Our Point of Difference

The Advice Exchange is a boutique Australian Financial Services Licensee (AFSL 278937), comprising experienced business operators who share a passion for client-focused services. Based in Melbourne, we provide our adviser members with the support and advice they need to help grow their businesses and succeed.

A Loyal and Supportive Licensee

If you’re a small, but growing boutique advice business and are interested in harnessing and managing your rapid growth, then you likely need help because it’s hard to do it alone.

We are a supportive licensee who can provide the necessary business expertise and guidance to help you harness that growth to achieve greater success, while seamlessly continuing to satisfy your trusted clientele.

What is more important is that you don’t want a licensee that will try to change you when managing that growth. You need someone who is loyal and understands your ‘unique’ business – someone who ‘gets’ exactly why you are successful.

Superior Services Backed by Quality Advice

We provide access to current knowledge and advice about corporate governance, business tools, research, business planning and other key services that you need to grow your advisory business without fear of disruption or change.

Personalised and proactive, our philosophy is to support finance advice businesses in their growth and development without stifling the qualities that their clients choose them for.

We do this by providing business coaching and development and assistance with strategic planning. Our team members are selected for their specific expertise and our solutions are sourced from reputable research and specialised technical advisers.

By helping you keep on top of your business requirements, we ensure that you can continue to grow and satisfy your customers at the same time.

Why we are different

**Providing high quality advice** to our clients and ensuring that our knowledge in these areas is current at all times.

**Giving you access to our Board of Advice** that is comprised of specialists from across the financial advice industry.
**Enabling you to manage overhead costs** and providing access to services that you may not be able to ordinarily afford because these are shared across clients, not duplicated in every client business.
**Developing an individual relationship with you** so that we have a deep understanding of your values and objectives – we know that every dollar matters to a small business, so we tailor our services to your specific needs to give you the best value for money.
**Fostering a uniquely collaborative approach,** providing opportunities for you to network and share expertise for mutual growth.

Our Recognised Value and Our Distinctive Approach

In simple terms, we help build the economic value of your business through our expert support and strategic advice, without changing the way you run your business.

At The Advice Exchange, we believe our real value to our member firms lies in our unique, collaborative approach to running a licensee.

We offer a cooperative network of members who love to collaborate and share ideas. You immediately become part of a team of peers and are supported, without losing your control, your uniqueness, or experiencing the sinking feeling that you are just one small part of a much bigger machine.

Because we are a boutique business and we intend to stay that way, we don’t have grand plans for expansion, as this would dilute our valued offering to our loyal member firms.

We are simply here to help you grow.

We Share to Grow Together

In seeking new members to join our group, we look for firms or individuals who can add to the collaborative value of the group and contribute both intellectually and culturally to enhance the value of the group as a whole.

The best ideas are those that are shared, debated and inevitably improved upon over time. True value is built on innovation and execution. After all, the difference between innovation and good ideas lies in execution and delivery.

By sharing ideas and driving accountability, our member firms can achieve far greater value by tapping into the expertise of their peers and licensee.

If you are a rapidly growing financial advice business and you need a licensee to provide the business expertise and support to help you harness that growth, get in touch with us today.

Our Mission and Vision

Our Mission

We deeply value our advisory business partners and we therefore strive to:
• Improve the asset value of your business.
• Provide core dealer services in an effective, outcome-based manner.
• Be *the* research and development centre for our adviser-member firms.
• Create a community where we enjoy working with each other and provide opportunities to network and share expertise.

Our Vision

To have a co-operative business community **based on improving the asset value of your business** within that community.

Our Dealer Services Expertise

The hub of our dealership is our Corporate Governance and Operational teams who work closely together to provide quality dealer services to our member firms.

Bringing more than 100 years’ combined experience in the Financial Services industry and a deep passion for what they do, our team intimately knows the issues faced by your business and are in a unique position to evaluate and administer customised solutions for you.

Education and Professional Development

At The Advice Exchange, we offer a highly-respected professional development program, incorporating face-to-face technical education with online learning and specialist competency development.

We also place a distinct focus on your business development and growth outcomes through our Adviser Retreats, where we enable you to collectively learn from the experience of others, share ideas and encourage innovation from which your business can grow.

Trusted Research and Technical Tools

We source high quality solutions from reputable research and specialised technical providers designed to benefit your advisory business.

One of the foundation pillars that underpin The Advice Exchange culture is our approach to financial advice. As a community we are passionate to continue to build our unbiased approach to financial advice which embedded in our our approach to investment management. This is the catalyst to engaging Chris Lioutas, who is the founder of Insight Investment Consultants.

Chris provides a wide range of investment consulting services to our financial planning firms in conjunction with our investment committee and director in a bespoke and customised fashion.

Chris/Insight’s services are wide and far, covering investment policies and governance, investment committee representation, product list management, portfolio management, investment analysis and selection, reporting, presentations, and communications.

As part of our investment policy and philosophy, we provide Model Portfolios to ensure clients have access to a flexible, cost-effective and well diversified portfolio of high quality investments.

The research and considerations are made with the following factors in mind:

1. Valuations within each asset class

2. Depth and breadth within an asset class

3. Ability and conviction in active management to add alpha within each asset class

4. Gaining effective exposure when utilising dynamic asset allocation

5. Cost effectiveness

Together with Chris’ expertise and the input of the Investment Committee, we utilise Research Houses such as Farrelly’s, Morningstar and Lonsec to provide research and investment updates to our network.

A Unique Practice Management Approach

Our Practice Management philosophy focuses on building the economic value of your business because when you grow, we grow with you.

As your trusted business partner, we aim to provide you with the right tools and knowledge to be able to grow and sustain an innovative and profitable financial planning business.

We provide you with and support you in the implementation of critical technology solutions, such as Xplan, building workflow, portfolio and revenue management systems and processes that drive outcomes and results.

Our practice management approach does not follow a one-size fits all philosophy. Here’s why:

We tailor our services to your specific needs at your specific stage of growth, so you get the best value for their money.

Our relatively small network means that we are able to work closely with you to identify how best to assist in growing the economic value of your business.

What’s more, our Managing Director is heavily involved in all stages of the process, unlike with other licensees.

Our Approach

Advisory business that have our vision we welcome:

• Have a shared vision with our member firms and take pride in personalised advice for their clients.
• Are small, but growing fast, and are looking for investment and support in the future of their business to help harness and manage their growth.
• Can add value to our community thanks to the sum of their industry experience and provide strategic input to the running of their own business.
• Are open to innovation and advances in tools that support their business.
Ultimately, **we foster a collaborative approach**, providing opportunities to those member business who want to network and share expertise for mutual growth.

Ensuring a Smooth Transition

Our transition process is based on Planning, Implementation and Reporting and we work collaboratively with you to develop a personalised project plan that takes into account the specific needs of your advisory business.

We understand that changing licensees can appear daunting from the outset; however, our experienced team will ensure that your transition is as smooth and trouble-free as possible.

If you are a rapidly growing financial advice business and you need a licensee to provide the business expertise and support to help you harness that growth, get in touch with us today.

Total Peace of Mind

We provide business support that allows you to focus on what you’re best at – looking after your clients – while we assist your business needs.
We have, and will continue to develop, commercially-viable strategies specific to your business needs underpinned by documentation and training.

Future Proof Your Business

Our Corporate Governance and Compliance Program is designed to take into account business strategy, risk management, business processes and people.

Our team will design commercially-viable strategies and solutions specific to your business needs and underpinned by key documentation and training.

Under the Program, we develop a ‘Future Proof Plan’ with each of our member businesses to support them through legislative changes that impact the way that they operate their financial planning practice.

In doing so, we place an important focus on addressing potential legislative change that could affect your work and we provide you with customised strategies and solutions to help you make the transition through a changing environment.

Additional Benefits

**Professional Indemnity Insurance**
We have negotiated a comprehensive policy with commercially-acceptable terms provided by a reputable insurer. The policy supports the diversified areas of advice provided by the group.
**Payment of Fees and Commission**
A range of standard and tailored management reports are provided to our member businesses. This allows for detailed segmentation of your client base and the reports are readily available.
**Payments are made twice per month with adviser payment statements available on the day of payment.**

If you are a rapidly growing financial advice business and you need a licensee to provide the business expertise and support to help you harness that growth, get in touch with us today.