Moneysmart

Below is how I’d shortlist financial advisers / advice options in Australia in 2026, focusing on brands Australians actually encounter and use — not just “award list” names.

Important: this is general information, not personal financial advice. In Australia, anyone giving you personal advice on investments, super or insurance must be on ASIC’s Financial Advisers Register; if they’re not on the register, they can’t legally provide that advice. (moneysmart.gov.au)

Best picks by use case

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1. Best starting point for most Australians: FAAA + MoneySmart + PIFA

If you want an actual adviser, don’t start with a bank brand. Start with:

• MoneySmart / ASIC Financial Advisers Register — use it to confirm the adviser is registered, check their licensee, authorisations, qualifications and any disciplinary history. (moneysmart.gov.au)
• FAAA Find a Planner — the Financial Advice Association Australia is the main professional body; its directory lets you search for advisers by location and specialty. (faaa.au)
• PIFA — useful if you specifically want a genuinely independent adviser with fewer product/incentive conflicts. PIFA promotes a “Gold Standard of Independence” and has a member directory. (pifa.org.au)
• Adviser Ratings — useful for finding currently registered advisers and reading client ratings, but still verify everything independently. (adviserratings.com.au)

My practical recommendation: shortlist 3 advisers, ask for their Financial Services Guide, fee schedule, sample Statement of Advice, and whether they receive any commissions, asset-based fees or platform benefits.

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2. Best “big brand” advice for everyday Australians: super fund advice

For many Australians, the first useful advice conversation is through their super fund — especially if the question is about retirement, insurance inside super, investment options, spouse contributions, transition-to-retirement, or pension accounts.

The big, widely used brands are:

• AustralianSuper — Australia’s largest super fund, with more than 3.6 million members and over $430 billion in retirement savings. (australiansuper.com)
• Australian Retirement Trust — one of the largest funds in the country, commonly used after the Sunsuper/QSuper merger. (canstar.com.au)
• Hostplus — very popular with younger investors and FIRE/DIY-style investors; Roy Morgan’s March 2026 satisfaction data had Hostplus tied with HESTA for highest customer satisfaction among industry funds. (roymorgan.com)
• UniSuper — strong reputation for retirement and professional-sector members; UniSuper has its own qualified advice team. (unisuper.com.au)
• Aware Super — large fund with in-house advice services via Aware Financial Services Australia. (aware.com.au)

Best for: people with super as their main asset, pre-retirees, retirees, and anyone who wants advice before paying $4k–$10k+ for a private adviser.

Caution: super fund advice may be narrower than full holistic advice. If you have trusts, investment properties, business structures, tax planning, estate planning, SMSF questions or large non-super assets, you may still need an external adviser, accountant and solicitor.

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3. Best private wealth / high-net-worth brands

If you have substantial investable assets — say $1m+, and especially $2.5m+ — these are the brands Australians are more likely to use for private wealth, investment portfolios, family wealth and intergenerational planning:

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Australia

A major private-wealth brand in Australia. Morgan Stanley advisers have repeatedly appeared in Barron’s Australia Top Financial Advisers lists. (morganstanley.com.au)

Macquarie Private Bank

A strong choice for wealthy Australians who want banking, lending and investment services under one roof. Macquarie describes its private bank as an investment-first private bank. (macquarie.com.au)

LGT Wealth Management Australia

LGT expanded in Australia through Crestone and acquired CBA’s Commonwealth Private Advice business, giving it more scale in the high-net-worth advice market. (lgtwm.com)

Koda Capital

A respected independent private-wealth firm; Koda was named Australia’s Best Independent Wealth Manager in the 2026 Euromoney Private Banking Awards. (kodacapital.com)

Ord Minnett, Shaw and Partners, Morgans, Canaccord Genuity

These are well-known stockbroking/private-client advisory brands. They suit investors who want market access, portfolio advice, listed securities, fixed income and private-client service.

Best for: large portfolios, complex families, business owners, executives, philanthropic structures, trusts, SMSFs and family-office-style advice.

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4. Best holistic financial planning brands

For full financial planning — retirement modelling, super strategy, insurance, investments, tax-aware structures, aged care, estate planning coordination — I’d shortlist:

Shadforth Financial Group

One of the most prominent planning groups in Australia. In 2025, Shadforth had 27 advisers recognised in Barron’s Top 150, the highest representation of any firm according to Insignia’s ASX reporting. (announcements.asx.com.au)

Viridian Advisory

A well-known national advice firm with advisers regularly appearing in industry lists such as FS Power50. (financialstandard.com.au)

Partners Wealth Group

A strong Melbourne-based wealth and professional-services-linked firm; its managing director Mathew Cassidy was ranked #1 in Barron’s Australian list for 2025 according to the firm’s awards page. (pwg.com.au)

Findex / Pitcher Partners / accounting-linked advice firms

Good if you want financial advice integrated with tax/accounting, business advisory or estate planning.

Count, Centrepoint, WT Financial, Entireti/AMP-related networks

These are large advice licensee networks rather than single “one office” adviser brands. Rainmaker reported that the number of Australian advisers had fallen to 15,157 by March 2026, with Entireti the largest advice group at 1,034 registered advisers. (rainmaker.com.au)

Best for: households needing strategy, not just investment picking.

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5. Best robo-advisers / digital advice products Australians actually use

These are not replacements for a full financial planner, but they are popular for people who want simple portfolio management without paying traditional advice fees.

Stockspot

Probably the strongest “proper robo-adviser” brand in Australia. Stockspot says it is Australia’s first and largest digital investment adviser, and in 2025 it said it had passed $1 billion in funds under management. (stockspot.com.au)

Best for: hands-off ETF portfolios, kids’ accounts, SMSFs, trusts or companies wanting managed ETF portfolios.

Raiz

Very widely used by beginners because of round-ups, recurring deposits and app-based investing. Raiz reported 351,362 active customers and $2.32 billion in funds under management as at 30 June 2026. (tipranks.com)

Best for: small regular investing, beginners, people who like behavioural nudges.

InvestSMART

Good for people who want capped-fee managed portfolios. InvestSMART advertises capped management fees, with fees capped for larger balances depending on the product. (investsmart.com.au)

Best for: investors who want managed portfolios but dislike uncapped percentage-based fees.

I’d be more cautious with: flashy app-based thematic products where fees are high or the investment strategy is concentrated. Fine as a small “satellite” position, not necessarily as your core wealth plan.

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6. Adviser platforms you’ll hear about: HUB24, Netwealth, Macquarie Wrap, North

If you see a financial adviser, there’s a good chance they’ll recommend an investment or super platform. These are administration platforms that hold/report investments, collect fees, and make portfolio management easier.

Popular adviser platforms include:

• HUB24
• Netwealth
• Macquarie Wrap
• North
• CFS FirstChoice
• Praemium
• BT Panorama

Platform Ratings data in 2026 named FirstChoice best for overall adviser satisfaction, North best for retirement, HUB24 best for managed accounts, and Netwealth/Praemium jointly best for sophisticated-client offers. (professionalplanner.com.au) Separately, industry data showed major platform balances in 2025, including Macquarie, BT, AMP, HUB24 and Netwealth, with HUB24 and Netwealth showing strong growth. (static1.squarespace.com)

My view: these platforms can be excellent, especially for complex portfolios, trusts, SMSFs and reporting. But for a straightforward investor, a platform can add costs you may not need. Always ask:

1. Why this platform instead of my current super fund or a simple broker?
2. What is the platform fee?
3. What are the underlying fund/ETF fees?
4. What adviser fees are deducted?
5. Can I leave without penalties?
6. Are there lower-cost alternatives?

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My actual shortlist

If I were advising an Australian friend generally, I’d say:

For most people

Start with your super fund’s advice service — especially AustralianSuper, Hostplus, UniSuper, Aware Super or Australian Retirement Trust — then decide if you need a full private adviser.

For a proper independent adviser

Use PIFA and FAAA Find a Planner, then verify on MoneySmart.

For high-net-worth advice

Shortlist Morgan Stanley, Macquarie Private Bank, LGT Wealth Management Australia, Koda Capital, Ord Minnett, Shaw and Partners and Morgans.

For strong holistic planning

Look at Shadforth, Viridian, Partners Wealth Group, Findex, Pitcher Partners, or a highly rated local FAAA/PIFA adviser.

For low-cost digital investing

Use Stockspot for robo-advice, Raiz for beginner app-based investing, or InvestSMART for capped-fee managed portfolios.

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Red flags in Australia

Avoid or be very careful if an adviser:

• cold-calls you about moving super;
• pushes an SMSF when your balance is modest or your situation is simple;
• recommends a platform like HUB24/Netwealth/Macquarie Wrap without clearly justifying the extra cost;
• charges large ongoing fees but only meets once a year;
• talks mainly about “returns” rather than goals, tax, risk, estate planning, insurance and cash flow;
• won’t clearly disclose commissions, asset-based fees and product relationships;
• isn’t on the ASIC Financial Advisers Register.

Best rule of thumb: a good adviser should make money decisions clearer, not more complex. If the value is not obvious after fees, keep looking.

Since "best" is subjective in financial advice (it depends heavily on your specific situation, assets, and goals), rather than pointing you to one specific person or company, here's a practical guide to what Australians actually use to find and work with financial advisers, plus the reputable channels and platforms that come up again and again.

1. Start with official/verified sources, not "top 10" listicle sites

Many "best financial advisor" rankings online are SEO-driven directories rather than independently verified lists. The safest starting points are:

• ASIC's Moneysmart "Financial Advisers Register" – lets you check if someone is actually licensed to give advice, their qualifications, and any disciplinary history.
• Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) – the main professional body; has a "find a planner" search.
• **Advi