In this episode of Australian Retirement Podcast, Drew Meredith and James O’Reilly unpack ASIC’s latest report into adviser fees and the growing pressure on super platforms to prove clients are getting fair value. It’s a timely conversation for retirees, pre-retirees and business owners who are wondering what financial advice should cost, what good oversight looks like, and how to ask sharper questions before signing on.
Drew and James explore why platform-based fee deductions have become such a focus, what ASIC appears to be targeting, and how poor-value advice can still slip through even in a heavily regulated system. They also break down the tension between cost and value: why the cheapest adviser is not always the best fit, why specialised advice often costs more, and what investors should expect to receive in return. The episode also highlights why clients with business interests, multiple entities or more complex super questions can receive very different quotes for what appears to be similar advice.
The episode finishes with a practical listener question from a couple comparing two very different advice proposals. If you’ve ever wondered whether an upfront fee is too high, how ongoing fees should be judged, or what outcomes an adviser should be able to show in year one, this conversation will help you think more clearly before making a decision.
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