IAS

What IAS does

IAS (Insurance Advisory Service) is a privately held, family-owned financial and insurance advisory firm headquartered in North Sydney, Australia, operating under AFSL 234624 as Insurance Advisory Service (NSW) Pty Ltd. Founded in 1973 by the Brassett family, the firm has remained under family ownership for over 50 years and is currently led by Managing Director Jo Brassett alongside founder Doug Brassett. The company holds fewer than 10 employees and runs primarily from a single office, serving clients across New South Wales.

The firm's offering centers on two product lines: Personal Advice Services (estate planning, financial planning, life insurance, income protection, TPD, trauma, retirement planning, SMSF, wealth accumulation, and home/contents/motor insurance) and Business Advice Services (business package, business interruption, key person, cyber protection, professional indemnity, public liability, management liability, and buy-sell agreements). A proprietary "Journey Framework" segments advice across four life stages. The technology stack is conventional — policy administration and broking systems, electronic document storage with Australian-only data residency, and standard security controls (firewalls, user identifiers, physical locks). The company also holds a niche specialization in medical professional insurance with access to exclusive products unavailable through standard retail channels.

IAS' go-to-market is sales-led and content-driven: qualified financial advisers acquire and serve clients through direct consultation, supported by a blog with 100+ topic categories, e-books, case studies, videos, and EOFY resources. Revenue is generated through professional services fees and commissions from insurance broking and financial planning, with pricing determined per engagement rather than via published tiers. Distribution is amplified through the Steadfast broker network and a 2015 partnership with Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Australia, while regulatory affiliation with NIBA's Insurance Brokers Code of Practice and AFCA membership underpin client trust. The firm operates without any digital self-service, mobile app, or public-facing API.

Name

IAS

Legal name

Insurance Advisory Service (NSW) Pty Ltd

Website

https://insuranceadvisoryservice.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IAS (Insurance Advisory Service) is a family-owned insurance and financial advisory firm in North Sydney, Australia, providing personal and business insurance, financial planning, and specialist advice for medical professionals under AFSL 234624.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Advisory Services

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurance-Integrated Wealth Managers (RIA + Insurance Solutions) (FSAAACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Risk Management & Insurance Advisory for Families (FSAAADAK)

Keywords

• Insurance advisory services
• Financial planning advice
• Personal risk insurance
• Commercial insurance broking
• Superannuation advice

Headquarters

HQ city

North Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Broking and Advisory Fees: IAS earns revenue through advisory fees for providing personalized insurance and financial planning advice. As an AFSL licensee, the firm arranges insurance on behalf of clients, working with insurers and intermediaries to obtain quotes and coverage terms.
2. Financial Planning Services: Revenue from providing comprehensive financial planning services including estate planning, retirement planning, investments, superannuation advice, and wealth accumulation strategies.
3. Specialist Insurance Products: Access to specialized insurance products for medical professionals (GPs, pharmacists, psychologists, vets, Chinese medicine practitioners, chiropractors) that are exclusively available through selected financial advisers like IAS and not available through standard retail or direct-to-consumer channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IAS provides personalized insurance broking and financial planning advisory services under Australian Financial Services Licence 234624, helping individuals, families, business owners, and medical professionals arrange personal insurance (life, TPD, trauma, income protection, home, motor, landlord) and commercial insurance (business package, business interruption, cyber, key person, professional indemnity, public liability), alongside financial planning, superannuation, retirement, and wealth accumulation advice. Revenue is generated through advisory fees and commissions as an AFSL licensee arranging insurance on behalf of clients with insurers and intermediaries.

Product overview

Insurance Advisory Service (IAS) is a women-led financial and insurance advisory firm offering a comprehensive suite of personal and business advisory services. The core offering consists of Personal Advice Services (covering insurance, superannuation, retirement planning, and wealth accumulation for individuals and families) and Business Advice Services (covering commercial insurance, business interruption, cyber protection, and key person insurance for businesses). The company operates under AFSL 234624 and provides associated disclosure documents including a Financial Services Guide and Terms of Engagement for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Advice Services Holistic insurance and financial advisory services for individuals and families, covering estate planning, financial planning, home and contents insurance, income protection, investments, landlord insurance, life insurance, motor insurance, retirement planning, SMSF, TPD insurance, trauma insurance, and wealth accumulation.
• Business Advice Services Comprehensive insurance and risk advisory services for businesses, including business expenses, business interruption, business package, business property, buy-sell agreements, commercial vehicle, cyber protection, group income protection, key person insurance, management liability, marine transit, professional indemnity, and public liability.
• Specialist Insurance for Medical Professionals Specialized insurance advisory for medical professionals (GPs, pharmacists, psychologists, vets, Chinese medicine practitioners, chiropractors) providing access to exclusive insurance products not available through standard retail or direct-to-consumer channels, with potential profit-share benefits through mutual structure.

Quantifiable outcome

• Access to specialized insurance for medical professionals with potential profit-share benefits through mutual structure

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Berkshire Hathaway Insurance AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2015IAS announced a new partnership agreement with Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Australia in September 2015, through the Steadfast Brokers network. This partnership provides access to Berkshire Hathaway's insurance products and backing.
• Steadfast GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIAS is a member of the Steadfast broker network, Australia's largest general insurance broker network. The partnership provides access to network benefits, support services, and the Steadfast Customer Advocacy service for dispute resolution.
• Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA)coreOthersIAS is a member of AFCA, a free consumer service for independent assessment of complaints. AFCA provides an additional dispute resolution pathway for clients if internal resolution is not satisfactory.
• Insurance Brokers Code of Practice (NIBA)coreOthersIAS subscribes to the Insurance Brokers Code of Practice administered by NIBA (National Insurance Brokers Association). The Code sets minimum service standards that clients can expect and outlines complaint resolution procedures.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co (Australia): Gallagher is a major global insurance broker with significant Australian operations following the AJG and WTW Oceania acquisitions. Comparable in product breadth but competing primarily at larger commercial scales than IAS's SME and personal lines focus.
• Aon Australia: Aon is one of Australia's largest insurance brokers and a global incumbent. Overlaps with IAS across personal and commercial insurance broking, but operates at vastly greater scale, with broader risk advisory, reinsurance, and HR consulting capabilities.
• Marsh Pty Ltd (Australia): Marsh is a global insurance and risk advisory major with a substantial Australian operation. Competes with IAS in the broader insurance broking category but targets enterprise and complex commercial risks rather than the SME and individual segments IAS focuses on.

Direct peers

• Steadfast Group: IAS is a member of the Steadfast broker network, and Steadfast Group is Australia's largest general insurance broker network. Direct network peer relationship: Steadfast provides the carrier access, advocacy, and scale benefits that flow through to member firms like IAS.
• PSC Insurance Group: ASX-listed PSC Insurance Group is a major Australian insurance broker network and parent of Austbrokers. Highly comparable to the IAS/Steadfast operating model, with member broker firms providing personal and business advisory services to similar client segments.
• Shadforth Financial Group: Shadforth is an Australian financial advice and wealth management firm offering insurance broking, superannuation, and retirement planning. Directly comparable to IAS across the integrated personal advice and insurance intermediary proposition for Australian consumers.
• Capstone Financial Planning: Capstone is an Australian financial planning and wealth advisory group with a similar mid-market profile. Comparable to IAS in the integrated insurance-plus-financial-planning offering and AFSL-driven business model, though larger and licensee-network-based.
• Insurance Advisernet (AUB Group): AUB Group-owned Insurance Advisernet is one of Australia's largest broker networks, with a comparable structure of member-owned adviser firms. Directly comparable to Steadfast-aligned brokers like IAS in business model, network affiliation, and customer segments.
• Honan Insurance Group: Honan is a mid-sized Australian insurance broker offering both personal and business lines across multiple specialisations. Comparable to IAS in its mid-market broker profile, multi-line offering, and Australian-only geographic footprint.
• Austbrokers (PSC subsidiary network): Austbrokers is an Australian general insurance broker network under PSC Insurance Group with member-owned advisory firms. Direct peer in business model, network structure, and SME-and-individual client focus relative to IAS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iasonline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/insurance-advisory-service

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IAS