Professional financial planning advice:

• Gives direction and meaning to your financial decisions
• Helps protect and build your income or investments your income or investments
• Assists you to plan major changes in your personal circumstances e.g. retirement
• Allows you to see your financial decisions in the big picture
• Provides a sense of security and peace of mind that you are on track with your financial goals

When it comes to planning for the future, many Australians are missing the big picture with their money.

Despite the much-publicised increase in share ownership, many investors (or would-be investors) still have their savings stuck in bank term deposits.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are investors who may be a little too brave in the new world, wasting time and even losing money trading on the internet.

Then there are investors who are so caught up trying to minimise tax each year that they're missing out on long-term growth opportunities, while others forget to take their tax position into account at all.

There are also many investors who are genuinely interested in doing the right thing with their money, but don't know where to turn for advice.

If you're serious about reaching your long-term lifestyle and financial goals, and you want to make sure you're looking at all your options, you should talk to a professional financial planner. Your planner can put you in the best seat in the house.

Financial planners are trained and competent to advise on a range of matters, including:

• Financial management from basic budgeting to complex portfolios.
• Investment strategies, including recommending investment categories and specific products.
• Superannuation strategies to help you accumulate enough money to retire with the lifestyle you'd like and strategies to help you minimise the tax you pay right now.
• Retirement planning for people who are retiring soon or many years from now – the sooner you plan the better.
• How to use a redundancy payout most effectively, including how to make it last as long as possible.
• Insurance to make sure you adequately protect what you've achieved so far, whether that's a property, assets or your income.

Some financial planners also:

• specialise in business needs.
• can give advice about mortgages and loans.

Unless they are suitably qualified, a financial planner should not advise you about tax accounting, the law relating to estate planning and preparing a will or stockbroking. These are the jobs of other specialists. Many people arrange for all of their specialists to work together to achieve the plan you've set with your planner.

Our financial planning professionals are committed to making your interest paramount in the advice that is provided. This means that they work for you - at all times.

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Wealth Accumulation

The key to successful wealth accumulation is to set clearly defined and realistic goals and to then design a plan that will help you to achieve those goals.

An iwealth financial planner can help you design a tax effective plan and an asset allocation strategy (i.e. the porportion of shares, property, bonds and cash) that is tailored to your individual circumstances. This will take into account the length of time you will be investing and your willingness to accept volatility in your investments.

Should you need to accelerate your wealth accumulation plan, your planner can show you how to use a gearing (or "borrowing to invest") strategy that does not add to your investment risk unnecessarily.

Superannuation

When you leave your job, you will receive a number of different payments. How you use those payments could have a significant impact on your financial security and your lifestyle... now and in the future.

iwealth financial planners can design a plan that will help you to make the most of those payments. The plan will show you how to generate competitive investment returns, maintain a secure income in retirement, minimise tax and qualify for social security benefits (if appropriate).

Retirement and redundancy planning

When you leave your job, you will receive a number of different payments. How you use those payments could have a significant impact on your financial security and your lifestyle... now and in the future.

iwealth financial planners can design a plan that will help you to make the most of those payments. The plan will show you how to generate competitive investment returns, maintain a secure income in retirement, minimise tax and qualify for social security benefits (if appropriate).

 

Income and asset protection

An iwealth financial planner can help you design a comprehensive yet cost-effective insurance portfolio that will provide your family with the necessary financial support should you die or become ill or disabled.

Business planning

An iwealth financial planner can help you design and implement succession strategies that will ensure that you and your business partners are financially secure should one of you retire, become sick or disabled, or die. These strategies could help provide the necessary funding to continue the operation of your business.

In addition, an iwealth planner can advise you on all aspects of your corporate superannuation obligations, and identify cost-effective fund options that suit the needs of you and your employees.

Estate planning

An iwealth financial planner can help you prepare wills and advise you on tax-effective estate planning strategies like testamentary trusts.

iwealth financial planners can help you to implement an insurance portfolio to ensure that your family is adequately provided should your death occur. Insurances are also useful if you need additional funds to equalise payments to beneficiaries without selling key assets.

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A good financial plan should:

• Outline your financial position and needs
• Set out your goals
• Explain the strategy to achieve them
• Discuss risks and how to deal with them
• Recommend investments to manage your money
• Show how each investment will get you to your goals
• Set out all costs clearly
• Tell you about commissions and benefits that your financial planner will receive

Once your financial plan is in place you should:

• Review it at least once a year
• Keep an eye on your investments
• If major changes occur in your circumstances, ask your planner to review the plan
• If any changes are recommended, ensure you get a written explanation and read it carefully before making any changes.

Any investment decision implies some risk. Risk is the price you pay for returns. Just as the more work you do, the more you should be paid, so the more risk you take, the higher the return you should receive. This is “the risk/reward trade-off”. It is one of the key concepts of investment.

With a better understanding of the types of investment risk, you can make a more information investment decision – accepting some risk and rejecting others. In other word – you can manage risk.

Risk type	What it means
Mismatch risk	The investment you choose may not suit your needs and circumstances.
Inflation risk	That the purchasing power of your money will be eroded by inflation.
Interest rate risk	The risk that changing interest rates will reduce your returns or cause you to lose money.
Market risk	The risk that movements in asset markets (share markets, bond markets, etc) reduce the value of your investment or returns.
Market timing	That the timing of your investment decision risk will expose you to lower returns or capital loss.
Risk of poor	The poor performance of a small number diversification of assets significantly affects your total portfolio.
Currency risk	The risk that currency movements will affect your investment.
Liquidity risk	The risk that you may not be able to access your money quickly or cheaply when you need to.
Credit risk	The risk that the institution you invest with may not meet its obligations (ie, default on interest payments).
Legislative risk	You lose capital or suffer reduced returns due to changes in laws and regulations.
Gearing risk	The added risk involved in borrowing to invest.

An iwealth financial planner can help you make the most out of your investments and savings.

Topics such as tax, debt, superannuation, protection and estate planning can be tricky, but your planner can recommend strategies that will suit your own circumstances and financial goals.

If you don't have an existing relationship with an iwealth planner, and would like to meet with an iwealth financial planner for a free initial consultation, please complete this form.