The Trusted Adviser

What does it take to grow a financial planning firm beyond the founder? In this episode of The Trusted Adviser, Rob Pyne speaks with Philip Palaveev, CEO of The Ensemble Practice, about what it really means to lead a team-based advice business. Philip unpacks why leadership is more burden than privilege, how to shift from founder-led to team-driven models, and what it takes to embed vision and tru...

In this episode of The Trusted Adviser, Rob Pyne speaks with Terri Reid—business coach, consultant, and former financial planner—about the human side of leadership in advice firms. They explore the tensions advice principals face as they grow their businesses, from stepping back as the chief problem solver to building strong team cultures. Terri shares practical tools for empowering staff, improvi...

In this episode of The Trusted Adviser, Rob Pyne speaks with Stephen Bell — former adviser, Enzumo founder, and now the driving force behind Captegra and Hivrs. They explore how financial advice firms can shift from clunky tech stacks to streamlined process-driven systems, the power of Salesforce as a source of truth, and the realistic role of AI in advice delivery. Stephen shares his vision for r...

In this episode, Rob Pyne is joined by David Sharpe, Chair of the Financial Advice Association of Australia and Principal of Globe Financial Planning. David shares his personal journey into financial advice and offers a front-row view of the critical reform efforts shaping the profession today. From CSLR and DBFO to education pathways and red tape reduction, this is a candid and insightful convers...

In this episode of The Trusted Adviser, Rob Pyne sits down with Neil Kendall, Managing Director of Tupicoffs and former Chair of the FAAA, to explore how forward-thinking advice firms can leverage technology to lift compliance, protect client data, and deliver a better client experience. Neil shares how his firm uses AI-powered tools like Theta Lake for full-spectrum compliance monitoring, MyProsp...

In this episode, Rob Pyne sits down with Keith Barrett, Managing Director of Reverb Media, to explore the power of public relations in financial services. With a background in journalism and two decades in the media industry, Keith shares how strategic storytelling and well-executed PR can help financial planning firms stand out, build trust, and engage meaningfully with both clients and industry....

New to The Trusted Adviser Podcast? This short trailer gives you a quick feel for the show — what it’s about, who it’s for, and why it’s worth following. Hosted by Rob Pyne, each episode features honest conversations with industry leaders in financial advice.

In this episode of The Trusted Adviser, Rob Pyne is joined by Anthony Warr and Bianca Musico from Warr Hunt — a firm renowned for its leadership in mentoring, team development and succession planning. Bianca reflects on her journey to becoming the FAAA Certified Financial Planner of the Year in 2024, while Anthony shares the foundational principles that have positioned Warr Hunt as a multiple fina...

In this episode of The Trusted Adviser Podcast, host Rob Pyne is joined by James Damicoucas and Tom Bernard from Frontier Advisers to explore the growing accessibility of private markets for financial advisers. They discuss the rise of evergreen funds, key investment structures, and how advisers can integrate private equity, private debt, unlisted property and infrastructure into client portfolios...

  In this episode of The Trusted Adviser, Rob Pyne sits down with Eliza De Pardo, founder and director of De Pardo Consulting, to discuss the key insights from her latest white paper, 10 Fast Track Insights: Clearing the Pathway for Growth. With over two decades of experience advising financial firms in the U.S. and Australia, Eliza shares practical strategies for tackling compensation challenges,...

  In this episode of The Trusted Adviser, host Rob Pyne sits down with Cameron Passmore, CEO and Portfolio Manager at PWL Capital and co-host of the Rational Reminder Podcast, to discuss the journey of PWL Capital, its commitment to evidence-based investing, and the firm's recent OneDigital transaction. Cameron shares the key milestones that have shaped PWL’s success, from embracing a client-first...

In this episode, host Rob Pyne sits down with Paul Shepherd and Teneale Laister from Alman Partners, an award-winning financial planning firm. They explore what it takes to build a successful and sustainable financial planning business by focusing on team culture, leadership frameworks, succession planning, and client service excellence. Paul and Teneale provide an in-depth look at their staggered...

In this episode of The Trusted Adviser, host Rob Pyne sits down with Nick Downey and Sam Patterson from Direct Wealth to discuss the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the financial planning industry. As leaders at the forefront of AI adoption, Nick and Sam share how Direct Wealth leverages AI to enhance efficiency, scale advice delivery, and personalise client interactions lik...

In this insightful episode, Rob Pyne welcomes David Haintz, a seasoned wealth management expert and representative of Merchant Investment Management. With 35 years of experience in financial advice and business coaching, David shares his expertise on critical topics such as profitability and productivity ratios, client selection strategies, and Merchant's role in helping advisory firms grow throug...

In this episode, we explore the intricacies of Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs) with Chris West and Mike Parker from Context Capital. SMAs have rapidly emerged as a preferred investment solution, offering transparency, efficiency, and fairness for both advisers and investors. Taking advantage of Chris and Mike's expert knowledge in the world of SMAs, Rob dives into the operational, regulatory, a...

  In this episode, Rob sits down with Phil Little from Slipstream Group for a masterclass on pricing strategies that drive business growth. Phil, a former financial planner and successful business owner turned coach, delves into the importance of regularly reviewing pricing methodologies, tackling outdated fee structures, and ensuring consistency across clients. Together, they explore practical st...

In this insightful episode of The Trusted Adviser, host Rob Pyne chats with Dan Brown, Principal of Coastal Advice Group, about his extraordinary journey in transforming a small financial planning team into a thriving enterprise. Dan shares the key lessons he’s learned from scaling his business, including how to identify opportunities in acquisitions, the importance of cultural alignment, and the...

In this episode of The Trusted Adviser, Rob Pyne is joined by Jade Burford, partner at MBS Insurance, to explore the intricacies of personal insurance advice. They delve into the importance of specialisation in financial services, the benefits of joint venture models for wealth planning firms, and the evolving challenges of the insurance industry. 

In this episode of The Trusted Adviser, host Rob Pyne speaks with Jerry Kalogeropoulos, the founder of Aptium Assist, a business specialising in outsourced back-office support for financial planners. Together, they explore the growing trend of outsourcing in professional services, specifically focusing on tasks such as paraplanning and client administration within financial planning. Jerry shares...

In this episode of The Trusted Adviser, host Rob sits down with Pat Gardner, Technology Lead at Collins SBA and host of the AdviceTech podcast on the Ensombl platform. Pat shares his unique journey from financial planner to tech innovator, highlighting the ways technology is reshaping the financial planning and accounting landscape. Together, they explore the integration of Salesforce CRM at Colli...

In this episode of The Trusted Adviser, Rob sits down with Richard Hernan, co-founder of Broadleaf Financial Group, to explore the world of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the financial planning industry. With over seven years of experience and 18 successful M&A transactions, Richard shares the strategies and lessons he's learned from working with entrepreneurial financial planning firms...

In this episode, Rob sits down with Tim Lane, a seasoned chartered accountant and the founder of FinConnect Advisory Group.  Tim has been active in the financial planning industry for 25 years and in this episode, he shares his expertise on the intricacies of valuing financial planning businesses and offers practical advice on succession planning. He delves into the key factors that can drive or d...

In this first episode, Rob dives into the detail of the HPH employee share plan, sharing the experiences, challenges, and key takeaways from implementing an employee share scheme to incentivise and reward key staff members. The conversation covers the importance of aligning employee incentives with business growth, and how share plans can be a powerful tool for long-term retention and business suc...