We start with a full picture of where you are now: your income, spending, assets, debts, super, insurance and the goals you want to reach. From there we work out which strategies matter most for your situation and put them in order, so you know what to do first and why.

You receive a written Statement of Advice that explains each recommendation in plain English, and we present it to you in a meeting before you decide anything. If you become an ongoing client, we review your plan regularly as your circumstances change, so it stays current and doesn’t sit in a drawer.

We start by reviewing your current super, including your contribution strategy, the insurance held inside your fund, and whether multiple accounts should be consolidated. We also review the investment options within your fund to make sure they line up with your risk profile and the asset allocation your overall strategy calls for, not just whatever option was selected by default when the account was opened.

Where an SMSF suits your situation, we help you set it up, including deciding on the right trustee structure, individual or corporate, for your circumstances. The focus from there is strategic: building an investment strategy for the fund, setting the asset allocation to match your goals and risk profile, structuring contributions, and reviewing fund membership as your circumstances change. We manage these as part of your ongoing strategy, reviewed regularly alongside the rest of your super.

We work out how much income you need in retirement based on how you actually spend, then test whether your super and other assets can support it. We look at when to start drawing an income, how to draw it (including an account based pension or a Transition to Retirement strategy), and how the Age Pension may fit alongside your own savings.

From there we build the plan itself: which accounts to draw from and in what order, and how your investments are positioned as you approach and enter retirement. For ongoing clients, we review the plan regularly, because markets, spending and legislation all change over a 20 or 30 year retirement.

We review all of your debts, including your home loan, investment loans and credit cards, and work out which to pay down first and how that compares with investing.

Where it suits your situation, we assess a debt recycling strategy. This gradually converts non-deductible debt, such as your home loan, into deductible investment debt, and we show you how it would work for you, including the risks of borrowing to invest.

We design an investment portfolio around your goals, timeframe and risk profile. That means setting the mix of shares, property, fixed interest and cash, choosing the investments for each part, and advising on the most suitable way to hold them for your situation.

For ongoing clients, we monitor the portfolio against your strategy and review it with you regularly, so your investments follow a documented plan.

We review the life, total and permanent disability (TPD), critical illness and income protection cover you already have, inside and outside super. We check whether the amounts, definitions and ownership suit your situation, based on your debts, income and the people who depend on you.

Where there are gaps, we recommend the type and level of cover and the best way to hold it. For ongoing clients, we review the cover regularly as your family, income and debts change.

We provide strategic guidance to help minimise tax and make your financial structures work more efficiently.

We look at what happens to your wealth if something happens to you. That includes who receives your super through a binding death nomination, how your assets are set up to pass on, and whether your insurance is owned in a way that gets the money to the right people.

We build this into your overall strategy so it reflects your wishes. For ongoing clients, we review it when your family, assets or wishes change.