Advisor's Yearly Gains Tick Into Triple Digits

The Financial Adviser Register (FAR) posted a net gain of 102 advisers for the calendar year, pushing the cumulative increase back into triple‑digit territory after a sharp dip in June.

Growth rebounds as new entrants boost the register

According to Padua Wealth Data, the register counted 15,157 advisers as of the week ending 27 August, reflecting a weekly net addition of 11. The upward trend has persisted for eight straight weeks, with the only exception being the first week of July, when end‑of‑financial‑year exits were recorded.

New entrants have been a major driver, with ten fresh advisers joining in the latest week and a total of 149 new registrations recorded for the financial year to date.

Overall, the year‑to‑date (YTD) net gain now stands at 102, comfortably ahead of the 77 advisers added over the same period last year. The YTD net gain had not been in triple digits since the end of May, when it stood at 116, the highest it had been all year.

Despite the rebound, the total number of advisers has not fully recovered; the register listed 15,170 advisers on 28 May, a figure that remains slightly above the current count.

Financial YTD continues to track well, with a net gain of 275 advisers.

Licensee activity shows mixed results

Weekly activity was relatively quiet, with 60 advisers involved in appointments or resignations and only two new licensees commencing. No Australian Financial Services Licences (AFSLs) were terminated during the period.

Canaccord Group posted the largest weekly increase, adding three advisers—two newcomers and one returning after a short break—bringing its total to 199 advisers.

Index Tracking Advice grew by three, all transferred from Flow Financial’s MIPAN Advisory, raising its adviser count to four.

Two firms each saw a net gain of two advisers: Perpetual Group offset a loss to UniSuper with three hires from ANZ Banking Group, while Picture Wealth Group added two newcomers and an adviser from Count’s Merit Wealth after another exit.

Seventeen licensees each recorded a net loss of one adviser, including Centrepoint, Accru Wealth Management and Advice Evolution.

At the opposite end, Flow Financial Holdings was left with a single adviser after the earlier departures to Index Tracking Advice. The industry’s largest group, Entireti & Akumin Group, experienced three exits without immediate re‑appointments.

A further twelve firms each lost one adviser, among them Infocus Group, SGN Financial, Bluewater Financial Advisors and Boutique Advisers.