Members of the Authorised Representatives Association (ARA) members have voted to close the peak body, joining The Advisers Association (TAA) at the start of this month.

The ARA, whose members made the decision to close at an extraordinary general meeting in April, represents around 90 Charter Financial Planning advice businesses and 250 advisers.

“As we have consistently said, in order to move forward, the financial advice community needs to genuinely collaborate,” TAA CEO Neil Macdonald said. “The merger will enable us to deliver a more united message in our ongoing communications not only within our own community, but also with the media and with the government.”

He says TAA looks forward to representing its new members and supporting them to achieve better client outcomes.

“Our two associations have a long history of working closely together via numerous consultation groups and this merger will give us an even stronger voice in what continue to be challenging times for advisers,” Mr Macdonald said.