2017 has been a year full of surprises, changes and announcements. We saw a world divided over the inauguration of President Trump, the Australian Government announced a royal commission within the banking sector and cryptocurrencies appear to have become a household term overnight.
For the XY community, 2017 has undoubtedly been the biggest year yet with an increasing presence of nearly 1,500 enthusiastic members driving the positive evolution of financial advice. With the Facebook group evolving into a central intelligence hub for advisers, the podcast getting a professional makeover, a new membership site on its way and events that are now moving out of Sydney and into a national agenda, it’s fair to say that when it comes to XY in 2018, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
To reflect on the year that was and to discuss the exciting things ahead; Clayton, Adrian, Ben and Ray all got together to shoot the breeze on things like:
…plus loads more and with plenty of laughs!
XY Adviser started when a handful of people got together and asked how they could best serve their clients and the industry they love. Today, the success of XY Adviser is the result of an entire community who understands the value and benefit that comes with sharing knowledge and ideas and supporting each other. 2017 has been great, but we have a feeling 2018 is going to be EPIC!
Enjoy.
Two years ago we interviewed Cathryn Gross who was just two months into launching her brand new business Twelve Wealth. Two years on from the single most downloaded XY Live podcast ever (watch it here), it was a no brainer that we had to get Cathryn back on the show to follow up and get the juicy on what it’s really like building an advice business from scratch.
From starting out with referrals from her hairdresser and GP to now working with upwards of 30 really engaged and sticky clients, Cathryn has developed a business model that targets a very specific niche clientele while providing a high level of service focusing on both the logical and emotional value she can add to client’s lives and financial wellbeing.
In this episode both Cathryn and Ben are not shy in opening up about some of the important and often personal aspects of running an advice business such as:
…and all with figures included!
Cathryn also explains why she has moved away from the traditional process of trying to implement all of the different elements of a full SOA all at the same time and how she has successfully retained the client’s commitment to fulfilling their implementation obligations by doing this.
This episode is for anyone who has ever thought about taking the leap and going out on their own. This episode is for anyone who already owns an advice business. This episode is for anyone who wants some fresh ideas as to how they can best service their clients. This episode is for everyone in advice.
Take it all in, take notes and enjoy!
Is this the most useful whitepaper ever produced in Financial Services?
Benjamin Marshan is at the forefront of a digital whitepaper having just been released by the FPA and encompassing months (and months) of research looking at the marketplace relative to Fintech and the Financial Services industry. We have an accidental run-in at Bunnings to thank for the idea which kick started a project analysing over 400 Fintech startups and piecing together a document designed to act as a ‘thought starter’ when looking at practice efficiencies and the advice process.
Ben addresses the obvious pain points being felt by most advisers like which technologies should we be implementing in our practices and questions that perhaps we haven’t even considered – is there a benefit to working with Fintech companies that look to exclude the adviser? Here’s our favourite takeaways from this week’s XY Live:
With chapter titles such as ‘Do you know how to Fintech’, this interactive digital whitepaper is chock-a-block full of useful information, tips and advice which you can implement into your practice now and evolve into the future. Don’t worry, there is also a paper version available here which can be downloaded, saved, opened, printed, stapled, read and then probably lost in amongst all the other paperwork floating around your office. Or, check out the digital version here and experience interactive technology in the way your client’s may just be able to do so with your advice presentation soon.
Daring. Different. Disruptive. Fox & Hare are taking everything we know about the ‘traditional’ approach of giving advice and breaking it, re-shaping it and re-building a framework (from the ground up might we add) that is value driven and specifically tailored to help their clients live a life they aspire to.
You could say Glen Hare and Jessica Brady were both crazy (and some people did) for leaving behind highly successful corporate roles to start their own advice firm and without purchasing a single book of clients. You could say they are still crazy for the 13+ hour days they put in and the Saturday morning client meetings they organise on the regular.
But it’s when you digest the ‘whys’ of what they do that you realise they’re not crazy at all, they’re passionate. From this XY Live, here’s a summary of what two courageous and driven individuals are doing to change the way we deliver advice, straight from the Fox & Hare’s mouth:
And plenty more…
Glen and Jessica believe everyone has some kind of financial aspiration, but most just don’t have a game plan. They are making it their mission to understand their client’s pain points and then move mountains to overcome them.
Enjoy!
You’ve heard the latest industry buzzwords popping up left, right and centre – disruption, innovation, Fintech. But what do that actually mean and more importantly, how do they relate and what benefit are they to financial advisers?
Back from a recent expedition across the seas to the annual Fincon Conference and jumping on the opportunity to further understand the people and technologies that have changed the world in Silicon Valley, Pieta Diamantidis, Co-Founder of Caboodle Financial Services and aspiring ‘bionic adviser’ helps us to understand how far we’ve come since the first ‘tech bubble’, to what’s happening (or not happening) in the industry now and where this ever-evolving digital space is headed.
As this informative (and energetic) discussion coincides with the upcoming XY Adviser event ‘Silicon Valley on Bridge Street’; Peita, Ray & Adrian delve down the rabbit hole of some interesting and thought provoking topics such as:
Identifying such interesting and at times controversial topics, Peita is excited as ever to expand on this by asking the hard-hitting questions with guest speakers Joel Robbie (Nod Money), Ben Heap (H2 Ventures) and Clayton Daniel (Sprout Super) at next week’s event.
If you have a question surrounding the disruptive Fintech space, feel free to shoot it through to contact@xyadviser.com and Peita be sure to address them on the night. Or better yet, grab your ticket for the event and ask the experts yourself. It’s going to be a cracker of a night!
Investing with your head and your heart. This sums up the work of Geoff Wilson and his team of investment fund managers at Wilson Asset Management (WAM).
With over 37 years’ experience in the investment market industry, Geoff Wilson pioneered Australia’s first ever listed philanthropic wealth creation vehicles (Future Generation Investment Company & Future Generation Global Investment Company) and has crafted a philosophy that benefits shareholders and investors and uses this as a driver to give back to the community by donating a percentage of investment returns to Australian and International charities.
Geoff brings the what’s, the how’s and the why’s of philanthropic investing by exploring some key elements including:
Geoff believes that as we move up the Maslow hierarchy of needs, there comes a time when we should ask ourselves how we can give back to the community we operate in.
“We all have a responsibility and a right to give back, and we are simply providing the funnel or the structure for this to happen” – Geoff Wilson.
You’re going to love this one!
“Having rubbish content is like trying to put lipstick on a pig” – Thea Cowie from 99Content
Thea Cowie is the editor and content marketing guru from 99Content who understands the importance of using content marketing to make your business’ brand really shine.
In today’s episode we explore all of the components that make up great content marketing and how you can implement these best practices to provide consistent, engaging and personalised content that will continually add value to your current and future clients and in turn, your bottom line.
During this exciting and comical Q&A discussion, Thea gives us the low down on the following:
…and much more!
There’s a piece of content on the internet for just about every topic. How are you going to ensure you position yourself as an expert in your industry and provide clients with quality, value added content to best help them through their financial journey?
Enjoy!
On this episode of XY Live, we will be discussing with Chris how to balance out all the competing priorities in your business, from business development to service innovation and getting the right people around you. As the current CEO of MyProsperity and ex CEO of Xero Chris will share the mistakes he’s made and many of the things he’s learnt at the business start up stage which are useful to financial advice practices.
Note: there was some great value shared in this session, however, audio issues were experienced at times. Please use the fast forward function to skip through when low audio quality is experienced.
Interviews by Adrian Patty
Michael Back, a specialist consultant to Financial Advice businesses, will be joining us to unpack how people can achieve more fulfillment in the workplace. We’ll be running through how employees can find more passion in what they do and also what businesses can do to help them achieve this. Michael will share his personal story as well as the insights he’s gleaned from working with some of the best advice businesses in Australia.
Interviews by Ray Jaramis
So you’re in your business and wondering how you can get better relationships with your clients and keep them around for longer whilst leveraging referral opportunities at the same time.
Social proof in the digital age is huge and potential clients are googling more than ever to learn about the people they’re considering doing work with.
Join us with Ray McHale to discuss all things building a digital presence and what this means for your business now and into the future.
Interviews by Clayton Daniel.
Join us on this exciting episode with Steve Crawford, Financial Coach & Adviser at Experience Wealth to discuss Cash Flow and a lot more. Watch it here.
On this special episode of XY Live, we had Simon O'Dell, Co-founder of Manner & Director of Eagle Insurance Brokers to talk about general insurance in your advice offering.
On this special episode of XY Live, we have Clayton Daniel chat with Angus Woods, Managing Director at Adviser Ratings to discuss about Dealer Groups. Listen here as they talk about how they are connecting people and bring bright ideas with those who provide it at a better cost, in better ways and with greater transparency.
Interviews by Ray Jaramis
Finding a personal loan with good terms can be challenging, which is why some borrowers consider peer-to-peer (P2P) lending. Crown Money Management is Australia’s leading specialist in debt and money management and we are fortunate enough to have CEO Scott Parry join us to talk all things P2P lending solutions for his clients.
Interviews by Adrian Patty
This week we had Muneesh Wadha, Founder of Humanity in Business, to share his story on how they have been inspiring leaders who are creating highly engaged and purposeful businesses. They have also talked about how can advisers get their clients.
Interviews by Adrian Patty
Sam Robinson and Josh Winsgrove will delve into why they made the call to set up a board and how the did it. We’ll discuss the benefits the challenges and the way other advice practices can do it as well.
In this episode we had Adrian Patty talk to Gavin Glozier from Your Wealth Hub about some of the stats around financial wellness program. Learn more of the prospective client journey and how has it been designed. Listen to what technology was helpful and how it affected the bottom line.
In this episode of XY Live with Ben Nash, Adrian Patty, Phil Thompson and Naomi Christopher had a very informative Forum Chat with Dante De Gori, CEO of the Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA). Listen here as they talked about Digital Advice and how it is changing the game. Learn about the role of the traditional adviser play in the future of advice and professional standards play out with technology.
Join our community on Facebook! In the interest of making people comfortable to share in confidence we require everyone to complete a short survey and acknowledge the intent of the group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/XYAdviser
Interviews by Adrian Patty and Phil Thompson
In this episode of XY Live, Christopher Bates of Wealthful has focused a lot on the property conversation with clients over the last few years. He has been a Financial Planner and Mortgage Broker based in Sydney and Melbourne. He will be sharing how he incorporates it into his advice offering, what the challenges have been and his hot tips for advisers wanting to expand their engagement and service in this space. He will be also be sharing how his conversations take place around helping clients understand when there's a conflict between their goals.
On this XY Live on Facebook Live session, we have Adrian Patty and Ben Nash to talk to David Boyer from Sequal CFO and the From the Trenches podcast. In 2014, he established Sequel CFO subsequent to seeing an excessive number of SME organizations neglect to increase financial control and perceivability from their internal accounting function.
He'll be explaining how to engage for a profitable relationship with accountants, explore the challenges, find opportunities and share insights and tips on how to go about it.
Interviews by Phil Thompson and Clayton Daniel
In this episode of XY Live on Facebook Live, we had Chris Hockey of Innovative Financial Solutions, who talked about how he was able to build a national advice firm from a one-man practice. Listen to his story.
Interviews by Ben Nash and Naomi Christopher
In this episode of XY Live on Facebook Live, we have James Millard, Founder and Director of YOLO Financial Services, to share with you lessons , debunk a few myths, and provide guidance on starting a Financial Blog.
Interviews by Ray Jaramis and Phil Thompson
Did you know you can offer financial advice for $30? NOD has facilitated over 2000 consumers questions to advisers with an average turn around time of 24 hours.
Nod's mission is to create a platform where everyone on the planet can get on-demand access to help with financial decisions and questions about money from a network of trusted financial experts. NODs target market are young people – generally those under 35 – who do not currently have a financial adviser but are making big money decisions around things like buying a car or house, getting married, starting a family, or launching a business.
Getting advice about money is as simple as: 1) Ask a question. 2) Pick an adviser. 3) Get a great answer.
Founder Joel Robbie is interviewed this week to talk all things start up about how the platform came into being.
Join us again next week. XY Live Episode 41 - Lessons learned from starting a financial blog and tips for setting one up on XY Adviser Facebook Live!
Interviews by Ben Nash, Phil Thompson, Adrian Patty, Clayton Daniel and Naomi Christopher
In this episode of XY Live on Facebook Live, we have the folks of XY Live together with Nick Hake, General Manager, Partnerships & Campus AFA. This exciting Forum Chat is about exchanging ideas around education in the financial advice profession - is a degree a high enough benchmark?
Interviews by Ben Nash and Adrian Patty
This week we have Steve Nielsen talking 'How to drive efficiencies in your advice'. Steve will be sharing his tips and the process he used to scale his business and streamline his advice processes.