This integration allows users to send emails directly through the Midwinter financial planning software using their familiar Microsoft Outlook address, while also maintaining a record of sent emails within the software.  

Now, when clients reply, it goes directly to your trusted email. 

This update builds on our commitment to streamline communication and marks the initial phase of our expansion to email functionality. 

Set up is simple. Users can navigate to ‘User Management’ in the main menu to authenticate their Office 365 Integration. For more information on the integration, visit our Help Centre. 

The Outlook integration is available now to all Midwinter users at no additional cost. 

The post Midwinter integrates with Outlook appeared first on Midwinter.

The new SOA template enables advisers to easily issue advice to the SMSF and includes several bespoke additions to the standard Midwinter SOA template. 

Midwinter has existing SMSF advice capabilities; this new SMSF advice template builds on this capability and provides more strategies that are unique to SMSFs and complemented by SMSF modelling.  

The SMSF SOA template is available to all Midwinter’s clients at no additional cost. 

From Friday 9 December, users will be able to select this new template in Midwinter’s advice generation module, Planbuilder. For more information on how to use the SMSF SOA template, visit our Help Centre here.  

The post Introducing Midwinter’s new SMSF Statement of Advice  appeared first on Midwinter.

Midwinter’s Chief Technology Officer, Fraser Hamilton, has introduced a new system status monitor providing visibility of Midwinter’s software uptime.

We know how important it is for clients to be able to access their software whenever they need it; this webpage creates transparency of our software’s current and historical uptime.

Midwinter has existing monitoring tools and procedures that our team uses to maintain operational capability of the software. Through the system status monitor, clients now have a view into those tools.

Since introducing the system status monitor in July 2022, the software uptime has been 100%.

This supports other Midwinter uptime initiatives including a recent major upgrade to the automated test framework which allows us to instil new features at a rapid pace whilst upholding quality.

The monitor is available to all Midwinter’s clients through the public webpage.

Click here to view the system status monitor.

The post Introducing Midwinter’s new system status monitoring tool appeared first on Midwinter.

At Midwinter, we are continually working with our customers on ways to make their everyday tasks easier and more efficient. Based on recent feedback from our clients, we have added some enhancements to improve their experience with AdviceOS.

Segment Management

For Practices and Licensees that can set-up their own segments (service packages), we have added a filter so they can easily view only Active or Inactive segments.

This has created a cleaner view and easier way for these Practices and Licensees to view and manage their segments.

Group Management

The Group Management section has been polished with individual filtering for each column of data.

Groups of large individual clients can be hard to manage and maintain; this enhancement has introduced the ability to re-order groups based on any of the columns available, as well as filter through these lists.

Risk Profiles

Risk Profile have been tweaked to provide the ability to make profiles inactive and to then hide these, for a better management experience users can toggle between viewing all risk profiles or just active ones.

Product Comparison

The Product Comparison module has been updated for users to enter and view insurance fees on a year-on-year basis, so when comparing funds, the model demonstrates a reasonable comparison.

This improves flexibility on an annual timeline and allows insurance fees to appear in the projections.  

More Information

For further information on all updates, Midwinter has made a compact Message Board located under Training and Support, where you can view our release notes within AdviceOS. These updates are now live, if you have any questions or need additional support, please email info@midwinter.com.au or call 1300 882 938 Monday to Friday between 8:30 – 6:00pm AEST.

The post New Efficiency Enhancements in AdviceOS appeared first on Midwinter.

Midwinter regularly reviews and updates the default assumptions to ensure projections in AdviceOS are kept in-line with the changing economic environment and interest rates.

These assumptions, intended for long-term projections have been provided by an external actuarial firm based on current economic data and forecasts. They impact all modules within AdviceOS that use modelling, including the Product, Insurance and Strategy modules.

The new default assumptions came into effect on 4 March. These are only applied to Practices that use the default Midwinter settings; there is no impact to Practices and Licensees that use their own custom assumption settings.

You can find the assumption settings in AdviceOS by navigating to Settings > Risk Profiles > Default Settings.

Questions & support 

If you have any questions or need support with the default assumption settings, please email info@midwinter.com.au or call 1300 882 938 Monday to Friday between 8:30 – 6:00pm AEDT.

The post Update to Default Assumptions in AdviceOS appeared first on Midwinter.

Fixed Term Agreements (FTA) allow a Licensee or Practice to charge a client fees for a period of 12 months or less. These are suitable for clients who do not wish to sign up for an ongoing fee arrangement.  

AdviceOS supports FTA processes by allowing users to track start and end dates, payment methods and fees, and relevant reminder dates against a client. This information can then be quickly and easily generated into an FTA template. 

Here are the four steps to create an FTA in AdviceOS: 

1. Create a Fixed Term Agreement: Navigate to Advanced Admin where you’ll have the capability to setup an agreement based off an individual or client group.  

2. Record relevant date information: Set and manage reminders to ensure your practice or licensee will be notified accurately.   

3. Select the correct services & fees applicable: Adjust the relevant platform fees and services to fit your needs.   

4. Publish, generate FTA and record responses: Once you have completed all of the steps above, you’re now ready to publish your agreement. 

Questions & support 

If you need further assistance, please check out the FTA user guide in our Help Centre (accessible from AdviceOS) or contact our friendly customer support team.

The post Manage Fixed Term Agreements in AdviceOS appeared first on Midwinter.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security measure that requires two or more proofs of identity to grant you access to AdviceOS. According to the Australian Cyber Security Centre, MFA is one of the most effective ways to protect against unauthorised access to your valuable information and accounts.

Here’s what you need to do to ensure you can continue to access your account from 11 October:

Set up multi-factor authentication

Once the MFA function is enabled, the next time you access your AdviceOS account you will be asked to set up MFA for your account. After entering a correct username and password you will be directed to a screen with instructions on how to set this up.

If you need further support, you can view the instructions available in our Help Centre.

Opt out of multi-factor authentication

We recommend all users move to MFA to increase the security of their account. However, if you prefer not to use MFA in your practice or AFSL, you can choose to opt out.

If you would like to opt out, please contact our customer support team.

Questions & support

If you have any questions or require support, please contact our friendly customer support team between 8.30am – 6:00pm AEST on 1300 882 938 or email info@midwinter.com.au.

*MFA will not apply to accounts using single sign-on (SSO).

The post Secure your AdviceOS Account with Multi-factor Authentication appeared first on Midwinter.

Midwinter has launched a new module that provides customised advice documents including SOA, ROA, FDS and Fact Find for a low monthly fee.

The new Managed Advice Documents module offers a simple and cost-effective advice document management solution for Practices and AFSLs.

It uses Midwinter’s standard advice document templates and applies styling and content changes, such as custom disclaimers and risk profiles, to tailor these to the customer’s requirements.

Midwinter’s advice document templates have been created based on years of customer feedback, reviewed by a financial services law firm, and are regularly updated in line with legislative changes.

By using the Managed Advice Documents module, customers benefit from best-practice advice documents that have been designed to support compliance requirements and are tailored to their business, without the cost and effort of developing their own custom documents.

Managed Advice Documents is available now to all AdviceOS customers.

To find out more click here or contact us.

The post Simplify advice document management with new AdviceOS module appeared first on Midwinter.

Summary of Changes

Fee Disclosure Statements (FDS)

New laws governing Fee Disclosure Statements (FDS) come into effect 1 July 2021, changing how consent/opt-in must be captured and introducing new content requirements for the disclosure document.

Midwinter has made an upgrade to the Advanced Admin module, allowing users to effectively manage their FDS obligations under the new rules. More information on the new functionality can be found in the quick start and user guide on Midwinter’s help site.

Annual caps and limits

Various ATO rates and thresholds have been adjusted as a result of the Federal Budget announcement. All measures below have been updated in AdviceOS on or before by 1 July.

Transfer balance cap

From 1 July 2021 the transfer balance cap will be between $1.6m and $1.7m, depending on the individual’s situation. ATO online will publish an individual’s personal transfer balance cap, however the following outlines how the cap is determined.

AdviceOS will apply the relevant cap (indexed or flat) automatically in Cashflow modelling.

Defined benefit income cap

When an individual has a defined benefit income stream, there is a cap on the annual income that can be received.

The current cap of $100,000 will be increased to $106,250 and is reflected in AdviceOS Cashflow modelling.

Non-concessional cap limits

When an individual’s total superannuation balance exceeds the limit, their non-concessional cap is reduced to $0.

This limit is being increased from $1.6m to $1.7m, with no proportional indexation. All strategy modules and relevant product modules have been updated to reflect the new limit.

Total superannuation balance

When an individual’s total superannuation balance exceeds the limit, they are no longer eligible for Government co-contributions when they make non-concessional contributions.

This limit is being increased from $1.6m to $1.7m, with no proportional indexation. All strategy modules and relevant product modules have been updated to reflect the new limit.

Extension of the pension reduction

On 22 March 2020 the federal government announced that the minimum pension drawdown would be halved temporarily. This was to support many retirees who had seen Super and Pension balances reduced due to the coronavirus crisis.

On 29 May 2021 it was announced that this temporary reduction would also be extended for the 2021/22 financial year. All relevant strategy modules have been updated to reflect the extended drawdown.

General rates and thresholds

Quarterly updates from the ATO are monitored by Midwinter and as updates rates are available, they are implemented in AdviceOS modelling. The below rates have been updated as part of the latest April 2021 updates from the ATO.

• General rent assistance increased across all criteria ranges.
• FTB rent assistance has minor increases in across all criteria ranges.
• Aged pension amount (base plus supplement) increases for singles and couples.
• Transitional pension amount (max rate plus energy supplement) increases for singles and couples.
• Minimum supplement cut off rates has minor increase for singles and couples.
• Jobseeker partner income test has been lowered.
• Jobseeker tiering for personal income test updated.

Additional Information

If you have any questions, you can contact your account manager or our customer support team by emailing info@midwinter.com.au or call 1300 882 938.

The post FY21-22 AdviceOS Changes appeared first on Midwinter.

The migration of the BT Wrap accounts to BT Panorama platform will occur over 4 tranches. Tranche 1 occurred in mid December 2020. In consultation with BT, it has been agreed that the BT Wrap accounts associated with InvestmentLink’s data feed service and AdviceOS will be migrated in Tranches 2, 3 and 4. It has now been confirmed that Tranche 2 is planned for 20 March 2021.

The new BT Panorama data feeds provided to InvestmentLink will not contain historical transactions associated with the old BT Wrap accounts.

InvestmentLink will, as part of the migration process, obtain cross reference tables from BT. Accordingly, InvestmentLink will process the historical transactions under the new BT Panorama accounts for each client. Midwinter will insert the new BT Panorama data feed to the previously mapped BT Wrap feed in AdviceOS.

This process will be followed in all the remaining Tranches as they are migrated. Please note that client platform holdings may be duplicated during this process as the old BT Wrap feeds are removed.

InvestmentLink expect that the changes from Tranche 2 will start to be available to customers in AdviceOS on or around the 23^rd and 24^th of March 2021.

BT has provided the BT Panorama migration hub for additional information. The hub has been designed for advisers and support staff to provide key details of the broader migration, FAQs and other key updates as they progress through the migration.

If you require further information regarding the BT Panorama migration, please contact info@midwinter.com.au. The InvestmentLink team will provide further updates as they are available.

The post Product Update: BT Panorama Migration appeared first on Midwinter.