Legal
Get across the important stuff. Our legal documents are here to keep things transparent and secure.
Legal
Get across the important stuff. Our legal documents are here to keep things transparent and secure.
Legal
Get across the important stuff. Our legal documents are here to keep things transparent and secure.
Introduction
What other disclosure documents and statements will I receive?
How you can instruct us and your obligations?
Who are we and what services are we authorised to provide?
What information do we offer to you, as our client?
What are our responsibilities and what type of advice do we give?
Details of Associations or Relationships
The costs, remuneration and other benefits that may be received by us, our employees and others?
If you have a complaint, how will it be dealt with?
For what purpose do we use your contact data.
How can you contact us?
Ongoing deals
Financial Services Guide
This Financial Services Guide (FSG) is dated 01/01/2026 and is provided to you by Pearler Investments Pty Ltd A.C.N 32 625 120 649 (“Pearler”, “we”, “our”, “us”) to inform you of the financial services provided by us and to comply with our obligations as the an Authorised Representative of Sanlam Private Wealth Pty Ltd (Sanlam) which is the holder of an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFS Licence No. 337927).
This FSG is meant to assist you to decide whether to use our services and to explain:
who we are;
what financial services we provide and the products to which those services relate;
what our responsibilities are and what type of advice we give;
how you can instruct us;
what you can expect to pay for the financial services;
what remuneration and other benefits may be paid to us, our employees or others;
what to do if you have a complaint, and how it will be dealt with;
for what purpose we use your contact data; and
how you can contact us.
This FSG contains only general information about the services we offer. If you still have any questions after reading this FSG, please contact us. Our contact details are listed at the end of this document.
1. What other disclosure documents and statements will I receive?
You will not be provided with any personal financial product advice from Pearler. Any advice or information we provide to you is general advice only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situations or needs. It is up to you to decide whether or not you want to use our services, and if you need assistance or advice in this regard, you should consult a suitably qualified financial adviser. You will not receive a Statement of Advice from Pearler.
Generally, where we arrange for the issue of a financial product to you, you will have had publicly available access for, or directly received a Product Disclosure Statement (PDS), Target Market Determination (TMD) or other relevant disclosure documents that include information about the product so that you can make an informed decision whether to acquire the product. It would include any relevant terms, significant risks and costs associated with the supply of that financial product.
2. How you can instruct us and your obligations?
We will accept order instructions via the Pearler website or Pearler app.
You must review any confirmation or statement we send to you immediately upon receipt to ensure its accuracy and report any discrepancies to us.
4. What information do we offer to you, as our client?
We can offer you factual market data and information, including general advice, regarding those products and services our authorisation permits us to provide. The products on which we may provide this information include:
value of any monies held on your behalf;
securities, funds and trusts traded on the ASX and major US exchanges;
managed investment schemes;
community data and reviews (product awareness and investing philosophies).
5. What are our responsibilities and what type of advice do we give?
We provide general advice and information regarding financial products and services that can be dealt through us. This information or advice does not take into account your personal and financial circumstances, needs and objectives and because of that you should, before acting on the advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice having regard to your personal and financial circumstances, needs and objectives.
It should be noted that if you open an account with us you will also be requested to provide some information relating to your financial circumstances and risk profile. This information is collected so that we can:
receive some reassurance that you will be able to finance any trading that you enter into and that your attitude to risk is comparable to that of the financial products you intend to trade; and
identify who you are as required by the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AMLCTF Act 2006).
6. Details of Associations or Relationships
Pearler has a relationship with its affiliated brokers which are providers of identification and verification, execution, clearing and settlement services and portfolio administration services. These relationships in no way influence the provision of financial services by Pearler to you. We will update this table regularly, and inform you of any material changes, at our discretion.
| Partner | Type of Service |
|---|---|
| Sanlam | Licensee |
| Perpetual Corporate Trust Limited | Custody as agent of Pearler Investments Pty Ltd |
| Frankie Financial Pty Ltd | Onboarding KYC and AML |
| Openmarkets Australia Limited | Australian shares broker |
| DriveWealth, LLC | US shares broker (legacy) |
| Alpaca Securities LLC | US shares broker (current from 29/07/2025) |
| Currency Cloud Ltd (A Visa Company) | Forex service provider |
| Basiq Pty Ltd | Bank account verification |
| Zepto Payments Pty Ltd | Payments and banking partner |
| National Australia Bank Limited | Payments and banking partner |
| Cache Investment Management Pty Ltd | Investment Manager |
| Cache (RE Services) Ltd | Responsible Entity (Pearler Micro) |
| DASH Administration Services Pty Ltd , a Corporate Authorised Representative of DASH Investment Services Pty Ltd. | Investment Administrator for Pearler Super |
| Equity Trustees Superannuation Limited | Trustee of Pearler Super |
| DDH Graham Limited (DDH) | Member Administrator for Pearler Super |
7. The costs, remuneration and other benefits that may be received by us, our employees and others?
The information in this section is subject to change and does not include information in relation to taxes or duties that you may be required to pay in relation to an investment. Unless otherwise stated, all fees, charges, commissions and benefits disclosed in this FSG are exclusive of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Pearler (through third party service providers) will arrange, as authorised by you, for commissions to be debited from your account when a transaction has been completed in consideration for services rendered. The amount of commission can differ greatly depending on the services provided. Generally, the commission may be charged on a per trade basis or on a cash under management basis. The following ranges are an indication of the commissions that may be charged:
Advisory and Dealing Services
Per Trade Basis
| Product | Minimum Commission | Maximum Commission |
|---|---|---|
| Equities | $0.00 per trade (where rewards credits are used) | $6.50 per trade* |
| Managed Funds | n/a | n/a |
* Pearler retains the right to pause, hold or refuse to submit any order at its sole discretion. Without limiting its rights in this regard, if Pearler suspects you are using Pearler for wholesale or institutional purposes based on frequency and size of trade, your account may be suspended without notice and your Equities and Cash returned to you without notice. After purchase, prepaid credits purchased cannot be refunded or transferred and will expire in 10 years if not utilised
Pearler and Sanlam Private Wealth (through the affiliated broker) will arrange, as authorised by you, for brokerage, commission or transaction fees to be debited from your account when a transaction has been completed in consideration for services rendered. The amount of commission can differ greatly depending on the services provided (ie. ranging from execution only services to advisory and dealing services). Generally, the commission may be charged on a per trade basis.
US securities - Per Trade Basis
We currently use Currency Cloud as “Our FX Provider”.
All fees are in USD.
| Action | Fee | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Brokerage | $6.50* | |
| Sell-trade regulatory Fees | Nil. | |
| Gross FX margin | 50 basis points (bps) on the prevailing exchange rate. This fee applies for all conversions between AUD and USD and USD to AUD. Our FX Provider provides us with a rate that is based on the available mid-market FX rate, and they add the conversion fee of 50bps. | Our FX Provider applies this conversion fee as part of the transfer. Pearler has a commercial relationship with our FX Provider to share a portion of this margin. |
| Portfolio transfers in from other brokers | ACATS/Alpaca internal transfer – Free. DTC – Free | Pearler, through our broker Alpaca accept both ACATS and DTC incoming transfers. A sufficient cash balance is required in your Pearler account to commence the transfer. |
| Portfolio transfers out to other brokers | ACAT/Alpaca internal transfer - $100.00 per account. DTC – $50 per position. | Brokers either accept transfers via the ACATS or DTC System. Please check with your broker to understand what the charges are. A sufficient cash balance is required in your Pearler account to commence the transfer. |
| US tax certification (W-8 BEN) | Nil. | A flat fee for lodging all your US related tax documentation. We reserve the right to provide this free or up to the prescribed fee amount. |
| Third party deposit fee | Up to $25 | This fee is to pass on the costs incurred by Pearler for rejecting third-party deposits and sending them back to source |
* After purchase, prepaid credits purchased cannot be refunded or transferred and will expire in 10 years if not utilised
Pearler facilitates for customers to access a High Yield Cash Program for uninvested US dollar balances held in brokerage accounts via Alpaca Securities LLC. For those customers that enrol into the program, cash balances are automatically swept into interest-bearing accounts with one or more US banks insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Customers can opt out of this program at any time by contacting support@pearler.com.
Full details of the program are available in the Alpaca Securities LLC FDIC Bank Sweep Program Terms and Conditions.
Managed Funds
The table below shows fees and other costs that you may be charged in the All In One Investment Option and can be used to compare costs between different simple managed investment schemes. Fees and costs may be paid directly from your investment account or deducted from investment returns.
| Type of Fee or Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fees when your money moves in or out of the fund | Nil |
| Establishment fee | Nil |
| Contribution fee | Nil |
| Withdrawal fee | Nil |
| Exit fee | Nil |
| The fees and costs for managing your investment | Account fee per month of $2 with a two month trial period where no fees are charged
Recoverable expenses: Nil |
Pearler Super
Pearler Super is a superannuation fund that enables investors to self-direct their superannuation investments through listed securities available on the ASX. Pearler Super is issued by Equity Trustees Superannuation Limited (ABN 50 055 641 757, AFSL 229757) (ETSL or the Trustee) as trustee of the superannuation fund known as ‘Super Simplifier’ (ABN 36 526 795 205). Dash Investment Services Pty Ltd (DASH) (ABN: 20 610 852 456; AFSL 500032) is the promoter of the fund and DDH Graham Limited (DDH) (ABN 28 010 639 219; AFSL 226319) is the Member Administrator for Pearler Super. Pearler Super, which includes the ‘Pearler HomeSoon’ feature, is a product offered through the Super Simplifier.
DASH is paid remuneration out of the fees charged in respect of Pearler Super by ETSL (as detailed in the PDS Part I and Part II for Pearler Superand summarised in the table below). In turn, Pearler is paid remuneration by DASH out of the fees received by DASH from ETSL.
The table below shows a summary of fees and other costs that you may be charged by Pearler Super. Fees and costs may be paid directly from your cash account or deducted from investment returns. Full details of the pricing and terms are found in thePDS Part I and Part II,TMD, andPearler Investment Menuand you should review all documents in accordance with the FSG, our Disclaimers and Terms when considering if this product is right for you.
An extract of the fee section of the PDS Part I is outlined below, for a full explanation of costs please refer to thePDS Part I and Part II and the Pearler Investment Menu
| Type of Fee or Cost | Amount | How and when paid | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ongoing annual fees and costs | ||||||||
| Administration fees and costs | Administration feeA tiered percentage fee based on the total balance of your account as detailed below:
| The administration fee is calculated daily on your total account balance (including your Cash Account) and deducted from your Cash Account at the end of each month (or on closure of your account on a pro-rata basis) in arrears. | ||||||
PLUS Expense recovery0.03% pa of the total balance of your account. | The expense recovery is calculated daily on your total account balance (including your Cash Account) and, as at the date of preparation of this PDS, is deducted from your Cash Account at the end each quarter (or on closure of your account on a pro-rata basis). In the future, the quarterly deduction may be changed to a deduction at the end of each month. Expense recovery is not included for family group fee capping purposes. | |||||||
PLUS Excess administration expenses0.026% pa of assets | They are paid from Fund reserves or by the Promoter (DASH). Excess expenses (above amounts charged to members) are for the 2023/24 financial year. This is subject to change from year to year (and may not be applicable in some years). These expenses are not deducted from your Cash Account. | |||||||
PLUS Cash management feeThe cash management fee is up to 1.50% p.a. of your Cash Account balance. | The cash management fee is calculated daily based on your Cash Account balance. It is payable monthly in arrears before interest is credited to your Cash Account. | |||||||
| Investment fees and costs3 | Nil. There are no investment fees and costs charged by the Trustee within the Fund in relation to you gaining access to the accessible financial products through Pearler Super. However, investment fees and costs may be charged in or through accessible financial products you choose for your Pearler Super account. The relevant disclosure document of the accessible financial product will set out information about the financial product’s fees and costs (if applicable) | Not applicable. | ||||||
| Transaction costs | Nil. There are no transaction costs charged by the Trustee within the Fund in relation to you gaining access to the accessible financial products through Pearler Super. However transaction costs may be charged in or through accessible financial products you choose for your Pearler Super account. The relevant disclosure document of the accessible financial product will set out information about the financial product’s fees and costs (if applicable). Further, certain investment related transactions incur a transaction fee – see ‘Activity Fees’ on page 25. | Not applicable. However, certain investment related transactions incur a transaction fee – see ‘Activity Fees’ on page 25. | ||||||
| Member activity related fees and costs | ||||||||
| Buy-sell spread | Nil. The Trustee does not charge a buy-sell spread within the Fund in relation to investment transactions. | Not applicable. | ||||||
| Switching fee | Nil. | Not applicable. | ||||||
| Other fees and costs4 | Other fees and costs, such as family law fees, may apply where you make certain requests or transactions on your account. | Payable to the Trustee and charged at the time of the relevant activity. | ||||||
1If your account balance for a product offered by the superannuation entity is less than $6,000 at the end of the entity’s income year, certain fees and costs charged to you in relation to administration and investment are capped at 3% of the account balance.
2Fee rate may be lower due to family group fee capping. For further details, please refer to the information on Administration fees and family group fee capping in the ‘Additional explanation of fees and costs’ section below.
3Investment fees and costs are nil and, therefore, performance fees are inapplicable. The calculation basis for this amount is set out under ‘Additional explanation of fees and costs’. Performance fees may be applicable to accessible financial products if a particular return is achieved. The relevant disclosure document for a financial product will set out information on performance fees (if applicable).
4For further details regarding other fees and costs, please refer to the ‘Additional explanation of fees and costs’ section below.
Certain investment related transactions incur a transaction fee as outlined below:
| Activity Fees – Investment Transaction Fees | Amount | How and when paid |
|---|---|---|
| Listed securities brokerage fee | 0.11% of the trade value. | Deducted from your Cash Account at the time of settlement as part of the total cost (for buy trades) or net proceeds (for sell trades). |
| Activity Fees – Family law Fees | Transaction method | Fee amount | How and when paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form 6 Request for Information request | $110.00 per request | Payable by the person making the Form 6 request, at the time of the request. Payable to the Trustee. | |
| Payment flag | $55.00 per flag | Deducted from your Cash Account at the time of the request. Payable to the Trustee. | |
| Account splitting | $55.00 per split |
In addition, where the Trustee incurs legal expenses in responding to matters arising from flagging or splitting your benefits, these expenses may be deducted from your account. You will be notified before these expenses are incurred and charged to you.
Per Trade Minimum Considerations
ASX Securities
Pearler and Sanlam Private Wealth (through the affiliated broker) have a minimum transaction requirement of $500.00 AUD notwithstanding any other requirement or condition outlined in this document or our terms and conditions.
US Securities
Pearler and Sanlam Private Wealth (through the affiliated broker) have a minimum transaction requirement of $50.00 AUD notwithstanding any other requirement or condition outlined in this document or our terms and conditions.
Cash
Pearler works with third parties who provide a range of payment processing functions to simplify and facilitate your investment decisions and is not a bank or deposit holder. Pearler does not hold any 'Client Money' (i.e. money to which Subdivision A of Division 2 of Part 7.8 of the Act or s1017E of the Corporations Act applies) on behalf of its clients.
We arrange for your monies to be held on your behalf in accordance with Subdivision A of Division 2 of Part 7.8 of the Corporations Act applies, on terms contemplated under section 981A of the Corporations Act. Your funds are processed for investing purposes only and we work with institutional partners like Sanlam to make this happen safely and securely.
Your funds are held overnight (or longer) in National Australia Bank Limited trust accounts held by our financial services licensee, Sanlam Private Wealth Pty Ltd (ACN 136 960 775, AFSL 337927) (Sanlam), in accordance with its AFSL obligations and we have also appointed Perpetual Corporate Trust Limited (“Perpetual”) as custodian to open a bank account and act on the instructions from us in relation to the movement of funds.
Perpetual's role is limited to holding assets of the trust as agent of Pearler. Perpetual has no supervisory role in relation to the operation of the trust and is not responsible for protecting your interests. Perpetual has no liability or responsibility to you for any act done or omission made in accordance with the terms of the custody agreement.
Pearler does not charge you any fees for processing or arranging for the holding of your monies, nor any account inactivity or withdrawal fees. Full details of brokerage, commission or transaction fees payable by you are outlined in our FSG and the Client Agreement entered into between the affiliated broker and you.
The actual commissions and charges payable will depend upon the relevant service provided by Pearler. Full details of commission payable by you in the Client Agreement entered into between Pearler and you.
Where client monies are held awaiting your instructions, any interest earned on the trust account is paid to the third-party licensee, custodian or agent as the case may be, to cover the cost of operating the bank accounts and obligations. Pearler may enter into sub-agreements with those third-parties to retain surplus interest to cover the costs of providing payments processing and associated operating purposes. Neither third-party or Pearler has an obligation to pass this interest onto you.
For US-dollar cash held via Alpaca, balances are eligible for the High Yield Cash Program described above. Interest is accrued daily on your USD cash balance held with Alpaca and is credited to your account monthly.
By holding or depositing money using Pearler you agree and acknowledge that Pearler has the appropriate instructions and approvals to process your payments between our payments and banking providers for the necessary functioning of our app or service.
General comments
Included within the commission will be any administration or agents' execution fees. In addition to these commissions, Pearler may require you to reimburse it for any fees levied on Sanlam Private Wealth by a market operator or clearing and settlement facility in respect of transactions entered into by Sanlam Private Wealth for you.
Pearler will receive a percentage of the fees received by Sanlam Private Wealth and Sanlam Private Wealth will retain the balance.
Our employees may, if authorised by you, be remunerated on a commission basis for the services provided to you. Their remuneration is included in the commissions discussed above.
Where your business has been referred to Pearler or your trade instructions require the use of a third party, Pearler may be required to share a percentage of the commission or other charge with other parties, as disclosed and authorised by you in the Client Agreement entered into between Pearler and you.
We maintain a list of our ongoing deals here.
8. If you have a complaint, how will it be dealt with?
If you wish to make a complaint, the Company Secretary can be contacted by email at support@pearler.com for ASX, US and Micro queries and super-inquiry@pearler.com for Pearler Super queries. We will try to resolve your complaint quickly and fairly.
In the event that we are unable to resolve any issue or complaint you can contact Sanlam Private Wealth who has formalised client complaint resolution procedure in place to resolve any complaints or concerns you may have about the service provided to you. These should be directed to the Compliance Manager (Ms Amanda Roberts) can be contacted on (03) 8640 5508 or by email SPW_compliance@privatewealth.sanlam.com.au.
All complaints are reviewed and investigated by our Compliance Manager. If you make a complaint, our first response will be to contact you to discuss the complaint and to register a formal record of such complaint.
If, despite our best efforts, you believe your complaint has not been satisfactorily dealt with, we offer the use of an independent industry arbiter, namely, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). Sanlam Private Wealth has agreed not to contest a final resolution from AFCA.
You can contact AFCA by writing to:
Australian Financial Complaints Authority
GPO Box 3
Melbourne VIC 3001
Toll Free: 1800 931 678 (free call)
Email: info@afca.org.au
Website: www.afca.org.au
Sanlam Private Wealth as the authorising licensee for Pearler holds Professional Indemnity Insurance cover for the activities conducted under its AFS licence and continues to maintain Professional Indemnity Insurance that generally satisfies the requirements of s912B of the Corporations Act Regulatory Guide RG126.
9. For what purpose do we use your contact data.
Privacy is an important issue for us and we are committed to ensuring full compliance with Privacy Act requirements.
The personal data that we collect from you will only be used by us to assist in the provision of general product advice to clients, planning of marketing proposals, education seminars and otherwise only as permitted under the AMLCTF Act 2006. Pearler does not sell your data to anyone for any reason.
10. How can you contact us?
Pearler Investments Pty Ltd
Mail: MCIC UNSW, Gate 2 Ave, Kensington 2033 Level 2, 33 York St, Sydney NSW 2000
Website: pearler.com
Email: support@pearler.com(ASX, US and Micro queries) or super.inquiry@pearler.com for Pearler Super queries
Mail: MCIC UNSW, Gate 2 Ave, Kensington 2033 Level 2, 33 York St, Sydney NSW 2000
Website: pearler.com
Email: support@pearler.com(ASX, US and Micro queries) or super.inquiry@pearler.com for Pearler Super queries
Sanlam Private Wealth Pty Ltd
Telephone: (02) 8245 0500
Mail: Level 2, 33 York St, Sydney NSW 2000
Website: www.sanlamprivatewealth.com.au
Email: SPW_compliance@privatewealth.sanlam.com.au
Telephone: (02) 8245 0500
Mail: Level 2, 33 York St, Sydney NSW 2000
Website: www.sanlamprivatewealth.com.au
Email: SPW_compliance@privatewealth.sanlam.com.au
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