Since the introduction of fund choice in July 2005, advisers have increasingly been called upon to make recommendations based on the relative merits of competing superannuation products. ‘Super switching’ has become a contentious area of business, especially with ASIC taking a keen interest in the standards of compliance and due diligence involved.

This has resulted in two key issues for dealer groups:

• The substantial amount of adviser time spent on researching the ‘from’ and 'to' funds. That research includes obtaining and perusing the formal documents (PDSs, Annual Reports etc) and sourcing supplementary information, generally from the funds’ call centres.
  
  Clearly, the time advisers spend on such research reduces the time they spend with their clients and, consequently, their productivity.
  
  
• The need for consistency in the due diligence and compliance standards across their adviser network. Any adviser that does not keep adequate research records and provide a well-reasoned basis for their advice represents a compliance risk for the dealer group.

Chant West’s research provides advisers with accurate and comprehensive information. With access to Corporate and PersonalSuper Research and Super AppleCheck, together with the associated modeling tools, advisers can research and compare over 140 super products including industry funds, corporate funds, personal funds and public sector funds.

Our high quality research is combined with client-friendly reporting. This winning combination enables advisers to deliver excellent client service, satisfy their compliance obligations and improve their productivity.

Retirement income streams – primarily allocated pensions – have been one of the financial services success stories of recent years. Now, with the Government’s landmark decision to remove personal pensions from the income tax system from 1 July (for people aged over 60), these products are set to enjoy a fresh surge of popularity.

Against this background, Chant West is rolling out comprehensive research on all the leading pension products in the market.

The pension research will be presented in the same user-friendly format as our super research, which is widely used by financial advisers, super funds and other institutions. For subscribers, this will take the form of:

• Detailed product summaries
• Pension product fee calculator
• Pension AppleCheck comparison tool
• Published ratings, using the familiar ‘Apples’ logo, also available on our public website.

One in three advisers in Australia now have access to Chant West research, making us the clear leaders in the field. To find out more, please contact us