Like a lot of people at this time of year, I often find myself thinking about what I want to achieve in the following 12 months. I also find myself reflecting on what I learnt in the previous 12 months.

I don’t believe that I am alone in thinking that we are becoming more and more “busy” with a perpetual list of things we should be doing…

When you are looking at building your wealth for your future you will be told of ways and means of investing your money for growth…

It appears to be that time of year again.  Yep, it’s the lead up to Christmas, which means it is also that time of year that all the short term money lenders start popping up on tv again.  The main reason I am so aware of these ads, is because I have to physically stop myself throwing my shoe at the tv.

You see, these ads promote the exact thing that we teach our clients not to do.  Here are 2 examples…

I have always loved reading. Over the years, I have read many books about finance, including The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, The Richest Man in Babylon by George Samuel Clason and Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Each book shows me a different perspective to the world of finance, which helps me formulate different strategies and options for my clients when it comes to managing their cash flow and investing their money.

While speaking with a client recently about some changes to her financial situation, I started talking about my philosophy on exercise.  You see, 5 years ago I was allergic to exercise.  I had tried everything from gym memberships to yoga classes and nothing stuck.  I would get in to it for 3-6 months and then something would break the cycle and I would quit on it. I didn’t enjoy it very much, so I would self-sabotage my efforts and just stop. I would make excuses or have valid reasons, I believed, to stop exercising.

I talk to a lot of people about retirement.  Some people view the word retirement negatively, in that it represents a time of ending or stopping something, whereas I have always viewed retirement as a time of new beginnings.  No-one has done this better than Alfiero Neri…

How you can break the shackles and still have a life?

Early in my career I decided that I wanted to specialise in Retirement Planning.  There were 2 main reasons for this.  First I liked the complexities of superannuation. And second I found that most average Australians, people who we want to work with, have a basic handle on their day to day finances.

I have worked in the Financial Services industry since 1998.  Much of that time has been spent working with clients nearing or already in retirement and I now find myself specialising in Retirement Planning.

I have extensive knowledge in Superannuation and Centrelink benefits for retirees and I have many great strategies for helping people boost their savings in the lead up to retirement, however I still have not managed to master the art of getting people to think about retirement before they are 50.  I have come to realise that people are fearful of “retirement”.

As we prepare for another Christmas of festivities, family and fun, once again I reflect on the past 12 months.  2016 was a very interesting year, it had its challenges but they came with some important lessons which will propel us forward in 2017.  2016 was the year of…

Earlier today I met with a woman who I have not been able to get out of my head ever since.  Let’s call her Shirley.  Shirley is 40, she is married with 2 young children and suffers from ill health.  Sadly, her mother recently passed away and left her a fairly significant inheritance.  After paying off debt, there is a rather large amount available to invest.  In my mind, the steps for Shirley are fairly simple…