What 15 years of toil looks like.
I have been working with some of my clients for close on 20 years. They were previously customers from one of the major banks I worked at and they have stuck with my advice over these years. It gives me a great feeling to know that these relationships have stood the test of time. With Tech busts, Asian Contagion, Y2K, 1998 Russian Financial Crisis, a little thing called the GFC and any number of future distractions that dot our retirement plans.
In the last 6 months, I have had a handful of say 4 business clients that we have worked with over this time who have sold their businesses and are now immersing themselves in the ENJOY module. One of these business started with a couple of hundred thousand dollars in a SMSF 15 years ago. Not a bad start with 15 years until retirement. A nice foundation from which to start building a nest egg to obtain a passive income stream from for the rest of their life.
Each year they would transfer the maximum amount of deductible funds into super to minimise tax and to save for a rainy day. Every year for 15 years. The investments were pretty boring. Predominately Australian shares, Listed property trusts, Cash and Term Deposits. Over this extended period, we instigated a strong investment process that involved a regular buy of shares every single month. Irrespective of the current "force majeure" or apocalyptic economic drama, we continued to be disciplined and focussed on building capital for retirement. Our annual re-balancing programme is also an important component that differentiates our financial planning firm from others. This ensures that an asset class that achieves returns greater than others is sold down at a pre-determined time and allocated across those assets that have under-performed, compared to the other asset classes. Do you get the picture? Simple investments in the right structure with the foundation of a strong, actively managed investment strategy. Oh, and 15 years worth of work. Our firm won't make you wealthy, only your efforts can ensure your wealth. Our main job is to make sure that you don't make the BIG mistakes.
“Our firm won’t make you wealthy. Only your efforts can ensure your wealth.”
The business was recently sold and based upon the time frames of their business ownership and great advice from his accountant, their was zero Capital Gains Tax paid on the sale of this business which was his family's source of income for 30 years. Tax savings = more money in your pocket. As a result of the retirement advice, we were able to create a tax free income stream for the rest of this clients life. So on a few million dollars, this client has NOT paid CGT and based upon current tax laws, will never pay income tax on these funds again and has sufficient capital to not only outlive him, but provide a continuing legacy for his family.
Do I sound a little excited? You bet I am because as a Financial Planner, this is what we work so hard for with our clients. Creating the behaviours that will maximise your families chances of retiring comfortably is what we offer. Now, not all clients are like this one, but many who follow our advice are in a way better position as a result of following our advice. It's a known fact that clients who work with a Financial Planner will have more assets even after fees and charges.
If you have concerns about retirement or simply want to get an idea of what is required to achieve a comfortable financial life after your career or business endeavours, then make sure you get in touch with us.
