The short answer: four checks that take about ten minutes. Confirm the adviser is on the ASIC Financial Advisers Register. Confirm they hold a relevant degree and a professional designation (AFP or CFP). Confirm which AFSL they operate under. Get their fee, in dollars, in writing before you commit to anything. Those four checks filter roughly 90% of the Brisbane market before you leave the house.
Brisbane has roughly 1,800 registered financial advisers in 2026. Most are competent. Some aren’t. A five-minute ASIC Register check, a qualifications confirmation, and a written fee quote will cleanly separate the two groups. The signal isn’t the size of the firm or how polished the office is. It’s what they put on paper before they ask for your business.
Most people pick a financial adviser the way they pick a dentist. A friend mentions someone, the friend hasn’t had problems, and that’s the bar cleared. The Brisbane market is large enough that you can genuinely do better than that, and the vetting work takes less time than booking the first meeting. Here’s what to check, what to ask, and what should end the conversation.
Why Brisbane’s Advice Landscape Is Different in 2026
South East Queensland is in the middle of a long retirement shift. Around one in five Brisbane residents is now aged 60 or over, and the cohort is growing faster than the national average. That’s visible in the suburbs most affected: Redland Bay, Victoria Point, Samford Valley, the Logan corridor, and the Sunshine Coast ribbon all carry strong retiree demographics. Advice demand is concentrated around these areas.
The other factor is the property-linked wealth. The Brisbane median home now sits around $920,000 (Domain, 2026), and many long-term owners have equity well above $1.5 million tied up in a house they bought 25 years ago. That changes retirement maths. A lot of advice conversations in Brisbane in 2026 are really about how to convert home equity into retirement cashflow without blowing the Age Pension.
The 2032 Olympics is shifting infrastructure planning. For people holding investment property in the Olympic corridor, the advice question is whether to sell into the build-up or hold through. That’s a specialised conversation, and not every adviser handles it well.
Underneath all of this is the post-Royal Commission advice market. The 2019 reforms culled the industry hard. Adviser numbers in Australia dropped from around 28,000 to about 15,500 between 2019 and 2024. The ones left are, on average, better qualified and more tightly regulated. But the pricing went up to match, and the market is now stratified in ways it wasn’t a decade ago.
The Four Checks You Can Do Before Booking Anything
Before any first meeting, do these four things. They take about ten minutes combined. Any adviser who fails one of them isn’t worth a coffee chat.
| Check | Where to Look | What You’re Looking For |
|---|---|---|
| ASIC Register | moneysmart.gov.au/financial-advisers-register | Active registration, no bans or cancellations, current licensee listed |
| Qualifications | ASIC Register lists degree + CPD | Degree in financial planning or equivalent (mandatory since 2019), plus AFP or CFP if they claim it |
| AFSL / Licensee | Their Financial Services Guide (FSG) | Which Australian Financial Services Licence they operate under, whether as authorised rep or direct employee |
| Fees in writing | FSG plus a one-page fee quote | Dollar figure for your situation, broken down by initial advice and ongoing, with no “we’ll tell you later” gaps |
The ASIC Register is the most important of the four. Every licensed financial adviser in Australia appears there. It lists their qualifications, their current licensee, prior licensees, and any disciplinary history. If someone says they’re a financial adviser and they’re not on the register, walk away. That’s a legal problem, not an oversight.
Eight Questions That Separate a Good Adviser From a Mediocre One
Once you’ve narrowed to two or three advisers, the first meeting (usually free, typically 45 to 60 minutes) tells you the rest. These are the questions worth asking.
- Can I see a sample Statement of Advice before committing? Any adviser worth the fee has de-identified SOAs ready. If they won’t show you one, you’re buying blind.
- What’s your fee for my situation, in dollars, on a one-page quote? A good adviser can scope this in the first meeting or within a week.
- How many clients in roughly my position do you currently advise? Not a trap question, just confirming you’re not their first pre-retiree.
- Explain the tax treatment of super death benefits for an adult child. Tests technical depth. 15% on the taxable component is the answer.
- What happens if I want advice on something not on your Approved Product List? Tests whether the AFSL’s APL restrictions will frustrate your needs.
- Do you receive any commissions or kickbacks from any product provider? Commissions on super and investment advice have been banned since 2013. Risk-insurance commissions remain legal and should be disclosed.
- If you were hit by a bus tomorrow, who takes over my file? Succession depth. Good advisers have a documented answer.
- When was the last time you told a prospective client they weren’t the right fit? A good adviser turns away work when the relationship isn’t going to be useful. An adviser who takes everything in front of them isn’t being selective about the quality of the match.
Fee Structures You’ll See in Brisbane in 2026
Four common fee models are operating in Brisbane right now. Each has trade-offs.
| Structure | Typical Brisbane Range (2026) | When It Makes Sense |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed-fee SOA (one-off) | $3,500–$7,000 | Most pre-retirement engagements; scope is knowable upfront |
| Ongoing advice fee (annual) | $3,500–$8,000/yr | Complex situations; annual review needed as rules change |
| Asset-based (% of managed assets) | 0.5% to 1.2% p.a. | Investment-heavy relationships; be careful above $1M where dollar fee ramps |
| Hourly | $350–$650 per hour | Small, bounded pieces of work; rare for full advice engagements |
Commission-based advice on super or investments has been illegal since 1 July 2013 under the Future of Financial Advice (FOFA) reforms. Any adviser still earning trail commission on those products is operating in breach. Life-insurance commissions remain legal and capped under the LIF reforms at 60% upfront and 20% ongoing.
Advice fees are tax deductible in many cases where the advice relates to ongoing income generation or existing investments. That’s a question for your accountant, but it materially changes the net cost.
The Red Flags That Should End the Conversation
If any of these show up in a first meeting, cut it short and leave.
- Product pitches before the scoping conversation. Advice starts with strategy. Product recommendations are the last step, not the first.
- Vague or evasive fee disclosure. “We’ll work it out later” or “it depends on the products we recommend” is a problem.
- Property spruikers dressed as advisers. SEQ has an ongoing issue with operators who bundle “advice” with off-the-plan apartment sales. If property acquisition is the suggested core solution in a retirement planning conversation, something’s off.
- No Statement of Advice before implementation. By law, a personal advice recommendation must be accompanied by an SOA. An adviser who wants to rearrange your super without issuing one is operating outside the regulatory framework.
- Pressure to sign in the first meeting. Genuine advice takes days to document. Anyone pushing for an immediate signature is selling a product, not delivering advice.
- Reluctance to explain fund restrictions. Every authorised representative is bound by their licensee’s Approved Product List. A good adviser is transparent about what that list contains and whether it limits advice on your specific position.
Specialist Advisers: When It Matters
Most Brisbane advisers are generalists. For most situations, that’s fine. A competent generalist who handles retirement planning, super, insurance, and Age Pension strategy can easily outperform a narrow specialist on standard cases.
Specialist advice genuinely matters in a few situations. Self-managed super funds (SMSFs) need an adviser who handles them weekly, not occasionally. Complex estate planning across generations, particularly with overseas assets, benefits from a specialist. Aged-care transitions where home equity, pension, and care fees interact are another specialist category. If one of those describes your situation, ask directly how much of the adviser’s practice is in that niche. If it’s less than 25%, you’re probably better with a pure specialist.
How Great Advice Works
We’re based in Springwood and serve the Brisbane and Logan corridor. Fee-based practice, no commissions on super or investment advice. The first meeting is free and runs about an hour. We’ll tell you directly whether full advice is worth the cost for your situation. If we don’t think you need us, we’ll say so.
Full pre-retirement advice is a fixed fee, quoted in dollars in writing before any work begins. Typical range is $3,500 to $5,500 depending on complexity. Ongoing advice, if you want it, is reviewed annually and the fee is agreed year by year. No product commissions on super or investment advice. We’re a Corporate Authorised Representative of Akumin Financial Planning Pty Ltd (AFSL 232706).
Our specialisation is the full retirement-to-aged-care-to-inheritance arc. Most of our clients find us five to ten years before they stop work, and the relationship usually continues through their parents’ aged care and, eventually, their own estate planning. That positioning is unusual in Brisbane, and it’s the reason we attract families who want continuity rather than advice by the transaction.
The Bottom Line
Brisbane’s advice market is large, stratified, and mostly competent. The mediocre portion is filterable in about ten minutes with four checks. Once you’ve narrowed to two or three candidates, a first meeting usually sorts the rest. Don’t pay for bad advice, and don’t accept a $6,000 Statement of Advice quote without first seeing what’s actually inside a sample document.
If the four checks confirm a registered, qualified, licensed adviser with clear fee disclosure, and the first meeting shows technical depth on the questions above, you’ve probably found your adviser. The next question is just whether their specialisation matches your situation.
Common Questions
How do I check if a Brisbane financial adviser is properly licensed?
Go to moneysmart.gov.au/financial-advisers-register and search by name or Adviser Number. The register shows current registration status, licensee, qualifications, CPD, and any disciplinary history. It’s the definitive source. If an adviser isn’t on the register, they’re not legally able to provide personal financial advice in Australia.
How much does a financial adviser in Brisbane actually cost in 2026?
A one-off Statement of Advice for a pre-retirement situation is typically $3,500 to $7,000 depending on complexity. Ongoing advice runs $3,500 to $8,000 a year in the Brisbane market. Asset-based fees are 0.5% to 1.2% per annum on invested amounts. Most advice fees are partly tax deductible where they relate to ongoing income generation or existing investments. The range is wide because complexity varies; get a written dollar quote for your specific situation before committing.
Can I check if a Brisbane adviser has had complaints or bans?
Partly. The ASIC Financial Advisers Register shows disciplinary history including bans, suspensions, and licensee cancellations. It doesn’t show individual client complaints or civil disputes. For a more complete picture you can check AFCA (the Australian Financial Complaints Authority) for published determinations involving the adviser’s licensee. Neither source covers every concern, but together they catch most serious issues.
Are commission-based advisers still operating in Brisbane?
On super and investments, no. Commissions on those products have been illegal since 1 July 2013 under the FOFA reforms. Any adviser still earning commissions on super or investment advice is operating in breach. Life-insurance commissions are still legal (capped at 60% upfront, 20% ongoing under the LIF reforms) and should be disclosed in the adviser’s Financial Services Guide and every Statement of Advice. A fee-based adviser will accept a commission rebate back to the client if the product requires one.
How long should the first meeting with a financial adviser be?
Forty-five to sixty minutes for a general introduction and scoping conversation. Long enough to cover your situation at a high level and for the adviser to propose a scope of work. Not long enough to produce advice, which by law requires a written Statement of Advice. If a first meeting runs past 90 minutes, the adviser is either padding or trying to close in the room. Both are flags.
General Advice Warning: This article contains general information only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation, or needs. Fee ranges, rules, and thresholds cited are current as at 2026 and may change. Before making any financial decisions, you should consider whether the information is appropriate for your circumstances and seek personal financial advice from a licensed adviser. Great Advice Financial Advisers is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Akumin Financial Planning Pty Ltd (AFSL 232706).
