2025 Finalists
The ACS Aged Care Adviser of the Year Awards highlight Australian financial advisers and financial services businesses that demonstrate excellence in the aged care advice field. With aged care advice increasingly becoming an important aspect of retirement advice, we are very proud to recognise the accomplishments of the 2025 award finalists, listed alphabetically within their respective categories.
Read our 2025 Award announcement - Announcing the 2025 Aged Care Adviser of the Year Award Finalists.
2025 Finalists
Award Category - Aged Care Adviser of the Year
This award recognises an individual adviser who is deemed to have demonstrated outstanding professional commitment in providing aged care advice to older Australians and their families.
Brenda Will CFP®
Bruining Partners
Previously twice recognised as a finalist for Aged Care Adviser of the Year (2023 and 2024), Brenda Will is a passionate advocate for improving the quality of life for older Australians. With a career grounded in compassion, innovation and practical expertise, Brenda works with clients to navigate the complex journey of ageing with confidence and dignity.
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At Bruining Partners, a respected independent Perth-based firm specialising in pre-retirement and retirement planning, Brenda helps clients prepare for the later stages of life through thoughtful, hands-on guidance and meticulous implementation. Inspired by personal experience caring for a beloved grandmother, Brenda brings a deeply human touch to financial advice.
Driven by a belief that ageing should be embraced, Brenda champions a more positive, empowered approach to later life.
Craig Phillips
Phillips Wealth Partners
Craig Phillips is one of Australia’s leading voices in aged care and retirement living advice. As senior financial planner and practice principal at Phillips Wealth Partners in Canberra, he is affectionately known as “the aged care guy” for his trusted, compassionate guidance helping families navigate life’s later chapters with confidence.
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Craig’s advice blends deep technical expertise in superannuation, investments, social security, and ethical investing with a strong values-driven approach. His commitment to clarity and care has earned him national recognition, including winner of the 2023 ACS Aged Care Adviser of the Year, finalist in 2022 and 2024, and the 2025 ifa Holistic Adviser of the Year.
Grounded, approachable and endlessly patient, Craig sees aged care advice as a privilege. It’s a chance to bring calm and certainty to families at pivotal moments. His work aims to shape a more informed, compassionate future for ageing Australians. He is an Accredited Aged Care Professional™.
Ilya Egorov CFP®
Financial Balance Group
As Director of Financial Balance Group in Melbourne, Ilya Egorov has built a reputation for delivering clear and compassionate financial advice that helps families navigate the complexities of aged care and retirement with confidence. He is a first-time finalist for the Aged Care Adviser of the Year.
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Ilya draws on over a decade of experience as a senior adviser with one of Australia’s Big Four banks before founding his own boutique practice. Ilya is a CFP® and an Accredited Aged Care Professional™. His advice is grounded in integrity, empathy and genuine care for clients during life’s most sensitive transitions.
Known for his calm approach and ability to solve complex financial challenges, Ilya is deeply committed to ensuring older Australians and their families feel informed, respected and supported at every step of the aged care journey.
Leah Newman
Yield Financial Planning
With more than 15 years in financial planning and eight years specialising in seniors’ retirement and aged care, Leah Newman brings both heart and expertise to her role as Financial Adviser at Yield Financial Planning. A 2022 finalist, Leah leads Yield’s growing aged care team with a focus on empathy, integrity and genuine connection.
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Her approach begins with listening; understanding the person behind the numbers and tailoring guidance that supports both emotional and financial well-being. Since joining Yield in 2024, Leah has expanded the firm’s aged care services, building on its decade-long legacy of trusted, client-centred advice.
Leah is driven by a belief that aged care advice is about more than strategy; it’s about compassion, clarity and trust. Her work continues to help families navigate life’s later transitions with confidence and dignity. She is an Accredited Aged Care Professional™.
Zachary Dodds CFP®
Muirfield Financial Services
A CFP® and experienced financial planner, Zac Dodds has become a trusted leader in guiding families through the emotional and financial complexities of aged care. He has been recognised as a three-time finalist for the ACS Awards and won the inaugural 2024 Aged Care Advice Excellence Award.
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Zac is known for combining technical precision with genuine care. At Muirfield Financial Services, he leads with a human-first philosophy. He helps families replace confusion with clarity through education, collaboration and empathy. In 2024/25, Zac spearheaded Muirfield’s inaugural Aged Care Expo, strengthening community understanding and professional networks across the sector.
Inspired by mentors who modelled the power of compassionate advice, Zac continues to refine the firm’s holistic approach, ensuring every client experiences both confidence and peace of mind at one of life’s most challenging crossroads.
Award Category - Aged Care Advice Initiative of the Year
The Aged Care Advice Initiative of the Year category (formerly known as the ‘Aged Care Advice Program of the Year’) recognises a financial services business that is creating and undertaking aged care advice initiatives that advocate for and promote aged care advice to their clients or wider community.
Ageing with Grace Advisory
Ageing With Grace Advisory was established in 2024 to meet a growing need for specialist, compassionate aged care advice that extends beyond financial strategy to genuine human support. Transitioning from Story Wealth’s Aged Care Support Service (winner of the ACS Aged Care Advice Program of the Year in 2024), AWG was created as an independent, dedicated business.
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Built around three service programs — Insights, Enhance and Complete — AWG delivers clarity, advocacy and tailored financial advice at every stage of the aged care journey. Its standout innovation, the Live Well Program, supports older Australians who are still living independently but may be isolated or navigating life after loss. Through regular check-ins, practical assistance and emotional reassurance, the program helps clients remain at home with confidence and dignity.
AWG also strengthened professional collaboration and education, co-presenting at the FAAA Aged Care Masterclass, hosting community sessions with Carevisory, and launching the monthly Aged Care Insights newsletter to share knowledge and build engagement. An external client experience project refined systems, family communication processes and Centrelink support services, further enhancing trust and efficiency.
Through these initiatives, AWG has redefined aged care advice as a holistic service — one that blends technical excellence with empathy, helping families and professionals navigate ageing with greater dignity, choice and peace of mind.
Alteris Financial Group
Alteris Financial Group has long been recognised as a leader in aged care financial advice, winning the ACS Aged Care Advice Program of the Year in both 2022 and 2023. Through its specialist division, Alteris Lifestyle and Care, the firm has been guiding families through every stage of the aged care journey since 2014.
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In 2024/25, Alteris launched a transformative Client Nurture Campaign designed to reach more families earlier in their decision-making process. By combining digital precision with human connection, the campaign turned complex, stressful information into simple, actionable steps. Using targeted remarketing, segmented email journeys, educational content and an improved website experience, Alteris doubled the proportion of self-initiated web enquiries within six months and achieved a significant uplift in qualified leads and revenue.
The initiative not only improved client readiness and engagement but also normalised seeking advice earlier. It helped by reducing anxiety, improving meeting outcomes and strengthening long-term relationships. Every insight from the campaign now informs the broader marketing strategy, ensuring continuous improvement across the advice process.
By blending compassionate communication with data-led strategy, Alteris has created a scalable model for advancing aged care advice that benefits both families and the wider sector, reinforcing its position as a benchmark for excellence in aged care financial planning.
Bruining Partners
For more than 30 years, Bruining Partners has been a trusted name in retirement planning, proudly independent and deeply committed to helping Australians enjoy the retirement they deserve. Founded in 1992 by respected finance commentator Nick Bruining, the Perth-based firm has built a reputation for practical, hands-on advice that ensures every plan is implemented with care and precision.
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In 2024/25, Bruining Partners expanded its commitment to community education through an enhanced Aged Care Seminar Program. What began as sessions for existing clients evolved into an open community initiative. It welcomed the wider public and referral partners to learn about aged care financial planning and the realities of transitioning into care.
Delivered both in-person and via webinar (with recordings attracting over 1,000 online views), the seminars offered a holistic perspective through collaboration with aged care placement consultant Lettie Ennis. Together, they provided families with clear, balanced insight into both the financial and practical aspects of aged care.
Charging a nominal $25 attendance fee (with all proceeds donated to Alzheimer’s WA) the program raised over $4,300 and saw nearly 200 participants, converting around 15% into advice clients. Beyond the numbers, the initiative fostered greater awareness, encouraged proactive planning and strengthened relationships across the aged care ecosystem.
Bruining Partners’ thoughtful approach demonstrates how education, empathy and partnership can elevate aged care advice while making a tangible difference to the community.
Muirfield Financial Services
Muirfield Financial Services has been helping families across Geelong and Victoria’s Surf Coast, navigate retirement with confidence, clarity and care for over 30 years. As one of Victoria’s first FAAA recognised Professional Practices, Muirfield is known for its integrity, plain-English advice and deep community roots.
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In 2024/25, Muirfield took a major step forward in advancing aged care advice through the launch of the Geelong Aged Care Expo. This is a pioneering community event built around three core principles: Education, Collaboration and Accessibility. The free expo brought together more than 35 stallholders and nearly 300 attendees, including aged care providers, solicitors, health professionals and financial advisers. By transforming what is often an overwhelming process into a clear, practical conversation, the event empowered families to make informed decisions about care, funding and support.
The initiative sparked strong community engagement, generated a waitlist of 60 stallholders for the next event, and attracted interest from local government and the Department of Health and Aged Care. Muirfield also expanded its internal capability by training additional accredited aged care advisers through Aged Care Steps, ensuring growing demand is met with consistent quality and empathy.
Through initiatives like the Geelong Aged Care Expo and its ongoing educational outreach, Muirfield continues to redefine what financial advice can mean; connecting families, professionals and communities in a shared effort to make aged care advice more accessible, collaborative and compassionate.
Previous Awards
For all the details on our previous finalists and winners, please click below.