If the prospect of choosing a financial adviser appears too hard, why not start by running a ruler over the 50 advice professionals selected by their peers annually for demonstrating unwavering professionalism and providing outstanding service to their clients and wider community?
Every year the Financial Standard curates votes from the advice community to come up with what’s regarded as the FS Power50.
Given the popularity of these to 50 advisers, there’s no guarantee they’re actively looking to increase their client book, while others may prefer to work with certain types of clients.
290 in Power50 alumni
After 12 years of running the FS Power50 awards, there are now 290 financial advisers in the FS Power50 alumni.
While some individual advisers repeatedly find themselves on this list year after year, this year there were a total of 20 changes from the previous list, including 10 new advisers named and another 10 rejoining.
In light of the recent First Guardian scandal, where some advisers used their trusted position to funnel thousands of clients and their life savings into this dodgy investment fund - sometimes using aggressive sales tactics – the need to identify exemplary practitioners within the advice community is greater than ever.
The number of Australian adults choosing to seek paid financial advice – for a myriad of reasons like cost, trust and regulations- remains relatively low at under 20%.
To make matters worse, recent research by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) suggests that only 51% bother to seek any sort of financial advice before retiring.
However, the overwhelming majority of Australians who have hired an adviser trust them to act in their best interests.
Recent research by the Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) suggests 94% of advised clients trust their adviser to act in their best interests.
Recent Western Sydney research suggests that the characteristics essential to the client-adviser relationship are vulnerability and risk, feeling, honesty, faith, best interests, accountability and competence.
Surge in nominations
Given that the advice community has worked hard to regain lost trust with Australians, especially in light of past high-profile scandals, The Power50 awards continue to see a surge in nominations from inside the advice community.
Financial Standard editor Jamie Williamson notes there are over 11,000 votes to help determine who ends up on this coveted list.
The FS Power50 process opens with nominations from others within the financial services sector.
However, only advisers listed on the ASIC Financial Advice Register and members of at least one industry association are eligible for nomination.
Once the list of finalists is whittled down to a group of 120, readers of the Financial Standard and FS Advice - the Australian Journal of Financial Planning engage in a voting phase, which then determines the final 50.
"This year's 50 consists of advisers who have brought their local advice community together and done their bit to grow it, promoting the value of financial advice across a variety of channels,” said Williamson.
"The aim is to offer role models to those already in the industry and those looking to join it."
The numbers
The ratio of male to female advisers is spread relatively even at 22/28 respectively, which marks an 8% increase in women since 2024 - the highest representation since the FS Power50 awards started.
Only three firms have more than one adviser on this list, with Shadforth Financial Group boasting a total of five, three of which are women.
Then there's Viridian Advisory and Green Associates Financial Planning, which have two advisers on the list, respectively.
Given that the digital age makes it easier for clients and advisers to interact remotely, the FS Power50 doesn’t clearly identify where these top 50 advisers are based.
However, on a state-by-state basis, Victoria’s financial advisers dominate those listed in the 2025 FS Power50 and at 32% represent the largest quantity of any individual state.
Like 2024, there is a near equal split between the size of the companies represented in the Power50; 52% are from groups with 50 or more advisers, while 48% are from groups with less than 50.
"Being a list curated by votes from the advice community, this peer recognition fosters a culture of continuous improvement, professionalism, and accountability - all elements that are vital to overcoming the reputational challenges and other pressures being faced by the sector right now,” said Williamson.
The Financial Standard Power50
- Esther Althaus: Perspective Financial Services
- Michael Bova: Family Wealth Advisory
- Jenny Brown: JBS Financial Strategists
- Ben Budge: My Wealth Solutions
- Sacha Burchgart: Burcheart
- Sheila Cabacungan: Wealth Forum
- John Cachia: Thriving Wealth
- Amanda Cassar: Wealth Planning Partners
- Finn Dorney: Shadforth Financial Group
- Ellie Fordham: Verse Wealth
- Nathan Fradley: Fradley Advice
- Charlie Fraser: Shadforth Financial Group
- Justin Gilmour: Integro Private Wealth
- Gavin Glozier: Your Wealth Hub Advice
- Jennifer Goldsworthy: Goldsworthy Private Wealth
- Cara Graham: The Wealth Designers
- Craig Green: Green Associates Financial Planners
- Glen Hare: Fox & Hare Financial Advice
- Kathy Havers: Viridian Advisory
- Morgan Hayward: Lume Wealth
- Deline Jacovides: Mazi Wealth
- Josef Jindra: Mintwell
- Aaron Kane: EK Financial Group
- Jacqueline Kirkwood: Shadforth Financial Group
- Jessica Looi: UniSuper Advice
- Clinton McNally: Viridian Advisory
- Ben Nash: Pivot Wealth
- Paul Nicol: GFM Wealth Advisory
- Billy Norman: Link Wealth Advice
- James O'Reilly: Northeast Wealth
- Roger Perrett: Freshwater Wealth
- Rebecca Pritchard: Rising Tide Financial
- Amanda Ragkousis: Viridian Advisory
- Hugh Robertson: Centaur Financial Services
- Ryan Samarasekera: Associated Concepts
- Liam Shorte: Sonas Wealth
- Shannon Smit: Smart Private Wealth
- Rhiannan Smit: Shadforth Financial Group
- Patricia Soares Garcia: Your Vision Financial Solutions
- Shayne Sommer: Shadforth Financial Group
- Troy Theobald: RFS Advice
- Dawn Thomas: The Wealth Designers
- Tim Townsend: Townsend Cobain: Private Wealth Partners
- Ben Travers: Prosperity Wealth Advisers
- Jordan Vaka: PlanningSolo
- Charlie Viola: Viola Private Wealth
- Andrew Wielandt: DP Wealth Advisory
- Cara Williams: The Hazel Way
- Trina Wood: Green Associates Financial Planning
- James Wrigley: First Financial
