My Risk Adviser

Phil Thompson

My Risk Adviser is a podcast for Australian financial advisers hosted by Phil Thompson, bringing together industry leaders and experts to help excel you on your professional journey. Join the My Risk Adviser facebook group for all advisers who want to learn more and connect with like minded people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 10 APR

    Zurich Pricing Shenanigans

    Zurich’s pricing changes are being framed as aggressive, but from an actuarial lens, they’re a response to worsening pool dynamics. Duration-based discounting pulls forward profitability, while lapse-supported pricing assumptions break down when persistency improves among higher-risk cohorts. The result is predictable. Loss ratios expand and repricing follows. From an advice perspective, this is where tension builds. You’re managing client outcomes in a system where pricing is no longer purely age-based or linear. Zurich’s move around new premium classes, particularly targeting ownership structures and beneficial interest, is a signal that anti-selection is being actively priced for. The question isn’t whether this continues. It’s how far it goes across the market. 👉 Join the My Risk Adviser Facebook community for Australian advisers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/myriskadviser/ The advice shared on My Risk Adviser is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. My Risk Adviser exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make a financial decision. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min

  2. 27 MAR

    Rethinking CPD for Financial Advisers

    Most advisers aren’t short on CPD. They’re just not capturing what’s already happening. We’ve all seen the cycle. End of year hits, Kaplan gets opened, and hours get ticked off quickly just to get it done. The requirement gets met, but it rarely reflects how advisors are actually improving day to day. Meanwhile, the real development is happening in team discussions, client strategy conversations, and solving real problems that never get counted. We’ve shifted how we track CPD because the traditional approach misses where the value actually sits. If you’re running a business, working through client outcomes, and sharpening how advice is delivered, that is the development. Recording it properly just brings alignment between what you’re already doing and what gets recognised. 👉 Join the My Risk Adviser Facebook community for Australian advisers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/myriskadviser/ The advice shared on My Risk Adviser is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. My Risk Adviser exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make a financial decision. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    21 min

  3. 13 MAR

    Clearview Sold to Zurich for $415M - What It Means for Advisers & Clients

    The insurance industry's worst-kept secret is finally out. Clearview has been sold to Zurich for $415 million. In this episode, Trent and Phil break down the deal, what it means for existing policyholders, and speculate on what Zurich might do with the Clearview brand next. But before the speculation, they take a walk through the history of every major Australian life insurer acquisition over the last decade. AMP, BT, CommInsure, OnePath, Integrity... what actually happened after each one? They also get into whether market consolidation is good or bad for advisors and clients, and what Swiss Re's recent moves mean for the reinsurer market. All opinions are general in nature and do not constitute financial advice. 👉 Join the My Risk Adviser Facebook community for Australian advisers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/myriskadviser/ The advice shared on My Risk Adviser is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. My Risk Adviser exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make a financial decision. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min

  4. 27 FEB

    Insights from Marc Fabris on Innovation in Advisory Services

    Most advisers say they want innovation. Fewer actually sit down and map where their time is bleeding. Marc Fabris has worked across advice, corporate, digital strategy and now as founder of Risk Hub and Life Insurance Guide. He has seen where the friction lives. This conversation is not about shiny tools. It is about removing process drag. We talk about why most practices have never properly mapped their client journey, why 10 to 14 hours of onboarding time should concern you, and why small operational fixes can compound into serious growth. That includes practical tools like the Risk Needs Calculator, designed to simplify needs analysis and improve client conversations: https://riskneedscalc.com.au/auth Marc also makes some bold predictions. Tripling new business in five years. Increasing efficiency without dramatically increasing adviser numbers. Rebuilding distribution while keeping advice human. There is one consistent theme. Take away the unnecessary complexity so advisers can spend more time being advisers. If you are thinking about tech, growth, or where risk advice is heading over the next five years, this episode will challenge you. 👉 Join the My Risk Adviser Facebook community for Australian advisers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/myriskadviser/ The advice shared on My Risk Adviser is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. My Risk Adviser exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make a financial decision. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    39 min

  5. 13 FEB

    TPD is getting a reset, and advisers need to notice

    TPD was built for “total” and “permanent”, but the market drifted into grey areas. More subjectivity. More debate. More claims that, in hindsight, never really matched what the words were supposed to mean. We sat down with Gerard Kerr, Chief Executive, Individual Business at Acenda, to talk about their severity TPD and why it exists alongside the traditional own and any occupation options. The shift is simple, but it changes everything. Instead of arguing what “duties” means and how “reasonably suited” should be read, the definition leans on recognised medical impairment scales for mental and physical conditions. More objective thresholds, less opinion. That also means the advice conversation has to sharpen up. The trade-off needs to be crystal clear, the documentation needs to be clean, and the cover structure needs to match the client’s budget and their tolerance for severity risk. This is one of those product changes that sounds technical, but plays out in real outcomes when clients need it most. 👉 Join the My Risk Adviser Facebook community for Australian advisers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/myriskadviser/ The advice shared on My Risk Adviser is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. My Risk Adviser exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make a financial decision. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min

  6. 29 JAN

    Neha’s Professional Year

    In this episode of My Risk Adviser, Trent is joined by Neha to unpack what the first quarter of the Professional Year really looks like. Not the glossy version. The real one. They cover: What the Professional Year actually is, and why it existsWhy starting your PY later can sometimes be the smarter moveWhat changes between Quarter 1, 2, and 3Presenting advice under supervision, then on your ownThe reality of client conversations, confidence, and learning on the jobPassing the adviser exam, first go, and why timing matters If you’re a student, associate, or thinking about becoming an adviser, this is one of those episodes that gives clarity, not hype. And if you’re a practice owner thinking about taking on a PY candidate, there’s plenty in here for you too. Give it a watch. It’s honest, practical, and very real. 👉 Join the My Risk Adviser Facebook community for Australian advisers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/myriskadviser/ The advice shared on My Risk Adviser is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. My Risk Adviser exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make a financial decision. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    15 min

  7. 15 JAN

    Durational Discounting

    A cheap premium in year one can feel like a win. Until you look a few years down the track and realise the price has quietly crept up. Durational discounting has changed how life insurance is priced, recommended and kept in force. Big upfront discounts make policies easy to sell, but they also build in a loyalty tax that hits clients who do the right thing and stick around. Phil and Trent talk through why this has become normal practice, how it distorts stepped premiums, and the uncomfortable pressure it puts on advisers to rewrite policies just to stay competitive. It is an industry habit that sounds harmless, but it reshapes trust, sustainability and long-term value in ways we do not talk about enough. If you work in risk advice, this one will feel very familiar. Join the My Risk Adviser Facebook community for Australian advisers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/myriskadviser/ The advice shared on My Risk Adviser is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. My Risk Adviser exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make a financial decision. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    22 min

  8. 2 JAN

    Talking all things underwriting with Gabi Varnier from PPS Mutual

    In this episode of My Risk Adviser, Phil Thompson and Trent Bacon sit down with Gabi Varnier, National Underwriting Manager at PPS Mutual, to lift the lid on how underwriting decisions are really made. They explore why underwriting is not about saying no, but about finding a way to offer cover, and how experience, judgement and data all come together behind the scenes when complex cases are assessed. The conversation goes deep on pre assessments, mental health disclosures, lifestyle risks and the importance of trust between advisers and underwriters. Gabi explains why better fact finding upfront leads to better outcomes, how strong adviser relationships lead to smoother assessments, and why underwriting is becoming more individualised rather than more restrictive. It is an honest look at the part of the advice process most clients never see, but that matters more than almost anything else. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    26 min
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Trailer

5
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

My Risk Adviser is a podcast for Australian financial advisers hosted by Phil Thompson, bringing together industry leaders and experts to help excel you on your professional journey. Join the My Risk Adviser facebook group for all advisers who want to learn more and connect with like minded people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Phil Thompson
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    87
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Phil Thompson
  • Show Website
    My Risk Adviser

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