Wrapping up the year

At the turn of the year, many of us will be reflecting on the year that has passed and preparing for the year ahead. Whether it’s acknowledging the hard yakka from the year gone, the achievements made, and the new relationships forged – it’s a great time to take stock and absorb all that has passed over the calendar year.

Several features in this edition reflect on some of the big achievements of the year. Having looked at the Year in Review timeline, it’s clear that this year has been incredibly busy with the industry moving at breakneck speed to take advantage of a booming lending market and bolster teams to ensure that things continue to run smoothly.

Our cover story this month (page 18) unveils the top asset finance brokers who submitted to the Elite Broker Ranking 2025. The asset finance ranking – partnered by Optimise Aggregation – shows that many brokers are specialising in this space and writing large volumes of asset and equipment finance for borrowers.

Meanwhile, we’re also looking at some of the leading women in finance, as crowned at the Women in Finance Awards 2025. Do make sure to check out the winners from this year’s awards over on page 36 and find more profiles and Q&As with some superstar women leading the way in finance in the following pages!

As well as reflecting on the achievements of the year, the summer period is also the perfect time to be planning for the future. In the Summer property report (page 30), we take a look at why the property market is red-hot at the moment – and what brokers can be thinking about to be preparing for the onslaught of business in the coming months.

Looking further into the future, now might be the perfect time to start thinking about your business’s longer-term plan. In our feature on succession planning, sponsored by Trail Homes, Ben Squires looks at why planning for the future is a task that needs to be done sooner, rather than later. As he finds out, businesses that plan well ahead are the ones that are the most valuable in the long run.

I hope you enjoy this edition of The Adviser, and as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on what you’d like to see in future issues: [email protected].
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