Penrith based Financial Advice with Unrivalled Service, Care and Integrity

FAQ

Many are unsure if they are suited to receiving financial advice. Our best clients:

  • Seek Help Willingly: They recognize the value of professional financial advice and are open to seeking it.
  • Have Financial Goals: They have specific financial goals, such as retirement savings, home purchase, debt reduction, or other objectives.
  • Follow Advice Willingly: They are open to following their advisor’s financial guidance and making necessary behaviour changes.
  • Share Financial Information: They provide accurate and complete information about income, expenses, assets, and liabilities.
  • Commit to Long-Term Planning: They understand that financial planning is a long-term endeavour and remain committed to the process.
  • Value Diversification: They appreciate the importance of diversifying investments to align with their risk tolerance and financial goals.
  • Demonstrate Patience: They are patient and do not expect immediate results from investments or financial decisions.
  • Are Willing to Pay for Advice: They are willing to compensate their financial advisor for their services, knowledge, and experience.

We have a responsibility to act in the best interests of our clients and to provide suitable advice based on your financial situation, goals, and risk tolerance. There are certain types of clients for whom obtaining financial advice may not be suitable. Here are some examples:

  • Individuals with unrealistic expectations: Clients who expect guaranteed high returns with no risk are not suitable for financial advice. It’s essential to have realistic expectations about the financial markets and investment outcomes.
  • Those who don’t follow advice: Some clients have a history of not following financial advice or making impulsive decisions. In such cases, it may be more productive to focus on improving financial literacy and discipline before seeking additional advice.
  • Speculative investors: If a client is solely interested in speculative or high-risk investments and is not open to more diversified and conservative strategies, it may be challenging for their advisor to provide suitable advice that aligns with their risk tolerance and financial goals.
  • Those in dire financial situations: If a client is in a severe financial crisis or has no income and assets, it may be more appropriate for them to seek assistance from a financial counsellor or social service agency to address immediate financial needs.
  1. Evaluation – Quality financial guidance relies on trust, respect, and clear communication. We start with a phone or virtual meeting to understand your financial situation and goals. This helps us see if we’re a good fit. If we are, we’ll guide you to complete our client information form.
  2. Information gathering – To give you the best financial guidance, we need to get to know your unique financial situation really well. We dedicate a significant amount of time to collect information about your current financial status, family situation, and your goals. Here’s how we do it:
    • We start by analyzing the details you provided us on our client information form.
    • In our first meeting, we’ll work together to fill in any missing information, so we have a complete picture of your financial world, just like you do. This helps us offer you the most personalised and beneficial advice.
  3. Research/Analysis – Once we are armed with an intimate knowledge of your affairs, we apply our knowledge and experience to research the potential strategies and solutions that may be suitable. Crucial in this process is analysing market trends, investment opportunities, and risk factors. We consider several alternatives in this process, eliminating those that don’t result in the optimal outcome for you. This comprehensive research forms the foundation of our recommendations.
  4. Strategy Presentation – We’ll present our findings clearly, without jargon, explaining recommendations, reasons, and potential pitfalls. We’ll guide you through scenarios and create a financial roadmap. Our goal is to empower you to make informed decisions through a conversation. We’ll answer your questions, address concerns, and ensure you’re comfortable with the path we’re charting together.
  5. Implementation – Once you’ve accepted our guidance, we handle the implementation of our recommendations, ensuring a seamless process. We work closely with financial institutions, manage paperwork, and if necessary, collaborate with your accountant, mortgage broker and solicitor.
  6. Review – Financial planning is an ongoing effort to achieve your goals, requiring continuous monitoring for lasting financial security. Due to the dynamic nature of superannuation, pensions, taxes, social security, and economic conditions, it’s crucial to regularly review, adjust, and improve your plan to optimize the effectiveness of your financial recommendations.
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Yes. It is important that you review the strategies and products that support your financial situation on a regular basis to confirm that they continue to meet your circumstances and financial needs. A number of things change over time including:

  • How your needs may have changed
  • The economic environment
  • The legislative environment
  • Fund manager and investment performance
  • Your taxation position and the tax position of your investments
  • Social security issues
  • Investment availability and suitability


In some cases, however, clients need one-off advice to get their affairs in order. Post this, ongoing advice is not essential and can be provided on an ad-hoc basis on their request.

Financial advice benefits people of all income and wealth levels. We can help with budgeting, debt, investing, retirement, tax, and estate planning. There are countless strategies we employ that benefit those in their early adult life with minimal wealth, right through to those who require social security support in retirement to meet their income needs.

In some cases, where we don’t believe the traditional financial planning process will benefit you, we provide you with the education and information to commence your own journey of financial development.

We operate on a fee for service basis for all strategy oriented, superannuation and investment advice.

The upfront cost to prepare and present a formal advice strategy, tailored to your needs, starts at $3,290 inclusive of GST. It may increase from there due to complexity and scope of the advice.

 
We also offer:

  • Administrative services
  • Assistance with Centrelink (Age Pension or Senior Health Card applications, the updating of MyGov)


In these circumstances, formal financial advice is not required and the fee is simply based on the hourly rate of the staff member conducting the work.

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Join us on this exciting financial journey. 

Connect with MLS Financial today, and let’s work together to turn your financial dreams into reality.