Terms of Service

Nationwide Accountants and Advisers provides the following services:

• Tax and Accounting — preparation and lodgement of individual, sole trader, company, partnership and trust tax returns; BAS preparation; bookkeeping; PAYG summaries
• Business Advisory — business structuring, tax planning, cash flow analysis, compliance, succession planning and strategic advice
• Mortgage Broking — credit assessment, loan comparison, application preparation and submission to lenders for home loans, investment loans, refinancing, construction finance and SMSF borrowing
• SMSF Administration — establishment of self-managed superannuation funds, preparation of annual financial statements, tax returns, member statements and independent auditing
• Financial Planning — preparation and delivery of Statements of Advice (SOA) covering superannuation, investment, insurance, retirement planning, estate planning and Centrelink advice

The specific scope of services for each engagement will be agreed in a written engagement letter or service agreement prior to commencement.

Our professional services engagement commences upon your acceptance of our engagement letter or written proposal, or upon your explicit instruction to proceed, whichever occurs first.

You agree to:

• Provide accurate, complete and timely information and documentation as reasonably requested by us
• Notify us promptly of any changes to your personal, financial or business circumstances that may affect the advice or services we provide
• Review and approve any returns, documents or submissions before they are lodged on your behalf
• Respond to our requests for further information within a reasonable timeframe

We are not responsible for errors, delays or adverse outcomes resulting from inaccurate or incomplete information provided by you.

Our fees are agreed in advance and communicated in our engagement letter or fee proposal. We reserve the right to review our fees annually and will provide reasonable notice of any changes.

Unless otherwise agreed:

• Invoices are due for payment within 14 days of issue
• We may require a deposit or payment on account before commencing certain engagements
• Work in progress may be invoiced progressively for longer engagements
• Overdue accounts may attract interest at the rate of 10% per annum, calculated daily
• We reserve the right to withhold documents, returns or reports until fees are paid in full

For mortgage broking services, our fee (if any) will be disclosed in the Credit Guide and Credit Proposal Disclosure provided to you prior to lodgement. In most cases, we receive a commission from the lender upon settlement, which is disclosed in full.

For financial planning services, all fees and commissions are disclosed in the Financial Services Guide (FSG) and Statement of Advice (SOA) we provide to you before any advice is implemented.

We treat all information you provide to us as strictly confidential. We will not disclose your personal or financial information to third parties except where:

• Required by law or a regulatory authority (including the ATO, ASIC or APRA)
• Necessary to provide the agreed services (e.g. lodgement with the ATO, submission to a lender)
• Required by our professional indemnity insurer or legal advisers
• You have given us written consent to do so

Please refer to our Privacy Policy for further details on how we handle your personal information.

All services are provided in accordance with applicable professional standards, including those of the Tax Practitioners Board, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) or CPA Australia (as applicable), ASIC and the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (Cth).

Our advice is based on the information available to us at the time of engagement and the laws and regulations in force at that time. Changes in legislation or your circumstances after advice is given may affect its applicability.

Where we identify a conflict of interest, we will disclose this to you promptly and manage it in accordance with our professional obligations.

Our mortgage broking services are provided by a licensed credit representative authorised under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (Cth).

You acknowledge that:

• We will provide you with a Credit Guide before we provide credit assistance
• Any credit assessment is based on the information you provide, and we are not liable for decisions made by lenders
• Loan approval is subject to the lender's own assessment and we make no guarantee of approval
• Interest rates, fees and loan conditions are set by lenders and may change
• We may receive a commission (upfront and/or trail) from the lender upon settlement of your loan, which will be disclosed in writing prior to lodgement
• You have the right to request information about the commissions we receive

Our financial planning services are provided by a licensed financial adviser authorised under an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL).

You acknowledge that:

• You will receive a Financial Services Guide (FSG) prior to receiving advice
• Any financial advice will be documented in a Statement of Advice (SOA) or Record of Advice (ROA)
• You are not obliged to act on any advice provided
• Past performance of investments is not a reliable indicator of future performance
• All investments carry risk, including the risk of loss of capital
• Our advice is based on your stated personal circumstances, financial situation, needs and objectives — it is your responsibility to ensure the information you provide is accurate and complete

Please refer to our Financial Services Disclaimer for further important information.

SMSF administration services are provided subject to the requirements of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (Cth) (SIS Act) and related regulations.

As SMSF trustees, you acknowledge that:

• You retain ultimate responsibility for the management and compliance of your SMSF as trustee(s)
• We provide administration and compliance services only — we do not make investment decisions on your behalf unless separately engaged as financial advisers
• The ATO is the regulator of SMSFs and non-compliance may result in significant penalties, including fund disqualification and tax penalties
• We will notify you of any compliance concerns identified during the course of our engagement

To the extent permitted by law, our liability to you is limited to the fees paid for the specific service giving rise to the claim. We are not liable for any indirect, special or consequential loss or damage arising from our services.

Nothing in these Terms limits any rights you may have under the Australian Consumer Law.

We hold professional indemnity insurance as required by our professional obligations and regulatory requirements.

All work product, reports, templates and advice documents prepared by us remain our intellectual property unless otherwise agreed in writing. You may use these materials for your own personal or business purposes only. You may not reproduce or distribute them without our prior written consent.

Either party may terminate an engagement by providing reasonable written notice. You remain responsible for fees incurred up to the date of termination. Upon termination and full payment of outstanding fees, we will return your documents and provide reasonable handover assistance to your incoming adviser.

We may suspend or terminate services immediately in cases of fraud, misrepresentation, non-payment or where we are required to do so by law or a regulatory body.

We are committed to resolving any complaints promptly and fairly. If you have a complaint about our services:

• Contact us in writing at info@nationwidefinance.com.au or by post to our Mawson Lakes office
• We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and aim to resolve it within 30 days

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate your complaint to:

• The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) for tax-related complaints: www.tpb.gov.au
• The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) for financial services and credit complaints: www.afca.org.au or 1800 931 678
• The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC): www.asic.gov.au

These Terms are governed by the laws of South Australia and the Commonwealth of Australia. Any disputes will be subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of South Australia.

We may update these Terms from time to time. The current version will be published on our website. Continued use of our services following any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.