Speaking to SMSF Adviser, BGL managing director Ron Lesh said he predicts that the increasing level of automation will see a greater number of individual trustees undertaking their own admin through the use of software or relying on smaller accounting firms to do it as part of an overall advice bundle.
“We actually think people may end up doing it themselves and that’s why we think these large administrators are going to struggle, going forward,” said Mr Lesh.
While a few institutions and administration providers have put considerable effort into building scale, Mr Lesh said he was doubtful of how profitable these ventures would be in the long run.
“It’s not the smaller administrators, from what we’re seeing, being consolidated; it’s the larger administrators that have only got one business and that’s SMSF administration – and it’s not a business that makes a lot of money,” he said.
“I don’t see how there’s going to be a lot of profit in those businesses going forward, personally,” he said.
While increasing scale does lead to some drop in prices, it depends to what extent this happens, he said.
“If you have a look at the SMSF space at the moment, I don’t think a lot of the larger administrators, particularly the ones gobbled up by [banks], were making that much money beforehand. Now, with the additional costs or the other stuff that’s gone with that, I don’t know if they’re making any money,” Mr Lesh said.
Read more:
Govt called on to review minimum withdrawal rates
SMSF Adviser to launch ‘Licensing Week’ for accountants
Property to remain on top of ATO’s hit list
‘Struggle’ looms for large admin firms, major software firm warns
Evolving automation and downward pricing pressures could see individual trustees undertaking their own SMSF admin or using smaller firms, placing greater pressure on the margins of larger providers, according to one major SMSF software provider.
http://www.smsfadviser.com/news/13637-struggle-looms-for-large-admin-firms-major-software-firm-warns
Govt called on to review minimum withdrawal rates
Australian retirees are likely to exhaust their superannuation before they die at the current minimum withdrawal rates, warns investment research house Morningstar.
http://www.smsfadviser.com/news/13636-govt-called-on-to-review-minimum-withdrawal-rates
SMSF Adviser to launch ‘Licensing Week’ for accountants
With the end of the accountants’ exemption now only months away, SMSF Adviser will bring accountants all the must-knows for last-minute licensing preparation and for life under the new regime.
http://www.smsfadviser.com/news/13638-smsf-adviser-launches-licensing-week-for-accountants
Property to remain on top of ATO’s hit list
One national accounting network has tipped that SMSF property investment will be a big-ticket item on the compliance agenda in 2016.
http://www.smsfadviser.com/news/13639-property-to-remain-on-top-of-ato-s-hit-list
