Recent CoreData research conducted into the SMSF sector has shown individuals who would like to run their superannuation fund in conjunction with someone who assists them are about to become more significant in the coming years and that this shift will be beneficial for some specific practitioners.
This cohort is described as ‘coach seekers’ and the research house expects it to be the most dominant group in the coming years, taking over from the individuals who prefer to run their SMSF by themselves, also known as ‘controllers’.
“[The group of people who say] ‘I would rather do it together with someone who helps me’ is growing quite steeply. [They say:] ‘I want a coach. I want someone to talk to.’ And the number of people who want to [run their SMSF] themselves has stayed remotely the same,” CoreData chief executive Andrew Inwood told delegates at the SMS Association National Conference 2026 in Adelaide last month.
Further, Inwood identified the service providers who will gain an advantage from this noticeable shift.
“The added part to this is that the accountants appear. Increasingly [when asked:] ‘Who are you forming [a relationship with?’ coach seekers say:] ‘It’s with accountants,’” he indicated.
According to Inwood, the coach seekers are engaging with a particular type of accountant as well.
“This is not KPMG or EY or any of those [firms]. These tend to be fractured accountancy groups where individuals have relationships and are helping small businesses [achieve] their growth. Helping the people who use accountancy services who use money to go through those processes,” he explained.
“That’s not going to go away. It really isn’t. The role of the accountant in this process is going to become increasingly important.”
To this end, he predicted relationships some SMSF trustees currently have with advice that is not focused will be unlikely to survive this trend.
