Challenge the Standard in Financial Advice

Nathan Fradley and Jordan Vaka
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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. 1D AGO

    S7E12 QAR Revisited

    Remember QAR? The noise, the fury, the outrage? The column inches, breath and spittle diverted into 'discussing' the Quality of Advice Review? Would it surprise you to be reminded that the final report dropped way back in February 2023 - 3 years prior to this week's episode?  And, when you look around and see what a big difference it's made (...), isn't it quite astonishing? This week, prompted by Nathan discovering how funny the report was while researching another piece, he and Jordan discuss the QAR report in some (read: excruciating) detail.  The report's actually a really interesting insight into the operations of the financial advice profession, and well worth a read.  But absolutely stuffed if we can find the Big Lebowski reference.  Links Etc: Quality of Advice Review - Final Report | Treasury.gov.au Terms of Reference | Treasury.gov.au Michelle Levy pens open letter on QAR, urges action - IFA The Finsider with Michelle Levy   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:  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.

    1h 11m

  2. FEB 26

    S7E11 Ethics of Engagement

    We all know what bad engagement looks like. The shiftiness in the face of the truth, the big sales pitch, over-promises and, sadly, inevitable pain when the truth comes to light.  And we know what good engagement looks like - if I asked you, you could name a handful of advisers doing great work in engaging with the public.  But, what about that space in between?  How big is the gap between good and bad engagement? Why does it matter? Why, after all, are we all in this race for attention and engagement? This week, Nathan and Jordan explore this topic in (arguably excruciating and hypocritical) detail, discussing: Why advisers need to compete with the unqualified noisemakers out there Why it's so important that advisers own the space, instead of ceding it to product providers etc - not just for those of us in it now, but also for the future Why the slippery slope of chasing metrics can tempt the best of us to sliding towards the wrong end of the spectrum And you'll also get to know a little more about the newest character in the CTS universe - Conscience Chicken.  Riding atop Theseus's Train of Trolley Carriages all the way to roost.  (It gets weird) 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-26021904-04440001 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.

    1 hr

  3. FEB 19

    S7E10 AI in Advice with Stuart from Claras.ai

    This week, we're joined by Stuart Riddle, of Claras.ai - one of the AI offerings in the financial advice market.  Nathan and Jordan start by asking him about the state of AI in financial advice, and expand into: The questions advisers should be asking about AI The questions licensees are asking about AI How AI can help advisers be more efficient, effective and balanced The specific workflows and implementations they've used with Claras, and the difference it's made How these AI products actually work Be sure to stay tuned for Jordan to throw any semblance of integrity and calm out the window and instead become a shameless shill for Claras.ai. It feels, at times, as though you're eavesdropping on a very specific, very irrelevant product support query between a product and it's bumbling user.  Enjoy!   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-26021904-04440001 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.    Stuart: stuart@claras.ai www.claras.ai   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.

    1h 4m

  4. FEB 12

    S7E9 Implementation

    This week, Nathan and Jordan try to answer the question - how involved should you, as an adviser, be involved in implementing your advice? Well, they don't try all that hard, but they have a shot at it.  Starting at fairly opposite ends of the spectrum, they try to discuss: Working out who's job it is to get the forms signed If it's not your job, who's is it? How involved should you still be, even if you're not the one doing the forms? Now that how we get paid has been (should be?) severed from whether somebody implements our recommendations, does implementation have the same weight? Why are printers so rubbish still? This isn't a topic people discuss very much, but Nathan and Jordan are confident that it's an area ripe for challenging...and discussing...and questioning.  So, have at it and let us know how involved YOU are with implementing your financial advice!   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-26021111-24240001  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.

    1h 7m

  5. FEB 5

    S7E8 Gettin' Paid

    Managing to keep the meandering at the start of the ep to a - wide ranging and flower-heavy - minimum, Nathan and Jordan quickly get on task today to discuss getting paid.  From choosing how to structure the timing of when you get paid for your work as a financial adviser, to the methods you offer clients, to handling that blessedly rare occasion of a client stiffing you on a bill, they try to explore all the considerations of the topic.  Because, as a professional financial adviser, you add immense amounts of value to your clients lives. But do you believe in that value enough to expect to be paid your full worth?  And what decisions, steps and systems have you put in place to make sure that happens without the biggest impediment (i.e., you. Us. Advisers.) getting in the way?     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-26020906-00480001   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.

    1h 5m

  6. JAN 29

    S7E7 Ethics of Age Pension Advice

    As a financial adviser, you no doubt know some stuff about the Age Pension. The Income Test. The Assets Test. Thresholds, limits, reduction factors - a fair bit of stuff.  But how do you tackle some of the ethical considerations? How do you balance client best interests with client intentions - especially when some of those intentions can be a bit dicey? In this week's episode, we explore this fundamental part of retirement advice and try to add some new details and nuance to your approach.  And, for keen listeners, let us know your answer to the $10,000 question - where has this 'rule' come from?   Some links for you: History of the Age Pension in Australia Administration of the Age Pension | Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) Using the Social Security Guide | Social Security Guide   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-26012910-42380001 Client Care and Practice - 0.75 Professionalism & Ethics - 0.25   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.

    1h 6m

  7. JAN 22

    Episode 100: POWER!

    100 episodes! 100 episodes of these two goons meandering around topics that affect, interest and bewilder financial advisers in Australia.  To celebrate this milestone, Nathan and Jordan have decided to meander around the topic of 'power' in financial advice.  Who has it, who doesn't, why they do (and don't), how they can exercise it and how we can increase it.  It is, like most of our oddly popular ones, very philosophical, very meandering and filled with outdated pop culture references (they fly together, just so you know).  Enjoy the pod and here's to an undetermined number of more episodes into the future! Thanks for listening.    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-26012910-31480001 Client Care & Practice – 0.25 Professionalism & Ethics – 0.75    Chuffed - Aunty Donna: https://youtu.be/o4fHlldbRHo?si=YehRABoc6fmhqQl6 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.

    1h 4m

  8. 12/18/2025

    S7E5 We (Kinda) Read RG181

    We genuinely had a plan for this episode...and then it just ran right off the rails. Which is a shame*. Because ASIC have updated their regulatory guidance around Conflicts of Interest, in Regulatory Guide 181.  And it's good.  Useful. Broader than before, touching on a wider range of potential conflicts amongst a much larger ecosystem than was the case when it was last refreshed (2004, ahem).  It's one of our longest episodes, but even with our weird tangents and Simpsons quotes and more Willy Wonka recitations than you'd expect, we think it's still actually pretty helpful.  Hopefully, anyway.    *A hilarious, rollercoaster, digression-filled jaunt through our year-end tired minds, shame.   Link to the RG: RG 181 AFS licensing: Managing conflicts of interest | ASIC   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-25121808-54570001    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.

    1h 18m
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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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