Victorian financial advice businesses Coastline Advice and Edge Advisory Partners have unveiled plans to join forces, forming a combined entity with more than 45 staff, 1,500 clients and annual revenue of around $10 million. The merged firm will operate under the Coastline Advice brand with the backing of advice platform AZ NGA, which is a significant shareholder in both businesses.
The new Coastline Advice will deliver strategic financial advice across superannuation, retirement planning, personal insurance and mortgage broking, with a particular focus on corporate superannuation. The merger is positioned as a key step in AZ NGA’s broader strategy to build scale in regional Victoria and NSW.
“There is a strong cultural and strategic alignment between Coastline, Edge and AZ NGA, and this has enabled significant progress to be made in defining the structure and vision of the combined entity, which will be a key regional hub for the AZ NGA network,” said AZ NGA executive general manager Chesne Stafford.
“This merger delivers immediate scale, across Victoria’s surf coast, Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula and Bass Coast, which are areas that AZ NGA currently has limited representation but a strong strategic interest due to the region’s affluent demographics and growing retiree population,” she said.
AZ NGA first took a minority stake in Edge Advisory Partners through its 2024 acquisition of AMP’s Equity Portfolio. This month, it increased its shareholding in Edge and entered a strategic partnership with Coastline Advice, led by director and financial adviser Darryn Jacobs.
Jacobs will lead the combined business as chief executive.
“Our clients are at the core of everything we do, and we want to grow to take our offering to more individuals, families, businesses and communities in regional Victoria and New South Wales,” Jacobs explained.
“We are passionate about professional advice because of the positive impact it can have to change lives, and this is what drives us to succeed.”
Edge Advisory Partners managing director and financial adviser Shaun McWilliam said the merger will allow the group to bring deeper expertise in-house, delivering tangible benefits for clients.
“Together we’re big enough to have specialists in all key areas of advice that will sit under one roof, like personal insurance, lending, self-managed super and aged care, which will be a real benefit to our clients,” McWilliam stated.
“AZ NGA is very supportive and responsive. They’ve bought into our vision and we’ve bought in theirs, and this is the next step in our exciting journey.”
Stafford said the long-standing relationship between Jacobs and McWilliam underpins the leadership strength of the merged firm.
“The leadership pairing of Darryn and Shaun creates strong balance, combining disciplined operational and management focus with an exceptional ability to attract new business, particularly through corporate superannuation relationships.”
