FPRJ Vol 11, Issue 2 Editorial

Journal is a special issue on 'The Future of the Financial Advice Profession'.This issue comes at a pivotal time for financial advice in Australia.While there have been several inroads made to improving the quality of advice, there have also been several setbacks on the journey to becoming recognised as a fully-fledged profession.As we approach the December 31 deadline for all current financial advisers on the Financial Adviser Register (FAR) to meet the federal government's education requirements, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) estimate that 2,326 relevant providers will fall short of meeting these requirements, reducing the total number of registered financial advisers in Australia to just over 13,000 (ASIC, 2025).Further, over the last year, we have continued to see a shift in the financial advice landscape toward smaller, boutique firms, with almost all new privately owned licensees comprising 1 to 5 advisers (Adviser Ratings, 2025).