About Us
SFG Australia Limited is a leading non-aligned financial advice and end-to-end wealth management firm, listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: SFW). SFG Australia Limited (SFG) was formerly known as Snowball Group Limited (Snowball, formerly ASX: SNO). On 26 June 2011, Snowball merged with Shadforth Financial Group Holdings Limited (Shadforth), a preeminent national financial advice group, creating a leading non-aligned client focused financial advice and wealth management firm in Australia.
SFG has $10.8bn in funds under advice, $9.2bn in funds under administration and $4.0bn in funds under management, as at 31 December 2011.
SFG's merger with Shadforth brought together two strategically and culturally aligned complementary business models, which have significant growth ambitions.
The Group provides a full range of wealth management services to high net worth and affluent clients, including strategic financial advice, portfolio administration solutions, portfolio construction and management services, insurance (both general and risk) solutions, finance broking, stockbroking, corporate superannuation and other related services.
To deliver optimal advice and implementation services to these target client segments, the Group utilises a best of breed approach to sourcing solutions which deliver on client needs, and achieve scale and efficiency benefits for both clients and shareholders.
The Group operates three complementary financial advice business models: the End-to-end adviser model; the Affiliate adviser model; and the B2B Advice Services model.
The End-to-end adviser model comprises the established financial advice businesses of Shadforth Financial Group and Outlook Financial Solutions. Together, the End-to-end model has 13 offices and 116 employed client facing financial advisers nationally.
The Affiliate adviser model comprises the Western Pacific Financial Group (Western Pacific) financial advice dealer group, comprising 17 practices and 37 advisers in WA, QLD, NSW, VIC and SA. The Western Pacific practices are owned and operated by the principal advisers, and operate under the Western Pacific brand, license and operating systems. SFG provides dealer services and advice implementation infrastructure to each of the practices, enabling each practice to leverage off SFG’s capability and scale.
The B2B Advice Services model comprises the Group’s third party relationships where the Group provides a combination of adviser support and Australian Financial Services licensing services, portfolio administration products and services, and portfolio management products and services. The B2B Advice Services model also comprises investments in joint ventures focused on financial advice and accounting.
Supporting the Group’s advice business models are the Adviser Services, Corporate Services, Implementation Services, and Portfolio Construction and Management functions spanning the client wealth management value chain.
Adviser Services includes the “Best Advice” module which is the Group’s advice centre of excellence focused on continuously improving and evolving the best way to provide valued advice services to clients. It encompasses all aspects of client focused service delivery, from adviser support systems through to compliance, client experience and marketing. SFG offers “Best Advice’s” intellectual property and implementation strategies to third parties through its B2B Advice Services model, spanning self employed advisers, advice practices and dealer groups and can include a licensing solution. This is a key component of the Group’s broader strategy that clearly differentiates SFG from its competitors.
Implementation Services contains the Group’s platform relationships which include BT Financial Group, Asgard Wealth Solutions, Symetry Portfolio Service (supported by Colonial First State Custom Solutions) and Praemium. The Implementation Services function also houses the Group’s stockbroking back office administration outsourced to UBS.
The Portfolio Construction and Management function houses Mosaic Portfolio Advisers Limited (Mosaic), formerly known as Officium Capital Limited, which is the Group's manager of managers and portfolio construction business. Mosaic is the Responsible Entity of fourteen investment funds and four Strategic Trusts (Australian Equities, Global Equities, Global Property and Global Fixed Interest) that were historically set up for the Shadforth Financial Group business.
The Corporate Services business includes our online administration services, which support the Group’s businesses and can also be offered to third parties through the B2B Advice Services model.