What to Bring to the Meeting

What to bring to the meeting:

A lot of the information we need you’ll already know without needing to refer to any particular documentation, but some of the questions we’ll ask might require some further thought.

As a minimum we’d like you to know:

• What do you own (Assets)
• What do you owe (Liabilities)
• What do you earn (Income)
• What do you pay (Expenses)
• What do you want to achieve (Goals)

We don’t need exhaustive details and copious copies of statements and paperwork, but you might need to do a few notes and you might need to do a double check on things like loan repayments, interest rates and the number of years left on a loan.

Superannuation and Insurance might also require some homework. If you have a recent superannuation statement bring it along, or give your current super fund a call to get the details.

Keep in mind that you might have some insurance held within your superannuation fund – having insurance details on hand will also be helpful.

  How long will it take

Generally we allow an hour and a half for the first meeting, but that depends on what you want to discuss and how detailed and complex your current situation is. Keep in mind that we won’t be able to give you any specific advice in the first meeting so a second meeting will be required in most circumstance.

For us to provide you with advice we need to prepare an official and legal document called a statement of advice. The lead time on preparing this document can vary due to our workload and the complexity of your situation. Our aim is to be in a position to meet with you to present the advice within 3 weeks of the initial meeting.

  What will it cost?

Your first meeting is free!

By the end of that meeting we will be in a position to tell you what we can and can’t do for you and we’ll be able to give you a quote on the upfront cost (if there is one).

  What to Expect

Let’s be honest, the world of finance is wildly confusing, and just when you think you understand it something changes and you have to start again. Our number one skill is explaining complex matters in simple terms.

There are hundreds of financial advisers that you could talk to, most are telling the same story and selling the same products – but a few are quite unique. They have unique approaches to explaining what they do and how they do it.

We fit into that category and here’s why:

We’re here to manage your money, not your life – we assume that you understand the true road to riches is to have a good job, manage your debt and manage your spending. We think that your main priorities should be educating your kids (if you have them) and putting a debt free roof over your head.

We believe that you want to know what’s going on with your investments and your superannuation – we communicate with our active clients either weekly or monthly depending on their investment options.

  Something Else

Sometimes people have goals that are simply unreasonable. We’re brave enough to give it to you straight and let you know what we think is achievable given your current financial situation. What we do isn’t all about investment, sometimes the best advice we can provide could be a simple change to the way you live your life and how much attention you pay to the effects today’s decisions have on the future.