be tricky - especially when the news might not be crash hot. financialalert spoke with communications experts working with advisers on both sides of the Tasman about the frequency, content and types of contact advisers should be having, and the growing use of social media...

Another mystery shop of financial advisers is rumoured to be on the way. financialalert spoke with Consumer about a possible mystery shop this year, as well as advisers about the different approaches to dealing with a potential mystery shopper...

For most financial advisers, the next challenge in complying with regulation is continuing professional development (CPD). The good news is there are a range of organisations ready and able to assist. financialalert spoke with the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) and some leading education providers about advisers' responsibilities and how they can fulfill the requirements...

Kiwi AFAs who work in the UK pension transfer space may start receiving a lot of phone calls if a new law is passed in the UK which aims to ensure any QROPs scheme not obeying the rules loses its QROPS status - leaving investors in those schemes subject to a retrospective 55% tax claw-back. But, the real hook is that the legislation is retrospective back to 2006 when QROPS first began...

With 2011 so frantic for most financial advisers, 2012 looks set to be an 'interesting' year. As the new regulatory environment has pretty much settled in, advisers are keen to get back to business, and back to basics. We asked industry leaders what 2012 will bring...

With regulation taking hold, many adviser practices are simply not as profitable to operate as they use to be - and some may be asking themselves if this is a good time to exit. But holding out for another five years may well pay off...