Who proactively asks their software stack providers about security?
The results are in from ASIC's Cyber Pulse Survey, and the report has been released (12th November 2023). So much to unpack! One of the points they make is around supply chain risk. Without looking at the survey, I'm interested to know your thoughts on the percentage of advice firms that have already asked their software stack providers about the levels of security they have in place and can provide the evidence to show they did their DD. What percentage do you think have this on file?What Skills Matter in an AI-Driven Financial Services Industry?
I've been giving a lot of thought to how the increasing presence of artificial intelligence will affect how we hire and develop talent in the financial services industry. Would love to hear what everyone else is thinking. As AI gets better at handling routine tasks and data analysis, the kind of work we typically give to new hires to cut their teeth on, it raises some important questions. For starters, what kind of roles and responsibilities should we be hiring for now? Should we be focusing more on bringing in people with strong interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking abilities? People who are able to form genuine relationships with clients and come up with original solutions to difficult problems? What do you think are the key roles we should be hiring for now? I'm eager to hear your ideas on how businesses can attract, nurture, and retain top talent in this new era.What steps have you and your team taken to address cybersecurity risk?
Recent CoreData research suggests advice practices could lose at least 13% of business in the aftermath of a cybersecurity incident. In light of this alarming figure, I want to know what steps have you and your team taken to address cybersecurity risk? I also encourage you to register for the upcoming webinar on February 29th at 9:00 am AEDT where Fraser.Jack and I will be looking at real-life stories of cyber breaches and what you can learn from them! Click here to register.Want to know exactly what your client has updated in their digital fact find? Now you can!
Fact find comparison report is now available to all users Background Client Portal allows users to provide their clients with a digital fact find to complete for new and existing clients. The data is updated immediately in Xplan and allows advisers to capture data more efficiently. However, even though all changes are logged in the audit trail, getting a clear picture of what is updated wasn't always easy. What's new? Upon completion of a fact find in Client Portal, a comparison report is generated and saved as a file note against the client. All data from the fact find is displayed and any changes are clearly highlighted. How do I activate it? No extra steps are required to configure or activate the comparison report, it is already live in Client Portal and available now. Simply follow the existing fact find process by setting the fact find status to 'Unlocked' and when the client submits their fact find, a file note is created with the comparison report attached. Got questions or feedback? We always welcome feedback on our products and if you wish to let us know your thoughts, or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to post them below.The Shine of AI Blinds Many Planners
The hype around artificial intelligence is louder than a footy crowd at State of Origin. Advisers see demos of Copilot writing recommendations in seconds and start thinking “problem solved.” Yet, just like a GPS can’t fix a car with no fuel, AI can’t fix a database that’s full of duplicates, half-filled fields and cryptic file names. At Back Office Hero (BOH) we live by a simple rule: systems first, software second. Until your data is clean, AI will only automate the chaos. Data Hygiene: The Hidden Asset in Your Practice Data hygiene isn’t glamorous, but it’s the bedrock of every profitable advice firm we benchmark. When client information is complete, current and consistently tagged, three good things follow: Advisers trust the dashboards. Support staff stop re-keying or second-guessing figures. Compliance checks become click-through, not treasure hunts. That foundation lets AI do the clever stuff - summarising three years of file notes, flagging lapsing insurance, or spotting a missing Fee Disclosure Statement - without spitting out junk. What “Clean” Looks Like in a Financial Planning Firm Each household has one master record - no “Smith Family” v “John & Mary Smith” duplicates. Every phone number, e-mail and entity field is filled or deliberately blank (and noted as such). File names follow a naming convention: 2025-05-13_Review_Brett Jones.pdf, not Doc123.pdf. Rolling three-year history of goals and advice is recorded in plain language, not planner shorthand. All data sits in one source of truth (Xplan, AdviserLogic, Worksorted), while SharePoint holds the supporting documents. When those boxes are ticked, Copilot can mine the lot and deliver insights you can bank on. ive Risks of Skipping the Cleaning Step Bad recommendations – AI summarises an outdated SOA and you miss a change in objectives. False compliance alerts – missing data fields trigger red flags that waste everyone’s time. Reputational damage – clients see errors in meeting recaps and wonder what else you’ve missed. Licensee headaches – sloppy records breach data governance rules and invite audits. Money down the drain – you pay for AI tokens, consultants and add-ons that never reach ROI because the inputs are rubbish. Simple Steps to Start Scrubbing Today Run a duplicate search across your CRM and merge double-ups. Agree a naming convention for folders and documents, then lock it in with a SharePoint template. Create mandatory fields for core client data - Copilot should never have to guess marital status or risk profile. Assign a Data Champion (one of our favourite BOH roles) who checks weekly reports and chases gaps. Adopt a “one touch” mindset - the person who learns the data makes the update, not the next person down the line. Tackle one client segment per fortnight and you’ll be amazed how quickly the noise disappears. AI Loves a Good System - And So Do Auditors Once the scrub-down is done, Copilot can: Generate a rolling “client story” timeline in 30 seconds. Cross-check SOA, ROA and fee records against ASIC’s best-interests checklist. Highlight dormant opportunities - unused pension cap, stale estate plan, or unmapped goals. Just as importantly, every AI insight is traceable back to a clean data point, giving auditors confidence that your advice is bullet-proof. That’s the BOH mantra: process over heroics, evidence over memory. Final Word: Diagnose Before You Prescribe The allure of AI is real, yet meaningful results depend on disciplined data. Prioritise cleaning first and automation second; with a solid foundation, Copilot can serve as a reliable extra set of hands - without the risk of building on shaky ground. Mark Lewin Back Office Hero May 2025AMA: I'm Jess Lamb, Xplan expert and Director at Practice Dynamix, Ask Me Anything!
Advisers and paraplanners, are you providing the best possible experience during the client review? And how could you be using Xplan to be making the process even more efficiency? Join me here on Thursday 13th November from 3pm to 4pm to find out! Whether it’s about maintaining client data integrity, automating workflows and client comms, or uncovering Xplan’s hidden gems – start popping in your questions below and Ask Me Anything! ❗️Update: This AMA has now ended but please continue to pop your questions in the discussion forums and make sure you tag me at jessica.lamb
