Frequently Asked Questions( FAQs)

Some of the areas we focus on are:

• Strategies to help increase your wealth and support your long-term goals
• Provide confidence that your hard-earned dollars aren’t stollen by circumstances outside your control
• A return on your money, over time, that will help you achieve your personal and family needs, wants and goals

One easy way to start this process is to search the Internet for information about Professional Advisers or the businesses they work for. You can also use the Find Consultant service through Industry Associations such as the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA).

After deciding on a Financial Advisor, the first meeting is your chance to determine if you feel comfortable with them. A sure sign of a good financial planner is that they spend time to listen to you and articulate how they can and cannot add value. We always recommend you meet anyone you are considering seeking financial advice from, that way you can determine if they are the right person for you.

Also, Financial Planners are required to provide a Financial Services Guide (FSG) to anyone they are going to provide their services to. An FSG should provide information about the services the advisor is authorised to provide, as well as information about their licensee, their certifications, fees, and much more.

Fees for financial advisors vary depending on your requirements and the complexity of the plan requested. Retire Ready Wealth Management’s Financial Services Guide contains detailed information about the financial services we provide, licensee details, fees, and more.

At Retire Ready Wealth Management, we don’t charge for our first appointment with you. This initial meeting will determine if we are the right fit for each other. At this meeting we ask a series of questions about your finances to better understand your financial position and determine if you are on track to meet your financial goals.

At the conclusion of this meeting, we will be able to tell you our fees for any proposed work.

An introductory meeting with Financial Advisors is a terrific opportunity for you to determine if you feel comfortable and will be able to establish good, working, relationship with them. It’s also a great opportunity to sound them out about their professional background.

To help determine if the fit is right for you, here are some key questions to ask your financial advisor at the first meeting.

What are your qualifications?

Make sure you are comfortable with their educational background and experience with financial Planning.

What do you specialise in?

Many financial planners specialise in specific fields, such as; Superannuation;Self-Managed SuperFunds;Life & Income Protection insurance; retirement planning; etc. By asking this question you will be able to identify if the advisor has the knowledge and skills to help with the advice you are looking for.

Financial advisors are required by law to disclose all types of payments and fees they will receive. This information must be provided and agreed upon, by you, prior to any work being done. The cost for their services will vary, depending on the complexity of the advice you require.

We suggest you always review a Financial Advisors, Financial Services Guide, as it outlines the advice and services they can provide, information about their licensee and associated fees.

For information about which associations or professional bodies a Financial Adviser belongs to, check ASIC’s Financial Advisor register.

Retire Ready Wealth Management advisers are members of the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA).

At Retire Ready Wealth Management, we call our first client meeting the “Meet & Greet”. It’s designed so we can both get to know each other, prior to either of us making any commitments to move to the next stage of the advice process.

At this meeting, we like to discuss where you are now, how you got there, where you want to be and what you want to do along the way. In this session we discuss your expectations and introduce you to our services and consultation process.

When attending this meeting we recommend that you have the following information with you:

• Photo ID
• Tax File Number
• All your investments. Information identifying who they are with and current values
• All your debts, who it’s with and what you owe
• Details about any personal insurance policies you have i.e. sums insured, types of cover (Life, Income Protection, etc), premiums and who you are insured with
• Your income – personal (including all investments, pensions, etc).
• Anything else you may consider important.

When looking for a financial adviser, it is important to make sure that you are happy with their professional qualifications and are at ease when you are meeting with them.

Some good questions to ask your financial adviser at the first meeting are:

What are your qualifications?
Make sure you are comfortable with their educational background and experience in financial planning.

What do you specialise in?
Many financial planners specialise in specific fields, such as; Superannuation; self-managed super funds; Life & Income Protection insurance; retirement planning;etc. By asking this question you will be able to identify if the advisor has the knowledge and skills to help what you are looking for.

Yes, most financial advisors can help you understand your cash flow and manage your finances more effectively.

People often turn to financial planners to help simplify their finances and set achievable financial goals.

Financial Planners can assist you in areas, such as: budgeting; cash management; savings planning; retirement benefits; tax planning;mortgage repayment; debt management and reduction; life insurance;investing and retirement.

Understand that your financial goals will change over the course of your life. You need a financial plan that you can follow and help you through all stages of your life.

With the intent of always working in your best interest, financial planning is about following a process to discover your needs, financial situation and objectives. It’s a personal journey that often unveils a wealth of information you didn’t even know existed.

Once your adviser has completed all their enquiries, they are then in a position to develop strategies to provide the advice you are seeking.

All advice is provided in a written document called a Statement of Advice. It’s designed to clearly set out your advisers recommendations, costs, benefits and risks associated with the advice.

Once you have received the advice and decided you wish to proceed with the recommendations, your advisor can assist with setting everything up.

In some instances, should the advice be complex, you may request your adviser provide ongoing assistance to help with managing your investments or other parts of the advice. They may even provide an ongoing review service for you. Should this be required, usually a separate agreement to that provided in you Statement of Advice, will be entered into.