Questions I would like to know include:

• What are your values?
• What are the most important aspects of your role?
• How do you advise clients?
• How do you think?

So let me outline some of my philosophy when it comes to advising you:

• A fee based approach can dissolve much of the concern about conflicted advice. That said, I generally don’t charge via an hourly fee. If a fee based on brokerage or assets under management can distract the adviser, a fee based on time can equally distract the client to the detriment of the goal. Neither is ideal.
• I’m here to engage you in the decision making process. The person best placed to look after your money is you.
• Hence my goal is to give you the necessary information so that (together) we can make an informed decision.
• There is a time for action and there is a time for inaction – ‘thoughtfully doing nothing’ is often more important than constantly doing something.
• The adviser – client relationship is invariably a very personal one. It has to be, as I want to know what is most important to you in life. This can be confronting for some, but persevere.
• It is said that ‘people sense your energy long before you open your mouth’. As an adviser this is not so much about having a positive outlook, but a positive attitude. The adviser – client relationship needs to be based on a positive attitude.
• I value the position of trust that I hold with clients as the most important aspect of my role. It’s these close relationships that make this such a great profession.
• Life is complex enough, so a great goal is to make sure your advice is as simple and flexible as possible.
• Is not just about being sincere…it’s also about being authentic.
• This quote attributable to the late Bryce Courtenay speaks volumes: “In a competitive world so much importance is put on winning at any cost that we sometimes forget that honesty, decency and integrity are the ultimate victors in both business and life”. We describe this as mutual trust and respect.
• I have a strong sense of community. We live in a very fortunate country and generally have a very fortunate life. Even during the depths of the GFC, when I looked outside the sun was still shining and the birds were still singing. What that reminded me was of the need to look for what’s going right, not to dwell on what’s going wrong.

Also what do I expect:

• Stay engaged. The clients who gain the most from our services are the ones who remain engaged. This means setting aside the time for our review meetings, actively communicating with me about changes in your life, asking questions.
• Respond to our requests promptly. We have a number of clients, so it impacts everyone if we have to chase up items.
• You trust me to provide sensible advice. I trust you to pay our fees…and on time please.

I’ll continue to update this over time as other thoughts come to mind.