Industry Fund Services launches ‘Trusted Adviser’ designation

Mike Taylor

Managing Editor and Publisher

28 May 2026

Industry superannuation funds group, Industry Fund Services, has created a new designation for financial advisers – “IFS Trusted Adviser”.

The organisation, which boasts the membership of some of Australia’s largest superannuation funds including AustralianSuper, Australian Retirement Trust, HESTA, UniSuper and Hostplus, announced the designation yesterday.

In doing so, it signalled that it wants the designation to be regarded as move than just signalling alignment with IFS.

IFS already promotes itself as being “one of Australia’s largest advice services providers to the super sector”.

Announcing the designation and structure, IFS said: “Advisers play a critical role in helping members navigate increasingly complex superannuation decisions and the right support can make all the difference when it comes to a member’s confidence to retire”.

“The IFS Trusted Advice Model has been built with this in mind: to support advisers who are committed to providing accessible, affordable member-focused advice for everyday Australians,” it said.

“As part of this, we’re proud to introduce the IFS Trusted Adviser designation and logo. Over time, our ambition is for this to represent more than just alignment with IFS, it should become a recognised marker of quality. A signal to both members and super funds that an adviser operates with the skills, experience and backing required to deliver trusted, practical advice at scale.”

Outlining its pitch to financial advisers, the announcement said that “advisers within the model benefit from targeted marketing and branding support, best of breed technology and operations support, leveraging the scale of the IFS Advice Business, enabling them to stay focused on what matters most: providing confidence and clarity to members”.
“For super funds, it offers a pathway to engage with a network of advisers who share a consistent standard and a genuine focus on member outcomes,” it said.