Leading the crowdsourcing campaign – which was launched in December 2014 – Melinda Houghton of AON Hewitt authorised rep firm Houghton Strategic Solutions said 69 advisers across the country have donated, but added she would like to see more advisers get behind the campaign.
So far, advisers from Victoria and Queensland are leading the charge, making an average donation of $187 and $429 respectively.
While a few advisers from New South Wales have donated, Ms Houghton pointed out that they have some ground to cover to catch up with Victoria and Queensland.
The campaign is about trying to correct the poor image the financial advice industry currently has and about showing Australians the good work advisers do for people, she said.
“We want more people to get more advice, by breaking down the negativity barriers that are stopping people from understanding what most advisers actually do,” Ms Houghton said.
“The campaign will do this through the powerful medium of good-news stories – using real life examples of how financial advice produces a positive result, and how clients have developed trusting, long-term relationships with their advisers.
“These stories will be shared through a variety of formats including professionally-produced video, cartoons, blogs, podcasts, and articles,” she said.
With the campaign aiming to raise at least $100,000, Ms Houghton said that if advisers feel passionately about the industry and the good work they do, they should visit visit www.positivityforplanners.com.au.
If you are not contributing to the solution you are part of the problem, we can all complain but Melinda has taken the lead and doing more than has ever been done before, so don’t be critical of this fantastic effort get on board or shut up
Pavel, but by 2018 we will have seen (most likely) a market correction or at least a year of very low or negative returns and that is when the light once more shines on advisers and we again have to fight to illustrate our value in spite of returns. I manage this easily myself, but the industry struggles and so we need to support anyone who is doing anything decent to promote the value of advice and help de-link it from returns.
We might be fighting off perceptions of poor advice now, but it will be something else in a few years, there will always be something, so back any effort to put advice out there in a good light.
So, at this rate Ms Houghton will reach her crowdfunding target in mid 2018. I think the caravan of public opinion should have move don by then. Anyway, isn’t this what we pay our dues to our peak industry associations to do on our collective behalf? It’s a pretty sad state of affairs if the hat has to passed around to nickel and dime a PR exercise to address the poor perception of advisers.
What a great story! Good on you Melinda.
I am right behind you on this.
C’mon advisers get behind someone who will get behind us.
This is a great initiative. I’m behind it!