Challenge the Standard in Financial Advice

Nathan Fradley and Jordan Vaka
  • 4.3 (4)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to the Challenge the Standard podcast - a podcast for financial advisers, by financial advisers. Your hosts, Nathan Fradley and Jordan Vaka, will examine the biases, fixed thinking and status quo in advice. In every episode, we'll dive deep into the world of financial advice, questioning the norms, sparking new ideas and exploring how we could do things better. Our goal is to elevate our professional practices and 'uphold and promote the standards of our profession. So, whether you're a seasoned adviser or a bright new entrant to the Australian market (and beyond), this is where we challenge the standard, together.

  1. 19 hrs ago

    S8E8 Q&A #3 (Careers and Ethical Dilemmas)

    Take a short flight, with a hot cup of tea (but bring your own teabag) for this episode, where Jordan and Nathan answer some listener questions. They discuss How they got a break into the profession Their advice for new entrants on how to break into the profession Remuneration for junior advisers, and whether profit share is common Whether a power of attorney can/should appoint a beneficiary nomination in super The lawyers tell us they have broken a show record in how far they get into the episode without getting on topic, so be warned.  Lastly, a quick appreciation to the listeners who send in questions and ethical delimmas, keep em' coming.    CPD For this Episode: https://quiz.ensombl.com/NATH-26062411-17440001 Thanks again to the team at CPD Check for letting us publish our episodes using their AI-CPD certifying engine. Check out Clayton's episode on the pod for more info.    Nathan: advice@nathanfradley.com.au www.nathanfradley.com.au Jordan: jordan@planningsolo.com.au www.planningsolo.com.au LinkedIn:  Challenge the Standard in Financial Advice (Podcast): Overview | LinkedIn The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek professional advice from a financial adviser. Jordan and Nathan are both authorised representatives of PlanningSolo Licensing, AFS Licence 526143.

    1hr 10min

  2. 18 June

    S8E7 Your Capacity

    How much work can you reasonably get done? How many SOAs per week, per quarter, per 40 week year is youre realistic capacity? Or is that approach old fashioned, and missing so much of the nuance in your capacity to meet your goals, in the short term but in the long term? Given it's the end of financial year, Jordan and Nathan reflect on  The difference between motivation and consistency The factors that influence your capacity How time, output, culture, systems and processes influence capacity  How knowing yourself and your team, and setting boundaries is just as important as the numbers How a burrito in the sun is the key to happiness As usual this episode sets out to deliver a structured approach to capacity planning, but quickly meanders to philosophy and nonsense.  CPD For this Episode: https://quiz.ensombl.com/NATH-26061812-31310001 Thanks again to the team at CPD Check for letting us publish our episodes using their AI-CPD certifying engine. Check out Clayton's episode on the pod for more info.    Nathan: advice@nathanfradley.com.au www.nathanfradley.com.au Jordan: jordan@planningsolo.com.au www.planningsolo.com.au LinkedIn:  Challenge the Standard in Financial Advice (Podcast): Overview | LinkedIn The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek professional advice from a financial adviser. Jordan and Nathan are both authorised representatives of PlanningSolo Licensing, AFS Licence 526143.

    1hr 3min

  3. 11 June

    S8E6 IPOhhhhhhs...

    Well, isn't this all very exciting?! Some big new listings hitting the market and it's such fun watching everybody lose. their. goddamned. minds.  Rules no longer need apply which, in the world of index investing, is kind of a big deal.  So, this week, Nathan and Jordan try (honestly, we really tried) to focus on the client-facing-reality of all the noise your clients are hearing about these big floats.  How relevant are they? How worst case could the worst case scenario be? And, crucially, what can we advisers do when confronted by clients either ecstatically embracing Elon-brain, or petrified by the pension plundering? (Sidenote - maybe don't listen to this one in the car with the kids...Jordan has a real moment part of the way through with language that made Nathan blush...) You can now get CPD points for listening to two knuckleheads (and guests!) wax lyrical about financial advice for an hour at a time.  Video of relative motion physics mentioned in the ep: I Tested The Law of Relative Motion at 80 km/h! CPD For this Episode: https://quiz.ensombl.com/NATH-26061122-46390001 Thanks again to the team at CPD Check for letting us publish our episodes using their AI-CPD certifying engine. Check out Clayton's episode on the pod for more info.    Nathan: advice@nathanfradley.com.au www.nathanfradley.com.au Jordan: jordan@planningsolo.com.au www.planningsolo.com.au LinkedIn:  Challenge the Standard in Financial Advice (Podcast): Overview | LinkedIn The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek professional advice from a financial adviser. Jordan and Nathan are both authorised representatives of PlanningSolo Licensing, AFS Licence 526143.

    1hr 7min

  4. 4 June

    S8E5 Aged Care II: Retention Boogaloo

    We've talked about Aged Care before, but things have changed. Lots of things! There are new rules about how fees are calculated, applied and, most importantly for any government agency, renamed. (Who knew 'hotelling' was a word...look it up though) Nathan's been doing some even more interesting work in this valuable, important space - and written many a CPD piece on it.  And even Jordan's getting involved in it now, gingerly stepping on the learning curve and realising it's not quite as steep as he feared.  Which is why we're revisiting the topic in this week's episode.  Throughout, we're trying to answer the underlying question: if your clients need Aged Care advice (and they will), how will you help them?  CPD Quiz thanks to CPD Check: https://quiz.ensombl.com/NATH-26060602-54110001     Nathan: advice@nathanfradley.com.au www.nathanfradley.com.au Jordan: jordan@planningsolo.com.au www.planningsolo.com.au LinkedIn:  Challenge the Standard in Financial Advice (Podcast): Overview | LinkedIn The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek professional advice from a financial adviser. Jordan and Nathan are both authorised representatives of PlanningSolo Licensing, AFS Licence 526143.

    1hr 4min

  5. 28 May

    S8E4 Fine, We'll Do One On The Budget

    Apparently the Federal Government dropped some sort of Budget thingamajig the other day. It's got many people in a lather with the injustice of it all.  Dragged into the discussion with their characteristic reluctance to share an uninformed opinion, Nathan and Jordan thought an episode on this epoch-ending disaster* (going by the reaction of some of the panic merchants out there) would be a good idea.  Or at least a chance to further expose their vicious leftie sensibilities for their patient, wonderful listening audience.  They also enter what hopefully becomes another phrase for the CTS community to use at the various Chicken Little's in their lives.  Complete your quiz to get CPD For this episode, thanks to CPDCheck: https://quiz.ensombl.com/NATH-26060603-25500001   Nathan: advice@nathanfradley.com.au www.nathanfradley.com.au Jordan: jordan@planningsolo.com.au www.planningsolo.com.au LinkedIn:  Challenge the Standard in Financial Advice (Podcast): Overview | LinkedIn The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek professional advice from a financial adviser. Jordan and Nathan are both authorised representatives of PlanningSolo Licensing, AFS Licence 526143.

    1hr 14min

  6. 21 May

    S8E3 Paraplanning

    Say it with us...paraplanning. Paraplanning.  Paraplanning. Para - planning. What is it, why is it important, who's doing it and how are they doing it? This week's episode - likely the first of a series we'll return to - is all about the noble art of paraplanning. Because Jordan and Nathan know that hitting the kind of collaborative alignment that can occur between a financial adviser and paraplanner is one of the joys of the profession.  But they also know that finding that synchronicity takes work and more than a dollop of luck.  They also end up quite enjoying whispering the word...  Paraplanning...   You can now get CPD points for listening to two knuckleheads (and guests!) wax lyrical about financial advice for an hour at a time.  CPD For this Episode: https://quiz.ensombl.com/NATH-26052109-04290001   Thanks again to the team at CPD Check for letting us publish our episodes using their AI-CPD certifying engine. Check out Clayton's episode on the pod for more info.      Nathan: advice@nathanfradley.com.au www.nathanfradley.com.au Jordan: jordan@planningsolo.com.au www.planningsolo.com.au LinkedIn:  Challenge the Standard in Financial Advice (Podcast): Overview | LinkedIn The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek professional advice from a financial adviser. Jordan and Nathan are both authorised representatives of PlanningSolo Licensing, AFS Licence 526143.

    46 min

  7. 12 May

    S8E2 CSLR Consultation

    We get serious this week. No guest. No banter about dentists or Jordan's latest grievance with... well, you know.  Just Nathan and Jordan, a Treasury consultation paper, and a genuine call to action for every financial adviser, business owner, PY, associate, paraplanner etc that'll listen.   The Compensation Scheme of Last Resort is broken. Not broken in a subtle, nuanced, needs-a-closer-look kind of way. Broken in a we-are-paying-for-other-people's-fraud-and-the-people-who-caused-it-are-on-a-golf-course kind of way. Treasury has opened a consultation on reforming the CSLR, submissions close 22 May 2026. The big end of town will be lodging submissions. The institutions, the product providers, the fund managers; all of them have people whose entire job it is to argue why this shouldn't be their problem. We need voices too. Lots of them. In this episode Nathan and Jordan have read the paper so you don't have to (although you should), and discuss What the CSLR actually is and why it isn't working the way it was supposed to All eight proposals; what Treasury is asking, what they think, and what you should probably think about before the 22nd The SMSF question that will either make your blood boil or make you think harder than you expected The one proposal that actually fixes the problem rather than just spreading the cost around Why volume of submissions from advisers matters and what happens if we stay quiet How to structure your own submission without it taking all weekend Submissions close 22 May 2026.  The window is open. Let's flood it with sense.   Challenge the Standard Submission Helper: Download Consultation Paper: Treasury The Treasury guidelines: Submission guidelines FAAA CSLR Hub: CSLR Hub   You can now get CPD points for listening to two knuckleheads (and guests!) wax lyrical about financial advice for an hour at a time.  CPD For this Episode: https://quiz.ensombl.com/NATH-26051200-20450001 Thanks again to the team at CPD Check for letting us publish our episodes using their AI-CPD certifying engine. Check out Clayton's episode on the pod for more info.    Nathan: advice@nathanfradley.com.au www.nathanfradley.com.au Jordan: jordan@planningsolo.com.au www.planningsolo.com.au LinkedIn:  Challenge the Standard in Financial Advice (Podcast): Overview | LinkedIn The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek professional advice from a financial adviser. Jordan and Nathan are both authorised representatives of PlanningSolo Licensing, AFS Licence 526143.

    1hr 19min

  8. 7 May

    S8E1 Tax Planning with Martin McGrath

    We're proud of all our episodes, but the level of useful gold in this one is incredible.  Joined by regular guest, Martin McGrath, who seems to enjoy ganging up on Jordan as he attempts to corral the conversation into some sort of structure, they explore the world of tax planning for financial advisers.  What is it Why do it Is it really our job How to do it How to do it (badly) And so much in between Share this episode with every other financial adviser you know, because there are at least three tips in here that Jordan and Nathan have shamelessly stolen for their own practices - if everybody else can do the same, what a massive impact.    You can now get CPD points for listening to two knuckleheads (and guests!) wax lyrical about financial advice for an hour at a time.  CPD For this Episode: https://quiz.ensombl.com/NATH-26050705-36180001    Thanks again to the team at CPD Check for letting us publish our episodes using their AI-CPD certifying engine. Check out Clayton's episode on the pod for more info.    Martin: Find out more about Martin LinkedIn Nathan: advice@nathanfradley.com.au www.nathanfradley.com.au Jordan: jordan@planningsolo.com.au www.planningsolo.com.au LinkedIn:  Challenge the Standard in Financial Advice (Podcast): Overview | LinkedIn The information contained in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek professional advice from a financial adviser. Jordan and Nathan are both authorised representatives of PlanningSolo Licensing, AFS Licence 526143.

    1hr 12min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.3
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Challenge the Standard podcast - a podcast for financial advisers, by financial advisers. Your hosts, Nathan Fradley and Jordan Vaka, will examine the biases, fixed thinking and status quo in advice. In every episode, we'll dive deep into the world of financial advice, questioning the norms, sparking new ideas and exploring how we could do things better. Our goal is to elevate our professional practices and 'uphold and promote the standards of our profession. So, whether you're a seasoned adviser or a bright new entrant to the Australian market (and beyond), this is where we challenge the standard, together.

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