VIPSites Media

Financial Services Guide

SMELG is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Lifestyle Asset Management Pty Ltd (“LAM”) under its Australian Financial Services Licence (“AFSL”) to:

  • Provide financial product advice

  • Deal in a financial product/Apply for, acquire, vary or dispose of financial products for retail and wholesale clients.

We are Authorised Representative of SME Life & General Pty Ltd (SMELG), which is a Corporate Authorised Representative 1258807 of Lifestyle Asset Management Pty Ltd (LAM). We provide advice under LAM’s Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) number 288421.

The purpose of this Financial Services Guide is to help you understand your rights and the obligations of the financial services, what to expect when we give advice, what services we offer, and how you can raise a concern or complain.

It promotes transparency and trust in financial advice.

GENERAL ADVICE ON THE FOLLOWING SERVICES INSURANCE

We are committed to providing you with quality general advice about a range of products and services to enable you to make an informed decision on insurance cover and choice of insurance product.

We provide general advice under authorisation given to me by LAM to provide financial services to wholesale and retail clients, on the following insurance products:

• Life Insurance • Total and Permanent Disability • Trauma Protection • Income Protection • Business Expenses, Succession Planning and Partnership Protection

To give you a better understanding of SME Life & General Pty Ltd (SMELG) and to enable you to make an informed decision on whether to engage us to provide general financial advice to you.

This FSG contains important information about:

The nature and limitations of general advice • General Advice Warnings • Fees, commissions, or other benefits that may be received • How we manage conflicts of interest • How to contact us or provide instructions • Our dispute resolution process

This Financial Services Guide relates to general financial product advice that does not take into account your personal circumstances. If you require personal financial advice that takes into account your personal circumstance, on your request we will arrange a meeting with a licensed financial adviser from our group.

Your adviser is required to provide you with an Adviser Profile, which provides specific information about your adviser’s experience and specialisation. It must be read in conjunction with this Financial Services Guide to provide the information necessary for you to make an informed decision.

Your adviser will be acting as a Representative of SMELG. While SMELG is directly responsible for the general advice as set out in this FSG, the licensee (LAM) has ultimate responsibility for services provided under its AFSL 288421.

GENERAL ADVICE WARNING

When providing information, we are required to give the following General Advice Warning;

The advice provided to you is general in nature and has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs.

Because of this, before acting on the advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your personal objectives, financial situation and needs.

If the advice relates to acquisition of a financial product, you should obtain a Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for that product and consider it carefully before making a decision.

COMMUNICATING INFORMATION TO US

We will request documents and other information from you to fulfil our obligations to identify you and assess whether your circumstances are compatible with the Target Market Determinations that providers of financial products are required to apply to their products.

You can request general advice and provide information or instructions through the following channels:

Phone: 0433 053 075

Email: andrew@smelg.com.au

WHAT INFORMATION YOU WILL RECEIVE

As you will be receiving general advice only, you will NOT be given a Statement of Advice (SoA) or a Record of Advice (documents that contain recommendations made in regard to personal advice).

Where we provide information about a particular financial product, we will make available a PDS, which contains specific information about that product. It is important that you read and understand the PDS before you decide to acquire the financial product.

We can also act on your behalf without providing advice. If you give specific instructions to transact and deal in a financial product (that SMELG is authorised to deal in), we can act on your instructions given to us through an agreed means of communication.

REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

The fee schedule is structured to ensure that you only pay for services as they are agreed.

The basis and amount of all fees, commissions, adviser service fees and any referral fees will be fully disclosed to you and explained by your adviser prior to the implementation of any general advice.

An explanation of the fees and charges of the product provider will also be outlined in the relevant PDS.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION SYSTEM

SMELG is committed to providing a high level of client satisfaction and maintaining our reputation for honesty and integrity.

1. If you feel that we have fallen short of our commitment we would like you to tell us by bringing it to the attention of your adviser or SMELG.

2. If you feel this is not adequately addressed by the adviser or SMELG, you can notify our licensee, LAM. LAM is committed to resolving any concern a client has quickly, fairly and in the strictest confidence. You can notify it to Lifestyle Asset Management:

  • by phone to the Compliance Officer on 1300 226 271, or

  • by mail to Level 35 Tower One, 100 Barangaroo Avenue, BARANGAROO NSW 2000, or

  • by email to erm@lifestyleam.com.au

3. If you are dissatisfied with our efforts to resolve the dispute or query, LAM is a member of Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) and you have recourse free of charge to that organisation:

  • by phone on 1800 931 678

  • online at www.afca.org.au.

  • by mail to Australian Financial Complaints Authority, GPO Box 3, Melbourne Vic 3001 d. by email to info@afca.org.au

LAM has Professional Indemnity Insurance for compensation claims by clients against LAM and its representatives and advisers.