Is Heron Advisor just another fund comparison tool?

The ability to do comparisons of fund features and fees is only one of many features of Heron Advisor.

Whilst our comparison functionality certainly rivals that of other comparison products in the market, our key difference is in the range of additional features that Heron Advisor offers to advisers - such as the ability to model the impact of fees based on an individual's circumstances, the ability to run competitive corporate superannuation tenders in a matter of minutes and our calculators which model scenarios such as the transition to retirement strategy... just to name a few!

Do you have data on Industry Funds?

Yes we hold data on Industry Funds (including their public offer and corporate superannuation funds).

How many funds do you hold data on?

There are currently 60 funds with data available to subscribers. The list is given below and includes industry funds, retail funds and corporate funds.

We are continually adding to list of superannuation funds within the data base. The following list shows the funds currently available to Heron Advisor subscribers.

Why don't you have data on certain funds?

Heron Advisor has populated details of over 60 different superannuation products. We are regularly adding new funds into our data base, on the request of our subscribers.

From time to time, there are funds which we have tried to collect data on, but are not able to. There are several reasons for this.

• The fund is a corporate fund which is not available to the general public and the Trustee does not want the general public to obtain access to the data.
• The provider advises us that the product is closed and they do not want it included in our data base.
• The provider may be wary about the results of a comparison with the market.
• The provider indicates that they do not have the resources to maintain the data, so we offer to help them. This offer is not always taken up.
• There is also a group who have allowed us to populate the data, but have asked us to restrict access to the data.

In instances where we are not given authority to populate the data, we follow that request.

Please see the  list of funds which are not available to our subscribers, together with a brief description of the reasoning in some instances.

How often is the data updated?

Our data has been deliberately set up so that it can be updated at any time by product providers to change features or update information on their product. Each has direct access to the website where the data is stored.

Heron Advisor is immediately notified of any changes and is assigned to our workflow to be assessed.

Whilst an answer awaits assessment, a message will appear over the particular questions that have been updated, to indicate to users that the item is being reassessed. Once reassessed, we alter any score and amend our commentary to reflect the change. Once approved by Heron Advisor, the updated information is immediately accessible to subscribers.

This removes the possibility of information becoming outdated, as it would, if data was only refreshed on periodic (i.e. quarterly basis). This ensures that advisers using our system look good as they are totally up to date, and the product providers are happy as their product is also reflected in its current circumstances.

In addition, Heron Advisor is constantly monitoring any PDS updates for funds registered on our system and is alerted when any changes occur. This way, Heron Advisor often updates the information before the product providers!

What types of assessments do you cover?

We currently cover individual questions which we have grouped under the following headings:

• Organisation and Product Overview
• Insurance
• Communication
• Ancillary Benefits
• Fees and Charges
• Contributions
• Investments

How are the questions weighted?

As a standard we have set a default weighting as follows:

• Insurance -30%
• Communication -5%
• Ancillary Benefits -5%
• Contributions -5%
• Investments -55%

Can the weightings be adjusted?

Of course. We recognise that every adviser and every individual has different circumstances and goals which can dramatically affect recommendations.

Users have the ability to alter the weightings so they more accurately reflect the importance of each area to the client. This can often change ultimate outcomes, and tailors very specifically to the needs of the client.

Weighting adjustments are entered into the system and results appear immediately.

How are fees weighted?

We do not weight the fees in our score for a product. We do this because we believe a product should be rated on the depth and quality of its features. We do give you detailed information for the basis of the fees, analysis tools to compare fees against ratings, and can even estimate the impact of fees for each product, which leads to the question - "Which product provides value for money for what I am looking for?"

How quickly can we access Heron Advisor?

Once payment is received, we will issue you with a username and a password and you will then have immediate access to the system. It very fast and very easy!

What are the future plans for Heron Advisor?

Heron Advisor will continue to be a progressive, leading-edge product. We have planned for a number of enhancements to existing functionality as well as new modules which continue to add value to our subscribers.

If you have any suggestions for new Heron Advisor initiatives, please email us at info@heronpartners.com.au.