Victorian financial advice businesses, Coastline Advice and Edge Advisory Partners have announced plans to join forces to create a multi-disciplinary advice business with over 45 team members, 1500 clients and $10 million in revenue.

The combined entity, which will be branded Coastline Advice, is backed by advice platform, AZ NGA, which is a significant shareholder in both businesses.

It will provide strategic financial advice, spanning superannuation, retirement planning, personal insurance and mortgage broking. It will also specialise in corporate super.

Chesne Stafford, AZ NGA Executive General Manager, said the merger formed part of broader plans to build a scaled advice business in regional Victoria and New South Wales, and provide a platform for other advisers seeking succession and business growth solutions to join AZ NGA’s thriving community.

“There is a strong cultural and strategic alignment between Coastline, Edge and AZ NGA, and this has enabled significant progress to be made in defining the structure and vision of the combined entity, which will be a key regional hub for the AZ NGA network,” she said.

“This merger delivers immediate scale, across Victoria’s surf coast, Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula and Bass coast, which are areas that AZ NGA currently has limited representation but a strong strategic interest due to the region’s affluent demographics and growing retiree population.”

AZ NGA initially gained a minority interest in Edge Advisory Partners, led by Managing Director and financial adviser, Shaun McWilliam, through its 2024 acquisition of AMP’s Equity Portfolio. This month, it increased its shareholding in Edge Advisory Partners and entered a strategic partnership with Coastline Advice, led by Director and financial adviser, Darryn Jacobs.

The combined entity will be led by Jacobs as Chief Executive Officer.

Jacobs said the group’s strategic partnership with AZ NGA fulfilled a key objective to bring on a capable investor that could help enhance its client and employee value proposition and, ultimately, see it become the leading advice firm in the region.

“Our clients are at the core of everything we do, and we want to grow to take our offering to more individuals, families, businesses and communities in regional Victoria and New South Wales,” he said.

“We are passionate about professional advice because of the positive impact it can have to change lives, and this is what drives us to succeed.”

McWilliams said: “Together we’re big enough to have specialists in all key areas of advice that will sit under one roof, like personal insurance, lending, self-managed super and aged care, which will be a real benefit to our clients”.

“AZ NGA is very supportive and responsive. They’ve bought into our vison and we’ve bought in theirs, and this is the next step in our exciting journey.”

Stafford said the leadership pairing of McWilliam’s and Jacobs, who have known each other for over 30 years, created strong balance, citing Jacobs’ disciplined operational and management focus, and McWilliam’s exceptional ability to attract new business, particularly through his corporate superannuation relationships.

For more information, please contact:

Leng Ohlsson

M: 0409 509 516

E: leng@splashcontent.com.au