Financial Services Guide

About this guide

This Financial Services Guide (FSG) is an important document that we are required to provide under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). It contains information designed to help you decide whether to use the financial services we offer.

Other documents you may receive from us include a Statement of Advice (SOA) if we provide you with personal financial product advice, and a Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) if we recommend you acquire a particular financial product. You should read all of these documents carefully before making a financial decision.

Who we are

Financial Trends Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 65 091 191 472), trading as Financial Trends Australia, is the issuer of this FSG.

Financial Trends Australia operates an institutional-grade quantitative investment research platform built on the Alpha360 scoring methodology. We provide research, analytics and tools to help investors evaluate listed equities. We are not a stockbroker, fund manager or financial planner.

Our licensing arrangement

Financial Trends Australia Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative (CAR No. 001320926) of MF & Co. Asset Management Pty Ltd (AFSL No. 520442).

MF & Co. Asset Management Pty Ltd (the Licensee) is the Australian Financial Services Licence holder under whose authority Financial Trends Australia is permitted to provide the financial services described in this FSG. The Licensee is responsible for the financial services provided to you under this guide.

Services we are authorised to provide

Under our Corporate Authorised Representative arrangement, MF & Co. Asset Management Pty Ltd authorises Financial Trends Australia Pty Ltd to carry on a financial services business to:

(a) provide general financial product advice for the following classes of financial products:

• (i) deposit and payment products limited to:
  • (A) basic deposit products;
  • (B) deposit products other than basic deposit products;
• (ii) debentures, stocks or bonds issued or proposed to be issued by a government; and
• (iii) securities;

to retail and wholesale clients.

Nature of our advice

The research, scores, rankings and commentary published on our platform are general advice only. We do not consider your personal objectives, financial situation or needs.

Our research uses a quantitative methodology, the Alpha360 score, developed over more than two decades of academic research. Outputs are derived from publicly available financial data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

How we act for you

When you use our platform, we provide research and analytics that you may use to make your own investment decisions. We do not place trades on your behalf, hold client money, or hold custody of client assets.

You can give us instructions by email to info@financialtrendsaustralia.com.au or in writing. We may decline to act on instructions where doing so would breach our legal or regulatory obligations.

How we are paid

We are paid by retail subscribers through subscription fees. We do not receive commissions from product issuers, brokers or fund managers in respect of any research published on the platform.

Subscription fees

Staff and director remuneration

Directors and employees of Financial Trends Australia are remunerated by salary and may receive discretionary performance bonuses. They do not receive commissions or product-related incentives in respect of research published on the platform.

Referral arrangements

We do not have any referral or affiliate arrangements. We do not pay or receive any fees, commissions or other benefits to or from third parties for referring clients.

Associations and relationships

The Alpha360 methodology was developed by Professor Stewart Jones (FASSA, PhD, FCPA) of the University of Sydney, who is a director and shareholder of Financial Trends Australia Pty Ltd. Professor Jones licenses the underlying intellectual property to the company.

Other than as disclosed above and in respect of our Corporate Authorised Representative arrangement with MF & Co. Asset Management Pty Ltd, we have no associations or relationships that could reasonably be expected to influence the financial services we provide.

Privacy and your information

We collect personal information when you subscribe, contact us, or use our website, so that we can provide our services and meet our legal obligations. We handle your information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and our Privacy Policy, available at https://financialtrendsaustralia.com.au/privacy-policy.

You can request access to or correction of personal information we hold about you by contacting us using the details below.

Professional indemnity insurance

As the AFSL holder, MF & Co. Asset Management Pty Ltd maintains professional indemnity insurance that satisfies the requirements of section 912B of the Corporations Act 2001. This cover extends to the financial services provided by Financial Trends Australia Pty Ltd as its Corporate Authorised Representative, and includes claims in relation to the conduct of representatives and employees who no longer work for the Licensee or its authorised representatives (but who did so at the relevant time), subject to the policy terms and conditions.

Complaints and dispute resolution

If you have a complaint about the financial services we provide, please contact us in the first instance at info@financialtrendsaustralia.com.au.

We will acknowledge your complaint within one business day and aim to resolve it within 30 calendar days, in accordance with ASIC Regulatory Guide 271.

External dispute resolution

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may refer your complaint to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), an external dispute resolution scheme. As a Corporate Authorised Representative, our financial services are covered by the AFCA membership of our Licensee, MF & Co. Asset Management Pty Ltd (AFSL No. 520442). AFCA provides a free and independent service for consumers.

You may also lodge a report with ASIC via asic.gov.au or by calling 1300 300 630.

Contact us