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 2025
Client reviews
G'day All There is always a lot of focus on new client engagement and SOA production. Given most practices have way more ongoing clients than new, how are you finding the process of arranging review meetings and preparing review documentation? Could this area and the report we provide clients at review time do with some focus?🤓Xplan Hint: Demystifying Performance Calculations
Did you know you can now export calculation details? Ever looked at a client’s performance in Portfolios and wondered where the figures came from? In case you missed this (relatively) new feature, you can now export all the data that makes up the calculation at the press of a button. To do this, go to Portfolios > Analytics: Click on the “Detail” tab: Then on the right-hand side of the screen, select Action > Export Calculation Details: If you need a brush-up on how the returns are calculated, check out this fantastic Community guide.Super and Pension renovations in Xtools+ are complete. Do you want to move in?
Smarter modelling, more flexibility, and way less workarounds - You could be using it as early as 13 May 2025 We've transformed the way you model super and pensions in Xtools+, and it's all based on the feedback you shared with us. 💡 What’s New? We started with a simple goal: allow you to model a second super fund without lumping everything into one. But the more we listened, the more we realised there was a bigger opportunity. You told us you wanted to keep the tax components separate, so you could model retirement pension and estate planning strategies without workarounds. So, we’ve reinvented the way you model super accounts, contributions, cashouts, rollovers and pensions in Xtools+. User feedback has confirmed the new modelling to be a more flexible, intuitive, and powerful experience. 👉 Let us help you move in We’re excited for you to leverage the new features ASAP, which is why we’re opening it up from 13 May 2025. Otherwise, you could wait for the final release on 3 June 2025. However, we understand you might need a little help easing in, so we’ve recorded an introductory video. Watch the video I recommend you think about watching the video NOW. Set aside 19 minutes, or you could try 10 minutes at double speed! To view it, click this link to go to the Iress Learning Centre. Register for early opt-in If you like what you see in the video, please consider (or ask your site administrator) to register for early opt-in. You can find more details in this community article: Xtools+ CALM: Our Super and Pension Renovations are complete. Its time to move in! Deep-dive webinar We will be running a deep dive 1-hour Xtools+ Reinvented Super & Pension Modelling webinar on May 27. We will include some case studies, and I will be available to answer questions during the session. Please register at the Iress Learning Centre. Got questions or feedback? Please take a look at the video and article - if you still have questions or feedback, you could lodge an item on Xtools Connect (check out XTOOLS Connect - a new way to collaborate with the Xtools team!) Otherwise, feel free to comment in the thread below.🤓 Xplan Hint: Don’t get caught with your pants down with IressID
Did you know that IressID is coming? You may have seen the emails and messages already, but in case you haven’t, make sure to read on as this will affect every user. IressID is a centralised identity management system that provides secure, streamlined access across Iress products. What this means for you is that you’ll be able to easily login to Xplan, Community, and Learning Centre using the same ID, and with more security of your access and data. If you have an Xplan login, this will switch over to logging in via IressID. IressID will be rolled out to all sites progressively over the course of 2025, so you will need to make sure you’re prepared, or you might find yourself locked out of Xplan! Everything you need to know is in this Community guide. Please take the 5 minutes to read this guide to save yourself any angst once IressID goes live on your site. As always, our Service Desk team via Iress Connect is ready to help if you have any trouble with the instructions! NB: If your site is IressID ready, you’ll see a banner saying "Iress ID is coming to your Xplan site this week" pop up in Xplan. Otherwise, each Xplan user will be notified closer to the date when your site is scheduled to roll out.POLL: What will impact advice accessibility the most in the next decade? 🤔
It is commonly agreed that accessibility of advice is currently a problem and is only set to compound over the next decade. In your opinion which of the following will have the most profound impact on advice accessibility over that period? Data - efficiently in who needs advice and when People - professionals and support Software - efficiency in advice delivery Comment [1], [2] or [3] below 👇👇
