Financial Adviser Market Insights, August 20, 2026
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Adviser numbers rose by 16 for the week, moving from 15,130 to 15,146
A seventh consecutive week of growth lifts adviser numbers to 15,146. The calendar year is now +91, against (-77) at the same point last year, a turnaround of 168 advisers. The financial year to date sits at +264, while the rolling 12 months remains negative at (-247).
The character of the week was different. New entrants dropped away to just 9, so the gain came almost entirely from experienced advisers switching licensees or returning after a break. Movement stayed widely spread, with 28 licensee owners recording net gains against 15 with net losses, and the recurring story at Sequoia Group continued with another six advisers lost from InterPrac Financial Planning.
A total of 81 advisers were affected by appointments and/or resignations this week, including 9 new entrants to the register.
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Key Adviser Movements for the Week
15,146 current advisers
Net change of advisers: +16
New Entrants: 9
28 licensee owners had net gains
15 licensee owners had net losses
1 new licensee and no licensees ceased
Net Change Calendar 2026 YTD: +91
Net Change Financial Year 2026/27 YTD: +264
Net change last 12 months: (-247)
Growth - Licensee Owners
Perpetual Group up by five to 76, the largest gain of the week and all at Perpetual Trustee Company. All five advisers came from the same place: each had been authorised at ANZ Banking Group and left the register in late June, returning together after a break of roughly two months.
Centrepoint Group up by three to now be ovr 600 at 601, all at Alliance Wealth, with one adviser switching from Zurich Assure Australia, one from Morgans Financial and one from FYG Planners.
Gill and Co Advisory up by three to 44 and Springboard Wealth up by three to 18. All six advisers arrived from Sequoia Group's InterPrac Financial Planning, resigning on 17 August and appointed at their new licensees the following day.
A tail of 24 licensee owners up by net one each, including Lifespan (303), which took a new entrant plus an adviser returning after a year away, Shaw and Partners (192) with an adviser from Canaccord Group, Viridian Advisory (131), Aware Financial Services (123), Macquarie Group (104), Spark Partnership Group (102) with one of the departing InterPrac advisers, First Financial (90), SGN Financial (54), Bombora Advice (49) and RSM Financial Services (32), both with new entrants.
Losses - Licensee Owners
Sequoia Group down by six to 94. Seven advisers resigned from InterPrac Financial Planning, six of them on 17 August, offset by one appointment at Anadara Capital. Three of the departing advisers went to Gill and Co Advisory, three to Springboard Wealth and one to Spark Advisors Australia, so the entire group has already resurfaced elsewhere on the register.
A tail of 14 licensee owners down by net one each, including Entireti and Akumin Group (1,094), where a busier week sat under a small net move with two new entrants offset by three cessations, Daintree Topco (206), whose departing Bridges Financial Services adviser had been with the group since 2013, Elston Group (36), Fitzpatricks Group (35), Pivot Wealth (17), Skye Money (11), 360Private (10), KDM Financial and Estate Planning (10) and True Wealth Financial Group (8).
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The Australian Financial Adviser Market 2026 is Padua's data-driven read on the state of the profession. Drawing on the ASIC Financial Adviser Register and adviser exam data, it maps six forces behind a market that has stopped shrinking but is far from recovered: 15,012 advisers, ageing fast, against 3.6 million Australians who need advice. The conclusion is a shift in the question itself, from how to grow the workforce to how to get more from the one we have.
