ASIC has permanently banned Dunlop, ACT-based financial adviser Jane Elizabeth Myers from providing financial services.
A media release from the commission says this follows an ASIC surveillance of Myers when she was an authorised representative of Spectrum Wealth Advisers Pty Ltd between October 2013 and March 2017.
“Ms Myers claimed that she was only facilitating the establishment of self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) for her clients, rather than providing financial product advice.
“However, ASIC’s surveillance found that Ms Myers gave her clients financial product advice recommending they establish SMSFs and roll over their existing superannuation into SMSFs. In doing so, she did not act in her clients’ best interests or provide advice that was appropriate to their circumstances,” the media statement says.
It continues: Specifically, Myers failed to:
- Identify her clients’ relevant circumstances
- Investigate whether the SMSF would achieve the clients’ financial objectives beyond their desire to purchase property
- Reasonably inform her clients of all associated costs of holding a property within an SMSF
- Provide her clients with statements of advice.
…the client lost life insurance cover and subsequently the client’s spouse did not receive the insurance payout..
ASIC says that: “In one instance, Ms Myers advised her client to roll over existing life insurance to the newly established SMSF. As a result, the client lost life insurance cover and subsequently the client’s spouse did not receive the insurance payout.”
The statement says that ASIC found Myers “… is not adequately trained or competent to provide financial services and that she is likely to contravene a financial services law in the future. Her conduct demonstrated serious incompetence and irresponsibility.
“ASIC expects financial advisers to understand and comply with their obligations under the law. When providing personal advice, advisers are required to act in the best interests of their clients, not simply implement their clients’ instructions,” it says.
“Setting up an SMSF is a significant financial step for consumers and impacts their retirement savings. Advisers must take their clients’ personal circumstances and objectives into account before making recommendations or assisting clients with the establishment of SMSFs.”
ASIC notes Myers has the right to appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for a review of its decision.
ASIC bans New South Wales adviser for three years
In an unrelated case, ASIC has banned New South Wales-based financial adviser Alexander Bruce Thomas from providing financial services for three years.
It says Thomas was an authorised representative of National Australia Bank Limited between June 2008 and March 2017, and of Forsyths Financial Services Pty Ltd between September 2017 and October 2019.
ASIC found that he failed to comply with financial services laws, including failing to provide advice that was in the best interests of his clients.
It says a review of a sample of Thomas’ advice files showed that he failed to make reasonable inquiries into, and base all judgements on, his client’s relevant circumstances, and to appropriately scope the advice.
It notes that Thomas has the right to appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for a review of ASIC’s decision.
