Financial Planning Process:
How We Work with You

We differentiate ourselves by providing long range financial planning.
It’s a comprehensive, long-term service to our clients.

We aim to understand your long-term financial goals and then implement an appropriate investment strategy with ongoing reviews to ensure that these goals are achieved. Working together, we adjust your financial plan as your lifestyle needs and circumstances change.

The financial planning process consists of the following six steps:

Step 1 – Initial appointment

Your initial appointment with us is without charge or obligation. This first meeting helps establish the working relationship between you and your financial planner and aims to:

• ensure that you understand the step-by-step process to be undertaken
• identify your needs and agree on the level of advice you require
• explain the role of the financial planner as well as your responsibilities
• demonstrate what we can offer you as a service package
• discuss how we will be paid for services rendered
• establish the next steps and obtain consent to proceed with advice

Step 2 – Information gathering

Your planner will gather information on your current financial situation, commitments, and short to long-term financial goals. You will need to complete a questionnaire which will help your planner to take your unique circumstances into account.

Step 3 – Financial assessment

You and your planner will analyse your financial information in a workshop in order to assess your current financial situation and to determine the required financial strategy in order to help you achieve your goals. Depending on what services you have requested, this could include analysing your assets, liabilities and cash flow, current insurance coverage, investments and tax strategies. Your planner may also look at possible solutions to problems and identify strategies that will enable you to capitalise on opportunities.

Step 4 – Recommendations

Your planner will offer strategic financial recommendations that address your goals, based on the information you provide, and will go over the recommendations with you to help you make an informed decision. Your planner will record any agreed implementation plan in a Record of Advice and attach the necessary supporting documentation, disclosures and an action plan.

Step 5 – Implementation

Once you are completely satisfied with the recommendations, you will need to sign an authorisation to proceed with the implementation of the plan. Your planner will record any agreed implementation plan in a Record of Advice and attach the necessary supporting documentation, disclosures and an action plan.

Should any changes be required for whatever reason, you and your planner will arrange another meeting to effect these changes before proceeding. The implementation team will submit completed applications on your behalf and coordinate the implementation process for you. After implementation, you and your planner will meet to review final documentation for accuracy and to ensure that the plan has been implemented as agreed. Your planner will provide you with an updated summary of the consolidated financial plan for your records.

Step 6 – Ongoing care

Based upon your requirements, regular review meetings will be scheduled with your planner over the ensuing years. At these meetings, your agreed strategies and investments are proactively reviewed to ensure that they continue to meet your financial objectives. The review process will also provide an opportunity for us to answer any queries you may have. You are welcome to request a review at any stage, perhaps prompted by a change of life circumstance that would lead your financial planner to adjust the recommendations accordingly.