There won’t be any pressure at your complimentary first meeting to sign anything - our first meeting together is really a ‘chat’. You will probably have a specific reason for coming and we will do our best to answer your queries. We will also try identify as many areas as possible where we may be able to assist and improve upon your current financial situation. To make the meeting as valuable as possible, the more information you can provide the better – if in doubt, bring it along (Any kids? How far are you from retirement, or are you already there? Your assets, debt, income, super, insurances). One question most people really aren’t sure about is ‘How much do I spend (or save) each week / month / year?’ – but working through this will help us truly unlock your financial potential. Let’s get to know you and see if we feel we can help! You can then go away and decide if you’d like to proceed with us formalising our written advice.
If you sign a fact finding questionnaire, that is the signal for us to get to work! We can then review and analyse your situation in detail and tailor a plan to help you meet your goals and objectives. Our advice will be prepared on the basis of what we think works best, but we understand that there is more than one way to get to the end goal. So we expect that you will write, scrawl and scribble on the report and let us know what you like and what you don’t. This is a ‘working document’ and if changes need to be made to get it just right so that you’re comfortable to proceed, then that is what we’ll do.
Ideally, you’ll take the time to meet with us again to step through your plan in detail. After all, this is your financial future we’re talking about and we want you to have a clear understanding of things and how they benefit you – there shouldn’t be any surprises down the track, just ticks of approval as you meet your objectives. However we understand that you’re probably busy, so we can facilitate this meeting over the phone if necessary. Again, there will not be any pressure from us to simply accept our advice verbatim – if amendments are required, then that will be the next step we take – we want you to make an informed decision.
So you have read our advice, we have answered any queries and you are ready to set things in place? That means it is now our job to prepare the paperwork required to set things in place. We may liaise with you to clarify any outstanding information and ensure that we have all your personal details spot on – to ensure a smooth process.
It is often easiest to step through all paperwork face-to-face and explain things to you in detail. However, as always, we understand you are busy and can arrange for paperwork with clear and concise instructions to be sent through to you for completion and signing. We’re only a phone call away to provide any assistance required.
You should never feel like it’s too late to ask questions – we always want you walking away feeling more comfortable than when you arrived.
This is where our business is particularly unique and special in a good way! We don’t just set our recommendations in place without any further thought – we progressively implement them and review their appropriateness. Often, our recommended strategies take 6 to 12 months to fully implement and this gives us a huge number of opportunities to keep you informed and we may even propose amendments for your approval as the world and economic environment changes. If your accountant, solicitor or any other professional adviser is involved, then we will ensure they are included in any updates so all parties know once everything is finalised.
Your situation will undoubtedly evolve over time. Our initial advice may require updating at a moment’s notice as a result of a change to your situation, legislative changes or changing economic conditions. Therefore, the most important part of the financial advice process is the ongoing review of your situation. We will be proactive in coming to you when we’re aware of any change that may impact you. However we also rely on you, as our partner, to update us on any changes in your circumstance and to schedule regular review meetings with us (once if not twice a year would be good!). If we need to re-write your financial plan, that is what we’ll do – it’s just part of the ongoing service to keep you on track.
