The terms “we, us, our” etc. used throughout this document refers collectively to the Australian Consolidated Planning and Insurance Group Pty Limited (The Australian CPI Group) while the term “adviser” refers to a person we have authorised to provide financial services to you, on our behalf.
The purpose of this Financial Services Guide (FSG) is to detail the types of services and products we offer retail clients under our License. Please read this information carefully as it will assist you in making an informed decision as to whether or not you feel our firm can provide solutions to meet your financial objectives.
Your nominated adviser must provide a copy of this FSG together with a copy of their approved Adviser Services Guide (ASG) to comply with mandatory legal obligations under the Corporations Act (2001) Cth. The ASG contains details about your adviser, the types of products and services they are accredited to provide and examples on how much those services may cost.
You should read all documents we and our advisers provide you with, thoroughly as they contain important information that will assist you in making sound, well informed financial decisions. If you have any questions about any aspect of this FSG or the ASG please contact your adviser or contact us directly. Our contact details can be found on page 4 of this document.
ABOUT US
The Australian CPI Group is an Australian owned and operated financial services firm that aims to create and manage tailored financial solutions for retail and wholesale clients. Our advisers achieve this through delivery of pro-active personal or general advice that incorporates domestic and international investment markets across all major asset classes.
ABOUT THIS FSG
This FSG details the products and services offered by Australian CPI Group so that you can make a decision as to the suitability of these products and services in meeting your objectives prior to seeking our advice. When you deal with one of our Authorised Representatives (Advisers) we are responsible for the advice and service they provide.
OUR APPROVED PRODUCT LIST
Products we offer must be on our Approved Product List (APL). To be considered an “Approved Product” the product must first be thoroughly critiqued by our research team and designated fit for purpose. Where a product is not on our APL but is deemed by your adviser to be appropriate for your needs, your adviser may apply for a limited use approval from us. This approval is not guaranteed and will be subject to our standard research process.
THE SERVICES WE ARE LICENSED TO PROVIDE
- Investment strategies
- Wealth creation
- Life insurance strategies
- Debt reduction
- Superannuation strategies
- Cash flow management
- Retirement planning
- Aged care advice
- Tax (financial) advice and,
- Estate planning strategies
Non-Independent
Australian CPI Group and it’s advisers are considered by ASIC to be non-independent, unbiased or impartial in the provision of advice because we may receive commissions from life risk insurance products.
PRODUCTS WE CAN PROVIDE ADVICE ON
- Basic deposit products
- Life insurance both personal and business
- Stocks, bonds and debentures
- Managed investments
- Investor Directed Portfolio Services
- Retirement Savings Accounts (RSA’s)
- Securities
- Superannuation
- Self Managed Super Funds (SMSF’s)
ADVISER SERVICES GUIDE
The Adviser Services Guide (ASG) states your advisers Authorised Representative Number and contains information about your adviser. It details the qualifications and accreditations that your adviser holds together with the level of experience they have. It has information relating to their approved areas of advice, financial products they can provide, how they are remunerated and what fees you may be charged.
CODE OF CONDUCT
The Australian CPI Group and it’s Authorised Representatives adhere to a strict Code of Conduct that encapsulates the codes of conduct and ethics prescribed by professional associations such as the Australian Association of Financial Advisers, the Financial Services Council of Australia, the Financial Planning Association of Australian and the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA). We hold ourselves and our advisers to these codes as a minimum standard of professional conduct at all times so that our clients can expect honesty, fairness and efficiency in the delivery of our financial services.
PRIVACY
Before providing any advice we need to verify your identity in accordance with the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Act (2006) (AML/CTF Act) In the delivery of our professional services to you we must also collect your personal information. You are not obligated to disclose this information but the service, products and strategies we provide may not be appropriate for you if you do not. Your personal information is always treated with utmost care and confidentiality and is not released to third parties without your prior consent except where required to do so by law. Where your adviser has collected insufficient information, they will warn you of this and may decline to provide you advice.
DISCLOSURE DOCUMENTS YOU MAY RECEIVE
In the delivery of our services you will receive initial and ongoing documentation. These may include (but are not limited to)
- Letter of Engagement
- Statement of Advice (SoA)
- Record of Advice (RoA)
- Product Disclosure Statement (PDS)
- Prospectus
- Fee Disclosure Statement (FDS)
A Letter of Engagement will set out the terms of engagement between yourself and your adviser and confirm any initial fees that may be payable.
An SoA will be provided where advice has been sought. The SoA will outline the strategy recommendations, details of how these recommendations will improve your current situation and also cover what you will pay for that advice including any ongoing management costs.
An RoA will be provided where additional advice is provided that supplements the original SoA.
Any advice that recommends a product will be accompanied by a PDS. The PDS is produced by the product provider contains detailed information about the product including, features, benefits, cooling off periods where applicable, costs, fees and potential disadvantages of using the product.
A Prospectus details information relating to direct equities. It provides background and forecast information about the company issuing the shares.
An FDS is a retrospective statement and will be provided to you annually. This statement details what services you were offered, the services provided and how much you paid for those services throughout the year. The FDS now also provides an estimated projection of your fees for the next 12 months.
All documents are retained for the statutory period of 7 years. You can request a copy of these documents at any time, free of charge (printing costs may apply).
RELATED PARTIES
As of the issue date contained herein, the Australian CPI Group does not have any conflicted relationships that may be capable of influencing the products and services offered via our APL. Related business’ that we own or have an interest in that you are most likely to deal with are
- Skyloop Systems Pty Ltd
- Thomas Cardwell & Associates t/a
Your adviser may also hold shares in Australian CPI Group or other related bodies corporate. Where this occurs your adviser will disclose these associations together with details about any benefits they may receive.
LICENSEE REMUNERATION
Australian CPI Group receives either a flat fee or may retain between 0% and 20% of all adviser remuneration, plus a professional indemnity insurance fee for the provision of services required under its AFS License.
ADVISER REMUNERATION
The cost of providing a financial product or service to you will depend on the nature and complexity of the advice, financial product and/or service provided. Generally, whenever your adviser provides a recommendation for a financial product or service, your adviser may be remunerated through either:
- An initial fee for service; or
- An ongoing fee for service; or
- Commission payments from product providers where applicable; or
- A combination of any of the above.
All fees or commissions are initially paid to the Australian CPI Group before being distributed to your adviser. Australian CPI Group may retain a percentage split which will be outlined in the relevant advice document.
OTHER TYPES OF REMUNERATION OR BENEFITS
The Australian CPI Group and/or its advisers may receive non-monetary benefits from product providers and other similar parties in specific circumstances such as:
- Where the amount is less than $300 and identical or similar benefits are not given on a frequent basis
- The benefit has a genuine education or training purpose and is relevant to providing financial product advice; and/or
- The benefit consists of the provision of information technology software or support and is related to the provision of financial product advice in relation to the financial products issued or sold by the benefit provider.
Payments or benefits received must be disclosed in either a Conflicts of Interest Register or an Alternative Remuneration Register. A copy of the Australian CPI Group’s Register is available upon request. If you wish to inspect this Register, please ask your adviser, or contact us.
REPORTING YOUR CONCERNS
If you have a complaint about any financial service provided to you by your adviser, you should take the following steps.
- Contact your adviser and discuss the issue with them.
- If your unable to resolve your complaint, contact the Australian CPI Group’s claims team to discuss your complaint on 07 5657 0913 or email complaints@AustralianCPIgroup.com.au or by mail to:
The Claims Manager
Australian CPI Group
PO Box 2856
Burleigh BC. Burleigh Qld. 4220
We will acknowledge your complaint on receipt and will respond to you within 45 days. Some complex matters may require an extension to thoroughly investigate the complaint and bring it to resolution. - If you are not fully satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) which is an External Disputes Resolution Scheme, of which Australian CPI Group is a member.
The contact details for AFCA are
Phone 1800 931 678 (free call)
Online www.afca.org.au
Email info@afca.org.au
Mail GPO Box 3, Melbourne VIC 3001
Furthermore, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has a free of charge info-line on 1300 300 630, which you may use to obtain information about your rights and to make a complaint.