United Funds Management

Financial Services Guide

United Funds Management Limited
ABN 65 073 186 419
Australian Financial Services Licence No: 240973

Financial Services Guide

Dated 27 August 2008

Introduction

The Financial Services Guide (FSG) provides you with essential information on the financial services being provided to you by United Funds Management Limited (United). It is a requirement of financial services legislation to improve the conduct and disclosure requirements of all financial service providers. As required under the terms of our Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL), this FSG has been designed to assist you in deciding whether to use the financial services we provide. The FSG sets out key information about United, and will provide you with a clear understanding of our services and the product we offer. Should you require any further information or clarification, please ask us.

What is this Guide about?

This FSG provides you with information about:

  • who we are
  • the type of advice we provide and the kinds of products we offer
  • your rights when we provide advice to you
  • remuneration for our services and payment of commission
  • making a complaint about our services
  • Statements of Advice and Product Disclosure Statements.

Who is United Funds Management Ltd?

United is wholly owned by Australian Wealth Management Limited (AWM) ABN 53 111 116 511. AWM is an integrated financial services company with a suite of products and services designed to provide continuing services to clients from the wealth accumulation phase, into retirement and across into the next generation. AWM is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange Limited.

United offers its investment services and products to the AWM Group of companies and to both personal and institutional/corporate investors outside of the group. United is licensed under the Corporations Act 2001 to provide financial services.

Associations or Relationships

We undertake that we will not deal with service providers to United, who are our associates more favourably than we would deal with any other independent service provider. We advise you that under the law, where United invests money with itself, it must deal with itself strictly on arm's length terms.

What financial services and products do we offer?

United is licensed to deal in a financial product on behalf of another party and provide financial product advice. It is authorised to provide financial product advice on a variety of financial products, including superannuation and securities and managed investment schemes (excluding Investor Directed Portfolio Services).

Specifically, United may offer financial product advice in the following circumstances:

  • in response to queries, instructions and complaints from investors and other clients of United;
  • in communications to advise and educate investors and clients regarding their investments;
  • in advice and recommendations to trustees of superannuation funds and other institutions on investment objectives, underlying strategies, investment manager selection and mix, types of assets available and cash flows.

We will only provide financial product advice in regard to the services listed above. Any advice given is prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.

Advice on your particular needs may be provided by appointment with one of our qualified representatives. Advice will not be provided through the Customer Service Centre but may be arranged by a member of the Customer Service team. If you receive any personal financial advice from us you will receive a Statement of Advice from one of their representatives.

Statement of Advice

A Statement of Advice (SOA) is a record of personal advice you receive as well as the information that advice was based on. Generally, our representative will issue an SOA to you before proceeding to act on your instructions.

We recommend you read the warnings contained in the SOA carefully before making any decision relating to United.

How do you give us instructions?

In most cases, you must provide us with written instructions. However, in certain circumstances we may accept instructions by telephone, fax, or email.

If we provide you with execution-related telephone advice, you may request a record of the advice at that time. United will keep a record of the advice for a period of up to 90 days after that advice was provided.

What fees and commissions do we receive and how are they calculated?

United will receive a consulting fee retainer where we provide investment consulting services or advice. This fee will be provided by the superannuation fund, trustee or company to which we provide the consulting services or advice, at a rate we agree with the client.

Where you invest in a United product, we will receive fees that may include entry fees, management fees, transaction fees or share brokerage.

Any fee for United products or those you enter into with the assistance of United will be contained in the Product Disclosure Statement (refer below) for these products.

United representatives do not receive any commission for advice provided to you. They are only remunerated by way of salary, performance based bonuses, and if they are shareholders of the parent entity, through dividends from that company.

Will anyone be paid for referring you to us?

Where someone else has referred you to us, and that person is paid a fee or commission in relation to that referral, we will advise you who that person is, the amount paid (if anything) including how the fees or commissions were calculated. Also, if the person receives commissions as a result of providing you with personal advice, details about the amount and method of calculation of the fees (if any) will be included in the statement of advice.

Product Disclosure Statement

When United issues you, or offers to issue you, with a product, or when United recommends a product to you after providing you with personal advice, you will receive a Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

A PDS contains general information about the product, including:

  • the terms and conditions for the product
  • any significant risks associated with holding the product
  • information about the costs of the product and costs associated with the product
  • details of fees and charges United receives for issuing the product.

What if you have a complaint?

You have the right to complain about the operation of our product and services to the extent that it relates to you or your investment. If you have any complaint about the service provided to you, we recommend you undertake the following steps:

  1. Contact your adviser or our Customer Service Centre about your complaint.
  2. If your complaint is not satisfactorily resolved, write to our Complaints Officer at:
    Level 6, 30 Collins Street
    Melbourne Vic 3000
  3. Failing all of the above steps, you may lodge a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).
    Telephone: 1300 780 808
    Address: GPO Box 3
    Melbourne Vic 3000

Please print and retain this document for your reference and any further dealings with United.