Many people ask me what I enjoy about being a financial adviser and my answer is simple: “I get to help smart people make smart decisions about securing their financial future.”

Our clients at Falconer Advisers are successful and highly motivated, be they business owners, executives, employees or those transitioning into or enjoying their retirement.

They want to do all they can to achieve their financial goals and they see the value of working with experts whose sole focus is their gain.

Sometimes they might not have specific goals in mind but are experienced enough to know they could and should be doing more to maximise their financial position and safeguard their financial future.

As advisers, it is our role to continually add value to the lives of our clients, and this process starts the first time we meet.

Meeting your Falconer Adviser for the first time

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to financial planning. We understand that every person is unique in terms of their individual circumstances, the goals they want to achieve, and the timeframe in which they want to achieve them. We also understand that these goals, and timeframes, can and do change over time.

This is why when we first meet with clients, our main interest is in understanding the sort of financial future they want to achieve, by when, and the choices they are willing to make to achieve their financial destiny. There is no charge for this initial meeting.

Information about the types of choices people are willing to consider or make helps us establish your Risk Profile. Some people are very cautious when it comes to risk, others less so. Our role is to establish the level that you feel is right for your circumstances and to be guided by this information in all the work we do for you. To ensure we fully understand your circumstances we will also ask for information about areas including your assets, liabilities, income and expenses.

Armed with this information, we then make our first joint decision – should we work together? If we feel we cannot add value to your financial future, we will tell you and wish you all the best.

Working together to secure your financial future

Once we decide to work together to secure your financial future, the detailed planning on your immediate, mid-term and long-term objectives begins.

Building wealth: Options include the creation of an investment portfolio, the establishment of a Self-Managed Super Fund (SMSF) or the use of gearing to allow you to leverage the power of borrowed money to make larger investments than would be possible using solely your own funds.

Protecting wealth: Choosing the right insurance cover can be complex, and the availability and cost of quality cover can vary frequently. We can help you navigate the complexities of Life Insurance, Trauma Insurance, TPD (Total/Permanent Disablement) Insurance, and Income Protection. Estate planning is another crucial aspect of wealth protection. We can assist with wills, enduring powers of attorney, testamentary trusts, and other relevant mechanisms, to ensure your wishes are respected and your loved ones are protected in the event you lose the capacity to make your own decisions.

Minimising costs: We can review your current tax structures to see whether you are paying unnecessary tax. When the time arises, we can advise on areas including the timing of asset sales to ensure taxes and charges are minimised. The right timing, plus consideration of the role capital gains tax plays in the sale of property assets, can make a substantial difference to your financial result.

An agreed approach

Once we have agreed on the path towards securing your financial future, this will be formally set out in a Statement of Advice (SoA), which we will present to you in a face to face meeting. Not only does the SoA include our agreed financial strategy, it includes other key information such as the reasons for the strategy, your current financial position and the fees you will be charged. Falconer Advisers work purely on a fee for service basis, not on a percentage basis. All fees are agreed in advance, so there are no surprises.

At Falconer Advisers, you can also be assured that you are partnering with highly experienced professionals. Our firm is one of the few nation-wide to be accredited as a Professional Practice of the Financial Planning Association of Australia, our staff have high levels of formal qualifications and we have an active commitment to ongoing training and professional development. All this is combined with more than a century’s experience and success in financial planning.

Ongoing review

Over time it is possible that your objectives, goals and timelines may change. Changes to family circumstances or your employment, for example, can lead to the need to amend your financial strategy.

Legislative change in the world of finance is ongoing. Each time there is change, it needs to be considered in terms of the new opportunities it presents to enhance your financial position, as well as what challenges have been created.

It is also valuable to constantly review investments to see whether they are under or overachieving their benchmarks and to decide what changes to make.

With all these possibilities in mind, we like to meet with our clients at regular intervals, and where necessary amend the strategies in place to secure their financial future.

Working with smart people who want to make decisions is what drives us at Falconer Advisers. If you have any questions about the financial planning process or would like to organise to meet with me or one of my colleagues, please call me on 03 9600 4111 or email me at robert@falconeradvisers.com.au.