What are the different types of advice on offer?

General financial advice

General financial advice may include factual information about financial matters or answers to general questions. An adviser can explain financial jargon, products and concepts – for example, how salary sacrificing works. However, they won’t look at your personal financial situation or make tailored recommendations.

We’re always available to help our members with general information (which doesn’t take into consideration your personal financial situation) about their super, pension or investments .

Colonial First State offers general advice or information free of charge through our Contact Centre, which is available Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm Sydney time.

Get in touch by email or phone

Our team can answer any general questions you have about your Colonial First State super, pension or investments.

Our team members in the Contact Centre can:

• Let you know how to make a super contribution.
• Direct you to the correct form on our website.
• Let you know your current account balance.
• Help you understand the latest statement, letter or email you received from us.

It's also woth looking at the self-service options on FirstNet, your handy member portal.

There's also a range of self-service options for FirstWrap investors.

Personal financial advice

Personal advice is when you need someone to assess your personal financial situation and provide recommendations about products or the best course of action for your super, pension or investments.

When you meet your financial adviser, you usually start with a free consultation where they can help you decide what type of advice you need. But there is an additional cost involved if you want personal financial advice.

Also, the cost varies depending on whether you want advice on a single issue, holistic or ongoing basis.

Take a look at how much personal financial advice can cost.

Types of financial advice

• Limited, one-off personal financial advice is related to a particular issue, without taking into account your financial situation as a whole. It may be useful if you are on a tight budget, and urgently need to address a single area or issue – such as whether to increase your insurance cover or what to do with a work bonus or inheritance.
• Holistic personal financial advice considers your entire financial situation and goals to create a comprehensive financial plan. Holistic advice is personalised to your individual financial situation, needs and goals. This could cover a wide range of relevant areas including: 
  • household budgeting 
  • retirement and estate planning 
  • investing and saving 
  • insurance.    
• Ongoing personal financial advice means that your adviser continues to monitor your financial plan – holding regular reviews with you to check in on how your finances are tracking and progress towards goals. They’ll ensure your investment portfolio and insurance cover are still appropriate for your needs and goals – and make changes or updates as necessary. 

For example, they may be highly qualified to advise clients on a certain type of product or situation, such as: 

• self-managed super funds (SMSF)
• aged care
• business valuation.

If you have specific requirement that you feel needs specialised advice, it’s always a good idea to call an adviser first to see if this is an area, they can talk to you about.