Financial Planners

As financial advisors in Perth, it is our job to know everything we can about the economy. At Approved Financial Planners, we spend a lot of time talking to clients and peers about minute details of events affecting the economy.

As you may have guessed, it hasn’t always been fun and games, starting with the end of the mining boom in WA. Even though the economy has been doing much better as of late, there is still no shortage of naysayers predicting doom and gloom for the Australian economy.

Recently, Dr Shane Oliver, the Chief Economist of AMP Capital, our parent company, published a piece on the “Oliver’s Insights” section of the company blog called, “The Australian economy – seven reasons not to be too gloomy.” The piece provided contextual background for why the naysayers are so persistent, then gave seven reasons why the economy is in better shape than the naysayers think. We would like to provide a summary for you.*

Frustrated with Slow Growth?

While the March quarter showed a 0.9% growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), annual growth is stuck at 2.3% where economists would rather see it between 3% and 3.25%. If one takes into consideration that net exports were responsible for 0.4% and inventories were responsible for 0.3%, domestic final demand was nearly flat for the March quarter and only 1.1% year to year.*

It’s that time of year again. Financial advisors and accountants in Perth are busier than ever, helping advise clients what and what not to deduct on their tax returns. We would like to provide a few general tips here. Remember: this does not constitute any individual or direct financial advice. That can only be done by a meeting with a licensed financial planner in our Perth office.

Anyway, here are some tips that may help you out.

Home Study

If you are learning a new skill at home and it is directly related to your ability to earn an income, you may be able to claim a percentage of the expenses incurred during self-education.

Work Uniforms

If your job requires you to buy work uniforms, you may be able to claim both the purchase and cleaning of the uniforms.

If you are looking for a financial advisor in Perth, you have probably noticed that there are a lot of choices out there. Financial advisors are bound by a concept called “duty of care.” The concept of having a “duty of care” is communicated in many different ways by statutes involving the provision of financial advice.

What is “Duty of Care”?

“Duty of care” basically means that your financial advisor is required to look out for your best interests and inform you of developments that may increase the risk of any investment they have recommended to you.*

Swan and Baker Pty Limited vs. Marando

It is best illustrated by a decision which was upheld by the NSW court of appeal last year: Swan and Baker Pty Limited vs. Marando. A financial advisor and the firm he worked for were accused of misleading and deceptive conduct by two investors. They were also accused of a breach of professional duty because they had provided negligent advice.*

In 2008, Mr and Mrs Marando invested $500,000 in the City Pacific Ltd Mortgage Fund on the advice of accounting firm Swan & Baker. The funds were to be invested for 90 days and available for reinvestment after the term had elapsed. Swan & Baker gave the Marandos a copy of a document called the Fund Product Disclosure Statement. Within the statement was a 14-day “cooling off” period that applied to new investments.*

The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) cited a recent Government document as confirmation that all Australians need professional financial advice. As a firm that has provided financial planning help in the Perth area since 2005, we have always felt that a good financial planner can make a difference in anyone’s future.

2015 Intergenerational Report

The document in question is produced by the Treasury: the 2015 Intergenerational Report (IGR). According to the IGR, life expectancy will increase greatly in the next forty years. At birth, men are projected to have a life expectancy of 95.1 years, while women can expect to live 96.6 years. Today’s life expectancy at birth is 91.5 years for men and 93.6 years for women.*

The end result is that, by 2055, the ratio of working Australians to those who are over 65 will be 2.7 to 1. Today, that ratio is 4.5 to 1. In 1974/75, for comparison, it was 7.3 to 1.*

Mark Rantall, who is the FPA’s CEO, feels that it will be important for Australians to maximise their superannuation funds to rely less on age pensions. According to Mr Rantall, “The IGR makes it very clear that [those with higher superannuation savings are less reliant on age pension].”

We have more than 40 years of combined experience in providing financial planning to the Perth area, but even we were surprised when we found a little-known research paper authored by Kym Irving from the Queensland Institute of Technology in 2012. The article was subsequently published by Australasian Accounting Business and Finance Journal in their special issue on Financial Planning.

According to Ms Irving, the traditional six-step process of financial planning not only impacts clients mechanically through results, but psychologically, too. One of the central themes of the article is that the physical reality of improved well-being also results in a better psychological sense of well-being.

The Six-Step Process

The very nature of financial planning is that it helps individuals create a series of positive, goal-oriented outcomes by helping them manage their funds and ensuring that they meet their financial goals. Ms Irving used a six-step model of financial planning that included:*