ASIC Class Order Clarifies Fee and Cost Disclosure

ASIC today released a class order clarifying key fee and cost disclosure requirements for Product Disclosure Statements (PDS) and periodic statements for superannuation and managed investment products.

The class order, which ASIC consulted on in September 2014. addresses:

  • Disclosure of costs of investing in interposed vehicles
  • Disclosure of indirect costs
  • Removal of doubt that double counting of some costs for superannuation products is not required, and
  • The appropriate application of the consumer advisory warning.

The class order will apply to all PDS for superannuation and managed investment products from 1 January 2016. It will also apply to periodic statements that must be given for these products by 1 January 2017 or later.

Commissioner Greg Tanzer said, ‘For consumers to make effective decisions about their investments and superannuation they need information they can trust and that allows them to compare across products. These changes will help industry to improve the quality of their disclosure and promote consistency between products.

‘Consumers can have more confidence that industry is disclosing fees and costs more accurately and in the same manner, ensuring comparisons between products are made on the same basis.’

Author: Martin North

Martin North is the Principal of Digital Finance Analytics

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