Episodes

  • Why advisers need to move beyond just note-taking with AI
    May 6 2026

    In this episode of the SMSF Adviser Show, host Keith Ford is joined by Marloo co-founder Shak Lala to unpack how AI is moving from note-taking to becoming a true AI partner for financial advisers.

    Shak explains how AI can materially increase adviser capacity, manage SMSF complexity, lift compliance standards, and improve client experience, while also allowing advisers to consolidate their tech stack and avoid the tedious admin tasks.

    Tune in to hear:

    • How AI tools have evolved already to handle a wider range of tasks.
    • What kind of efficiency gains the early adopters are experiencing.
    • Where the future of AI in financial advice practices is heading.
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • What's next for the SMSF sector?
    Apr 23 2026

    In this episode of the SMSF Adviser Show, hosts Keith Ford and Aaron Dunn explore some of the key developments shaping the SMSF landscape, including whether the Division 296 tax on high‑balance members could lead to a spike in wind‑ups.

    They also break down how the proposed financial adviser education reforms could create a more flexible pathway and grow the number of advisers in the profession, and take a look at how bankruptcy is being treated for SMSF trustees.

    Tune in to hear:

    • Whether the introduction of Div 296 will drive SMSF wind-ups or if any change will be a drop in the bucket.
    • How the proposed changes to education standards could improve access to SMSF advice.
    • Why the Federal Court might allow an SMSF trustee to stay on despite bankruptcy.
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    34 mins
  • Government's CSLR push and the Div 296 death tax by stealth
    Apr 9 2026

    In this episode of the SMSF Adviser Show, hosts Keith Ford and Aaron Dunn unpack the proposals that would see SMSFs included in funding the Compensation Scheme of Last Resort (CSLR) and why the approach to Division 296 post-death earnings attribution is a fraught proposition.

    A flurry of consultations flowed this week as the government seeks to address the fallout from the Shield and First Guardian collapses, with the exploding cost of compensation now putting pressure on the government to find new areas to cover the costs and SMSFs are firmly in the conversation.

    Tune in to hear:

    Whether there is any reasonable basis for including SMSFs in funding the scheme.

    Why the draft Div 296 regulations on post‑death earnings attribution are a death tax by stealth.

    What else is in the early responses to the draft regs.

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    54 mins
  • Understanding the performance of SMSFs v APRA funds
    Mar 26 2026

    In this episode of the SMSF Adviser Show, hosts Keith Ford and Aaron Dunn are joined by SMSF Association CEO Peter Burgess and Adelaide University's Dr George Mihaylov to break down new research that compares the performance of SMSFs to that of APRA funds.

    By applying the same methodology used for APRA funds to a dataset covering more than 400,000 SMSFs, the study delivers a more accurate, "apples with apples" view of sector performance, underscoring the role of advice and diversification in outcomes.

    Tune in to hear:

    • How investment performance of SMSFs and APRA funds stack up.
    • Why there is a much larger variance in performance among SMSFs.
    • The benefits that advisers are able to deliver, particularly for low-performing funds.
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    43 mins
  • The next phase of SMSFs as behaviour, technology and demographics converge
    Mar 11 2026

    In this episode of the SMSF Adviser Show, hosts Keith Ford and Aaron Dunn sit down with Andrew Inwood, global CEO of CoreData, to explore how SMSFs are evolving and the structural shift from accumulation to decumulation.

    Inwood explains that SMSFs are moving into a "next wave" of growth and maturity, with technology, changing member expectations, and an enormous looming intergenerational wealth transfer all reshaping the sector.

    Tune in to hear:

    • Why younger, wealthier cohorts are increasingly starting SMSFs.
    • The central role SMSFs will play in how capital is managed and deployed.
    • Why the industry needs to articulate a clear, positive narrative about SMSFs' role in delivering better retirement and intergenerational outcomes.
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    58 mins
  • AI, global markets and SMSFs: How advisers can find the next wave of opportunities
    Mar 4 2026

    In this episode of the SMSF Adviser Show, host Keith Ford is joined by Robert Talevski, CEO of Webull Securities Australia, to explore how technology and global markets are reshaping advice and SMSF investing.

    Talevski argues that if trustees and advisers go to the effort of running a self‑managed fund, they should be thinking beyond simple passive exposures, while still respecting client risk profiles, retirement horizons and the extra admin burden inside super.

    Tune in to hear:

    • Why the bigger opportunity may sit with companies using AI rather than building it.
    • How ETF use is evolving toward active, thematic and outcome‑focused products.
    • The value of advisers looking offshore for opportunities and global diversification.
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Highlights from the SMSF Association National Conference 2026 – Part 2
    Feb 26 2026

    In the second episode of the SMSF Adviser Show's special SMSF Association National Conference editions, hosts Keith Ford and Aaron Dunn are joined by three more industry experts in Adelaide.

    SMSF Association policy manager Keddie Waller joins the show to break down a range of superannuation reforms that are impacting the SMSF landscape, including the AML/CTF changes that are on the horizon.

    Then Tony Negline from Chartered Accountants ANZ explains why payday super is going to cause a lot more headaches then many professionals expect, as well as what businesses need to do to get ready for the 1 July start date.

    Finally, Dr Evan Morrison from HUB24's Innovation Lab takes us through the ways that artificial intelligence is reshaping professional practice and where the new frontier of agentic AI is heading.

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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Highlights from the SMSF Association National Conference 2026 – Part 1
    Feb 23 2026

    In this special episode of the SMSF Adviser Show, hosts Keith Ford and Aaron Dunn are joined by a selection of prominent industry members at the SMSF Association National Conference in Adelaide.

    In part one, SMSF Association chief executive Peter Burgess joins the show to talk about where the SMSF sector is heading, how it's growing, and the major issues impacting professionals.

    Then Class CEO Tim Steele and Financial Services Council CEO Blake Briggs chat about the thought leadership breakfast on the first day of the conference, why many SMSF members are not receiving advice, and how to get more advice to these members.

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    50 mins