Your financial spectrum is unique to you, and uncovering it doesn’t start by measuring you up for life insurance. It starts with knowing which questions to ask, then listening to the answers.
An investment unit on the Newcastle waterfront might suit your neighbour and be exactly the wrong move for you. We’re planning for you, not your neighbour, your colleague or your brother-in-law. Where do you want to get to, and how will you get there?
Antony at Financial Spectrum has guided me in accounting, SMSF, trusts, tax planning, insurance, investments, and estate planning matters. His personable, holistic approach and deep expertise ensure my financial strategy aligns with my values and meets my objectives.
Financial Spectrum helped us so much with our retirement planning, taxes, wills and financial advice. Always available with prompt email response. Full transparency and guidance with setting up our plans. Real world and experienced advice.
The expertise and attention to detail with which Parker Silk has handled my financial affairs could not be faulted. Particularly reassuring to me is my feeling of certainty in his absolute integrity.
Greg and the team at Financial Spectrum are a group of authentic, sincere, and friendly financial planners. He prioritises getting to know you by asking the right questions without being in any rush. I’m very happy that Financial Spectrum are managing my investments and retirement plans.
Finding the right financial adviser was challenging in an industry full of biased advice and product-pushing, but Brenton was honest, logical, and refreshing. I now have clarity on growing my net worth with genuine and logical guidance — no false promises, just results that surpass anything I’ve experienced.
Brenton’s guidance and an “always on” service approach has been absolutely fantastic for my family and I. His friendly, proactive and strategic advice is always clearly explained and backed up by his support team who have been impeccable in looking after our requirements.
What impressed us most was Antony’s clarity, professionalism, and genuinely client-focused approach. Unlike many financial services, Financial Spectrum operates on a fee-only basis, which gave us peace of mind knowing that every piece of advice was in our best interest.
Our services
We work across four key areas of financial advice, and they connect. Most clients need help across more than one of these, and because we handle all four in-house, everything works to the same plan rather than being pieced together from separate firms that don’t talk to each other.
Getting the foundations right,
so your income, tax & everyday money work as hard as you do.
Building wealth in a way that matches your goals and the level of risk you're comfortable with.
Looking after what you've built, for you and the people who depend on you.
Support for business owners, from the business itself through to your team's financial wellbeing.
How we work with you
1. Initial call
Most client relationships start with a phone call, where we’ll give you an overview of how we work and arrange a time for your complimentary strategy session. It’s obligation-free and usually runs about an hour. We can meet at our Sydney CBD, Balmain or Bondi Junction offices, or via video call all work if that’s easier for you.
2. Getting to know you
Before we meet, we’ll send you a short questionnaire about you, your circumstances and what you’re hoping to achieve. It tells us which areas to explore in the meeting, so we can build a proper understanding of your situation from the start.
3. Complimentary strategy session
At the first meeting we’ll talk through your current situation, any challenges you’re facing, and start to map out your financial and lifestyle goals. What we learn here is what we’d use to build a plan tailored to you, if you decide to go ahead.
4. Second meeting
We’ll share our initial thinking on your future and check we’re heading in the right direction. If you’re happy to proceed, we’ll present our fee agreement. From there we map out several strategies using our own research and modelling tools.
5. Strategy meeting
We’ll take you through the strategies we’ve prepared and show how each one moves you towards your financial and lifestyle goals. You’ll see how different decisions play out over time. The priority is that you understand what we’re discussing and feel confident it’s right for you.
6. Strategy refinement meeting
Refining your strategy can take one meeting or several, depending on how complex your situation is and how you like to make decisions. We don’t cap the number of refinements, because our commitment is that you end up with the plan you actually want. As we work through it, you’ll get a clear understanding of your options and their long-term effects, and settle on the approach that suits you best.
7. Presenting your financial plan
Once you’re comfortable with the strategy, we prepare the full version of your plan, called a Statement of Advice. It sets out detailed recommendations and a step-by-step path for improving your position. We present it face-to-face so you can ask questions and move forward with confidence.
8. Delivering your financial plan
Every plan is implemented differently. Yours might involve budgeting and debt reduction, arranging insurance, estate planning, investing in managed funds, exploring property, or a mix of tactics suited to your goals. Whatever it takes, we work alongside you to put the plan in place and answer questions as they come up.
9. Ongoing Support
Once your plan is in place, we’re here for the long term. Your circumstances, the markets and the rules all change over time, so we review your portfolio and situation regularly to keep you on track towards your goals.
Why Financial Spectrum?
We’re privately owned, so our advice answers to you, not to a bank or outside shareholders. We charge a fee for our time and advice, based on the complexity of your situation rather than the size of your portfolio, because every client’s future matters equally.
There’s very little talk about products at all. We spend the time up front understanding you, your values and where you want to get to, then build the strategy around that.
Our fees and guarantee
Everything is out in the open. We’re privately owned, with no links to banks or financial institutions, and we charge a simple flat fee for our time and advice.
That fee reflects the complexity of the work, not whether we’re advising on fifty thousand dollars or five million. Every client’s financial future matters just as much.
We’re confident we can deliver value well above what you invest in our advice, and we back that with a money-back guarantee. If our Statement of Advice doesn’t show clearly how we’ll save you more than our fee, we’ll refund it in full, without question.
How does Financial Spectrum charge?
Why do you charge more than some financial planners?
Does Financial Spectrum accept commissions?
Financial Spectrum is privately owned and fee-for-service: we charge a flat fee for our advice, so what we recommend isn’t driven by selling products. Where insurance is involved, the insurer pays a commission, and we rebate it back to you rather than keeping it. Because of that, the premiums our clients pay can be up to 30% lower than the standard retail rate. This all means we only recommend a product or course of action because we believe it’s the best fit for your goals, and we can recommend the full range of options, including ones such as industry super funds and low-cost ETFs that some advisers skip because there’s little in it for them.
Are there any hidden fees in your financial advice?
Does Financial Spectrum guarantee I’ll be better off by getting financial advice?
We’re confident enough in the value we create that we back it with a money-back guarantee. If your Statement of Advice doesn’t clearly show how we’ll save you more than you invest in our advice, we’ll refund our fees in full, without question.
Keeping your plan on track
Do you charge ongoing service fees?
Different clients need different things. Once your plan is in place, ongoing service is optional. Some clients prefer us to manage things on a regular basis; others would rather look after their own portfolio and check in from time to time. Either way, the support is there when you need it, and we’re happy to work the way that suits you.
Can I manage my investments myself and engage you when needed?
Yes. Your needs change as your life does. Ongoing clients touch base with their adviser regularly, while our DIY clients check back in as things come up and simply pay for the time they use. You can move between the two as well: ongoing support through busier periods, then a lighter, needs-based arrangement once things settle.
Who is in control of my investments?
You are. We set up all your investments in your own name, which keeps you in full control. Many advisers instead hold client investments on a wrap platform, which makes managing things yourself difficult and adds a layer of fees across the whole life of the investment.