A Bit About Me
I’ve been advising for nearly 15 years now.
After working through my Bachelors of Arts and Commerce at Deakin University, I cut my teeth in a boutique firm, as well as one of our big banks, before striking out on my own.
I decided to really focus my practice on helping people going through, and coming out of, divorce in 2018. We still help as many people as we can, but this is where we believe we can provide the most assistance to people – at a really difficult time.
What I Like About Advising
It’s an interesting time to be a financial adviser at the moment. And I can honestly say I’ve never loved what I do more than right now. The mechanical parts are second nature now – the calculations, projections, rules and regulations. But, truth be told, if that were all there were to this job, I’d be bored to tears.
The really interesting part for me is where we can use those parts to really, truly help people feel confident about their lives again. This is what I’m so excited about with my work.
What we do can take people from unsure, worried, uncertain and a little bit scared about their future – to confident, secure and decisive in pursuing the life they want.
Why Divorce?
My first step along this journey was helping people through their divorce. Which led to a very common question – why choose to work in such an emotional area?
Simply, it added an extra layer of meaning and depth to our work.
Having somebody that’s been through one of life’s serious traumas trust us to help them rebuild their lives is a real privilege.
A privilege I deeply respect.
And I found out a while ago that doing meaningful work for people is where I get real value from my career.
But ‘divorce’ was only the beginning.
Soon people that instead fit what I’d call our ‘personality niche’ – inexperienced with money and having to make decisions as they navigate one of life’s big transitions – started getting in touch.
“I’m not getting divorced, but can you still help me?”
Widows nervously avoiding the folders their late husbands had carefully filed for years.
People tired of being spoken over by their former partner’s financial adviser.
And people looking for more from their adviser – more than investment tips, or insurance, or more generic advice.
What started as a focus on a transition has evolved into a focus on a very wonderful group of people.
And we haven’t looked back!
Well, if you’re reading this, hopefully you!
We’re here to help people going through one of life’s big transitions, be it the really challenging ones like divorce, bereavement or moving into the last years of life, or the more exciting ones like retirement.
And we’re working hard to be the firm of choice for a certain type of person too:
Somebody who’s looking for truly independent advice to help them make better financial decisions.
Somebody after a guide to help them navigate through this big moment.
Somebody looking for a sounding board to make sure they don’t make any big mistakes.
Somebody who’s unsure about what to do, uncertain about how to do it – and worried about who to trust.
Somebody who may not be financially experienced, but respects the role clear, unbiased advice can have.
We’re here to help people through these big transitions, because these moments are big, scary, exciting, worrying and overwhelming. Knowing what to do is only part of it – making sure it gets done, and nothing gets missed, is also critically important.
If you have questions about what to do in the midst of life’s big transitions – get in touch, we’re here to help.
We’re a completely independent, full-service financial advisory firm, so our advice can cover the full breadth of your finances.
So our advice can touch on:
Cashflow and Budgeting
Investments
Superannuation and Pensions
Insurances
Centrelink Entitlements and Processes
And, via our partners;
Debt Management
Estate Planning
Taxation Advice
At PlanningSolo, we’re a bit different from your usual financial adviser.
For starters, our focus is helping you through life’s big transitions by giving you clear, independent financial advice.
This advice might touch on your budget, cashflow, superannuation, investments, insurances, debt or any other part of your financial life.
It might also take into account how you deal with money, your approach and feelings about finance and what you want your financial future to look like.
We’re also completely independent financial planners. Which means:
No commissions.
No percentage fees.
No surprises.
In my experience, meeting a financial adviser for the first time can be a little nerve wracking. Which can make sharing information about you and your situation a little uncomfortable.
We can help with any part of your financial picture.
The key is for us to work with you to identify exactly what you need advice on though so we know exactly how we can help. After all, there’s no point having brain surgery when you’ve got a broken leg.
Here’s how we make sure we get it right:
Initial Phone Call
A quick, 15-minute call to find out what kind of help you need, how we might be able to help and when you’d like to start working together.
Exploration Meeting
We then book in a meeting to explore exactly what you need. We’ll discuss where you are now, where you’d like to go, your priorities and any roadblocks preventing you from getting where you want to go.
These discussions are held via a video call, and generally go for 60-90 minutes, and cost $440 including GST.
Proposal
Then we take what we’ve learnt in our Exploration Meeting to prepare a clear, detailed proposal for your consideration. This will detail our understanding of what you’re looking for, and a list of the advice and services we believe will give you the best chance of getting there.
It also includes a comprehensive quote and payment proposal for you to consider as well.
Discovery
We will meet again to collect the specific information and data we need to build a foundation for our advice.
Things like specific financial information, personal details, documentation, anything that will help us to prepare personalised, independent financial advice for you.
Delivery
With the information we need, we’ll prepare our advice for you. A clear set of steps outlining what we recommend you do – based on where you are now and where you want to go – will be provided, giving you an easy-to-follow path to financial confidence.
Completion
We offer face-to-face, virtual and phone meetings to the people we work with.
Meeting in Person
Our offices are in Malvern East, where we can meet in person.
We have limited scope for house calls, but please note that these will be at an additional cost.
Virtual Meetings
We’re finding more and more people like to arrange video meetings – especially after COVID became a part of our lives.
They tell us that they’re more convenient (no parking woes or babysitter worries), easier and we’re able to be more flexible around the times we offer.
We use Zoom Meetings for our virtual meetings. It’s incredibly reliable (especially compared with some other options), makes it easy for us to share information and allows us to record all of our discussions.
This allows me to focus on our meeting, instead of scribbling notes the whole time.
Phone Meetings
At a pinch, we can hold one of our meetings over the phone.
This is a great option for when technology – inevitably – fails, or if it’s more convenient for you.
But it’s not my favourite way to hold meetings.
What we talk about is important and meaningful, so I like to be able to fully focus on what we’re discussing.
Still – a great option to have up our sleeve!
In our initial phone call, we’ll discuss how we might be able to help. Then we’ll arrange a convenient time for a more detailed meeting, either in-person or via a video call.
You can book your initial call here.
We believe in being open about how we use technology. Here is an overview of our approach to AI, privacy and client protection.
Our investment approach is deliberately simple, evidence-based and long-term. This video explains the thinking behind it.
Clear boundaries lead to better advice. This short video explains what scope of advice means and how we define it together.
We believe in being completely transparent about fees. This short video explains how our pricing works and why we have structured it this way.
You do not need to bring all your documents to your first meeting.
However, here is what to prepare and what to think about beforehand.
We believe strong advice starts with strong boundaries. This short video explains what we will never ask of you and why.
Our investment approach is deliberately simple, evidence-based and long-term. This video explains the thinking behind it.
This advice is general and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether the advice is suitable for you and your personal circumstances. Before you make any decision about whether to acquire a certain product, you should obtain and read the relevant product disclosure statement.
Finding the right adviser starts with understanding whether you are a good fit. This short video explains who we work with and how we support you.
Your adviser and your support team matter. This video introduces who we are and how we work.
