Financial Planning

Live for Today.
Plan for Tomorrow.

Where are you on your Financial Journey?


Life’s a journey, and it can take many twists and turns, but having financial security over the long term is a top 3 priority for most Australian families. Unfortunately reaching financial security takes a multitude of reading and guessing that you have chosen the right path.

We believe life is no different from taking a well-earned trip overseas, it takes knowledge to know the best accommodation in different countries and cities. It is important to get the budget correct for the trip and get great value out of your spending. If all this comes together you have an amazing time and discuss it with friends for a long time after. Underlying the simple request to fly overseas takes a talented pilot, uber drivers, travel agents, travel insurance, safety checks, banks, and money transfers… the list goes on.

Phase 1: The Runway

Life is no different, we set off on a journey when we first enter employment with the end goal to one day be successful and happy, what that means can have many different interpretations pending on your personal circumstances. However, one principle is maintained, the earlier you prepare the better equipped you are to handle the “turbulence”. We strongly believe it is important to check in with an adviser when starting out on this journey. Just like you want to make sure that you have boarded the right plan to get to your end destination, you don’t worry about if the pilot has enough fuel and has mapped out his flight. The same goes for the considerations you need to be aware of in phase ONE of the financial security journey. We make sure that we have the base foundations all in check. This confirms we are heading in the right direction, we have enough fuel and the right insurance in place.

This includes:

  • Cashflow and Budget

  • Buying your first house

  • A superfund that will allow you to reach your retirement goals

  • An investment strategy that you understand and will take you in the right direction

  • The right insurances to suit your needs (just in case you need it one day)

Phase 2: Wheels Up

Part TWO of the journey generally covers a big life change of getting married and starting a family. In this stage, it is truly important to understand and capitalise on the foundations set in stage one. We all know it takes a village to raise children and the added household cost can become a burden if it isn’t thoroughly thought out with moving to a single income, childcare fees, school fees, and one of the largest household bills the mortgage. Our advice process not only deals with the day-to-day needs of enjoying life now but also focuses on strategies to become mortgage free earlier. It is important to get the foundation correct for this and understand the long-term goal because just like a flight to a holiday destination you need to have patients while you plan and travel to where you want to be. Some of the strategies we cover in stage TWO are:

  • Strategy and paying down your home loan faster

  • Getting set up and ready to pay school fees

  • Looking at building additional investments, outside of your home and superannuation

  • Estate planning, if something was to happy, we can help you make sure your family is well looked after

Phase 3: Relax and Enjoy the Journey

If parts one and two have been executed in all aspects we can start focusing on retiring from work with extensive outcome-based financial modeling. We nail down and become very accurate on goals, whether it be to retire from work before 60 or amass a large investment portfolio. As our children grow up and become independent, we look at reducing insurance coverage if need be and redirecting that to investment assets. Generally, we find that some of the items may have slipped through the cracks from part one or two so tying up loose ends is important. Once our children leave the nest we free up some additional cash flow. This is a critical decision to help with where funds should be directed to get maximum long-term benefit.

Phase 4: Prepare for Landing

This is a point where we are 10 years or less from retirement, we have a good idea of where we are coming into land but we must navigate the investment market’s rises and falls. We do not want to delay our retirement if there was a market correction. Strategic asset allocation is a main driver we consider when working with our pre-retirees, also encompassing the Superannuation legislation to make sure we maximise our Super assets as they become tax-free in retirement. But the main goal is to work out how much we plan on spending in retirement. That way we can allocate the correct amount of risk to achieve this, one of the main concerns for a retiree is running out of money. As Advisers work with you to get a good understanding of what retirement looks like and guiding there with minimal turbulence.

Tips to Start Building Wealth

We have created a comprehensive document that covers everything to consider when starting to think about your financial plans and start building wealth.

"It's not how much money you make, but how much money you keep, how hard it works for you, and how many generations you keep it for"

— Robert Kiyosaki

financial planner, financial adviser, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cleveland, retirement planning, investment advice, estate planning