ACSRF’s financial planning service

Our financial planning service is offered through an arrangement with Industry Fund Services (AFSL 232514). This service is provided by appropriately qualified planners on an hourly rate, fee-for-service basis. Our planners work only for a salary and no parties receive bonuses, commissions or trail payments. Our hourly rates reflect only what it costs us to produce your financial plan, so we believe that they are very competitive.

What does financial planning involve?

The process begins with a no-cost meeting that includes a detailed investigation of your personal and financial circumstances and your attitude toward investing. You will also receive a Financial Services Guide providing you with basic information about the financial planning service.

Following this detailed analysis, your financial planner will identify your goals and what you want from the financial plan. They will inform you of the cost of preparing and presenting a financial plan, should you wish to proceed. If you do not wish to proceed, there is no cost.

If you do decide to go ahead, your planner will produce a written Statement of Advice (SOA) detailing the strategies that will address your financial goals, based on the information you provided.

Once the SOA has been developed, a further meeting will take place to discuss the recommendations and to make any appropriate alterations. Your approval will be sought before any recommendations are implemented.

At a later time, you may decide to meet with your planner again to review your plan and ensure that you are on track to meet your financial goals. All reviews and follow up work are charged on a ‘fee for service’ basis.

How do you pay for your financial planning advice?

You can pay for your financial planning advice by cheque, credit card or deduction from your ACSRF super or allocated pension account.

While you may need advice on a number of issues, only the cost of the financial advice that relates to your ACSRF membership and related products is eligible to be deducted from your account. For example, areas of advice for which the cost may be deducted may include:

• ACSRF’s investment options
• contributing to your ACSRF account
• payments of benefits from your ACSRF account
• tax issues relating to your ACSRF account
• transition to retirement and retirement planning using ACSRF products
• estate planning where there is an impact on your ACSRF account
• Centrelink, if the advice relates to your ACSRF account.

At the time of determining the cost of your financial plan, our financial planners will inform you if all or part of the fee can be deducted from your ACSRF super or allocated pension account.

How can you access ACSRF’s financial planning services?

Simply call us on 1300 658 776 to make an appointment with a financial planner.

Please note that you don’t have to be approaching retirement to make use of this service – any time is a good time to think about planning for your future financial security!