Sat, 16th Aug 2025

In this episode of the Weekly Finance News Wrap, Paige Estritori discusses several topics. Bell Financial Group (BFG) saw a 44% fall in half-year profit following a challenging market and internal transformations. Despite setbacks, BFG remains confident about becoming a wealth management entity. The private credit market is evolving, with self-directed investors encouraged to accept increased responsibility, particularly in managing complex fixed-income investments. Following a 0.25% trim by the Reserve Bank of Australia, the official cash rate is at 3.60%. While the government supports first-time buyers with a 5% deposit scheme, affordability still raises concerns. Finally, the new Delivering Better Financial Outcomes legislation faces hurdles regarding fee disclosure, creating administrative headaches for financial advisers and requiring urgent remediation.n