Fiduciary Excellence

What is it? A fiduciary has a legal or ethical relationship of trust with another and prudently takes care of money or assets for another person.

We’re a bit different to our peers. Good different.

Privately owned.
We have our own Australian Financial Services licence, therefore we are free to explore and exploit a world of investments and opportunities on your behalf.

Fee-based guidance.
No bank or institutional affiliations. No vested interests. We don’t rely on investment commissions. We work for – and with – you and your family.

Evidence-based advice.
We draw on the best academic research and Nobel Prize-winning thinking to create a tailor-made wealth solution.

CEFEX and GAIA accredited.

We meet the highest global fiduciary excellence standards with the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence and the Global Association of Independent Advisors™.

*Despite our membership with GAIA, Capital Partners does not claim to be independent under section 923 of the Corporations Act.
CEFEX certification increases transparency and accountability and therefore increases trust.

Capital Partners holds a CEFEX certification. The Center for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX) serves as an independent auditor to verify that an investment advisory firm conforms to all practices and criteria that comprise the Global Standard of Fiduciary Excellence.

To date, just over 100 firms across the globe have achieved this certification. Capital Partners is the only CEFEX Certified Firm in Perth and we have four CEFEX Accredited Investment Fiduciaries.

What it means to be CEFEX Certified
Adherence to a fiduciary relationship

CEFEX advisory firms adhere to the Global Fiduciary Standard of Excellence. This means they act in the best interest of investors. This is contrasted with a firm that lacks a fiduciary process or operates according to a ‘suitability’ standard.

Adherence to the fiduciary obligation can be the foundation for the trust placed in Advisers by their clients, whether individual or institutional investors.

Verified by annual audits

CEFEX advisory firms voluntarily undertake annual audits by independent fiduciary experts. This verifies their adherence to the fiduciary standard and is supplemental to the oversight performed by most financial regulators, who require fiduciary financial advisers to meet a minimum compliance standard.

The objective is simple: to protect investors.

Investor benefits

A CEFEX-certified advisory firm places your interests first and will realize investment objectives sooner, better align investment services to expenses, and be accountable for actions taken.

 

View Our CEFEX Certificate

Fiduciary Excellence FAQ

Fiduciary duty stands for a person who has an ethical/legal relationship of trust with one or more parties. A fiduciary adviser must have their client’s best interest at heart when acting on their behalf, with loyalty and care being the foundations of fiduciary duty.

After the findings uncovered by the Royal Commission, Australian financial advisers must practice according to fiduciary standards, however the regulations on this remain unclear. Financial advisers who fail to meet the high fiduciary responsibility of loyalty and care can be penalised.

Board of directors have a fiduciary duty to exercise due care in how they manage a corporation’s affairs and have a duty of loyalty and obedience to the corporation. Director obligations ensure staff and stakeholders are considered.

Three fiduciary duties include, duty of care, duty of loyalty, duty to act lawfully. The fourth duty is to act with/in good faith.

Amendments to the Commonwealth Corporations Act in 2013 introduced a requirement for financial advisers to act in the best interest of their clients. Today, advisers are legally obliged to follow fiduciary responsibility by always placing the client’s best interest ahead of their own gain and avoiding conflict of interest situations.

The Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX) helps determine the trustworthiness of firms and advisers. When searching for a fiduciary financial adviser in Australia, look for the CEFEX certification badge. Companies with the CEFEX certification will have passed an assessment audit.

Fiduciary excellence means to take responsibility to take care of someone else’s money, investments or assets. A fiduciary owes trust and transparency to whomever requires their service.

A fiduciary relationship exists when important decisions need to be made about who to trust for your financial advice. Fiduciary only exists when the adviser does not profit from any recommendations that are not in the best interest of the client. There are only 6 certified fiduciary excellence (CEFEX) firms in Australia.

Financial advisers in Australia must act to a fiduciary excellence standard, operating with the best interest of the client. Independent fiduciary certification can be achieved via the Centre of Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX), an independent body that annually audits participating firms for best practice. An adviser who applies for this audit and upholds these standards is serious about their fiduciary obligations.

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