Frequently
asked
questions

Our financial advice process involves:

• Initial consultation to understand your aspirations, your family, your values, your goals, your lifestyle needs, your financial situation, your complexities and your concerns.
• Analysis of your current financial position and future requirements, including research, scenario planning and modelling. Taking into consideration cash flow, debt, tax structures, investments, superannuation, insurance and estate planning.
• Development of a personalised financial strategy complete with specific plans and actions to progress you towards your financial goals and objectives. Ample time is spent explaining, clarifying and confirming the recommendations with you.
• Implementation of your strategy, including asset allocation, investment recommendations, risk management, tax structures and platforms (if required) 
• Ongoing monitoring and refinement, to manage risks and opportunities to ensure your strategy continues to evolve and remains on track to best deliver what you want from life whilst continuing to build and preserve your wealth. This entails regular engagement with our team.
• Leading the collaboration with other professionals (such as specialist accountants, tax lawyers, estate and property specialists) to ensure your strategy is cohesive and seamless. We are not bound to any one partner and can seek opportunities to best suit your needs

We are a flat dollar fee financial advice firm. Our fee will be confirmed with you before we provide any advice to you and is transparent and based solely on the services we provide. We do not earn commissions based on the size of the balance you have to invest. Our advice is unbiased and focused solely on your best interests, goals and financial objectives.

An initial flat dollar fee is charged for the initial work we will do to put your strategy in place.  For the continued management, analysis and refinement of your strategy, an annual fee (prorated and paid in instalments over 12 months) will be charged and is often tax deductible. 

Our fees are based on;

– The complexity of your financial situation and advice needs

– The frequency of engagement required

– The expertise and technical competence required to fulfil your needs

– The responsiveness and accessibility of our team

We will outline a review schedule specific to your needs. Ongoing assessment of your progress and refinement of your plan is essential to ensure it remains aligned with your goals and adapts to any changes in your circumstances and the legislative and economic landscape. 

At a minimum we will organise a comprehensive review on an annual basis, however for more complex strategies, twice or three times per year may be required. 

At all times around our formal meetings we are accessible to address any unexpected events or concerns that may arise on matters large or small. Providing an objective voice and sounding board is a valuable asset for our clients. It is for this reason we remain deliberately boutique, to allow us to be connected and responsive to our client’s needs. 

We can’t control the speed at which financial markets move, legislative requirements or personal lives change. We can however control how quickly and expertly these changes are consistently factored into your financial strategy.

Our Financial Advisers are highly qualified and hold relevant undergraduate degrees (Economic or Commerce) and have either completed or in the process of completing post graduate study such as a Master Of Applied Finance (Financial Planning) and also hold relevant certifications such as Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and Registered Tax Adviser.  These qualifications and certifications demonstrate their expertise in financial advice, investment management, tax advice and the adherence to the highest professional standards.

We are a privately owned and and licensed business with no links to products and no paid referral systems in place. Our advice is always impartial and always in your best interests. We specifically developed a business model designed to go forward, with no conflicts of interest and a transparent fee structure.

No, we do not pay fees or commissions in relation to referrals.

Any new client referred to our business comes from recommendations from friends and family of clients that have an existing relationship with our business. There are no financial incentives for referring, just the desire to connect our services with people who want to live better financial lives.

There may be situations whereby we introduce other specialist professionals to support your needs. We are fortunate to work with some of the highest calibre specialist accountants, tax lawyers, estate planning specialists, property and lending specialists. We are intentionally not bound to any one partner and can seek opportunities to best suit your needs. We do not have any paid relationships or referral agreements with these professionals.

No, Zone Financial is privately owned and licensed. We are not affiliated with any banks or institutions. We do not have any financial interest in related or associated companies that issue financial products. We have a very intentional business model that is free from conflicts of interest.

After the initial stage of our work together, ongoing work with our clients is divided into 12 month periods. If at any stage a client did not wish to continue working with us, we could either agree to stop the 12 month agreement that is already in place, or simply wait until this period has been completed and then not renew our agreement for a further 12 months. 

Every year we confirm the scope, services and fee for the next 12 months and provide a document for our clients to sign to confirm they would like to continue the relationship and services. Our service is designed for those seeking a long term relationship with a trusted financial team.

Protecting your privacy and maintaining the security of your personal information is an area we prioritise. We have robust privacy policies and utilise secure technology systems to safeguard your data. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations to ensure the confidentiality of your information.

In all likelihood, you will have already been referred to us by a friend or family member. If they have not already done so, just ask them to send an introductory email (Cc’ing you) to one of our advisers. We will then contact you directly to schedule a time/date for an initial call, to talk about your requirements and confirm whether we will be able to assist. 

The relationship will then evolve over a series of meetings:

At the Discovery Meeting we will;

– Discuss your reasons for seeking advice 

– Understand your story and explore what is important to you

– Identify your goals, lifestyle aspirations and plans for the future

– Explain our business model, fees and processes

At the Strategy Meeting we will;

– Analyse the complexities of your current financial situation

– Review how your assets are allocated

– Evaluate and discuss options and priorities

– Engage in scenario planning

– Gain your approval to commence the process of building your financial strategy

At the Financial Advice Delivery Meeting we will;

– Confirm the strategy and recommendations

– Explain financial models that we have built specific to your strategy

– Discuss the outcomes and the alignment with meeting your goals and milestones

– Gain your approval to move forward with the recommendations 

At Progress Meetings we will;

– Review the progress you are making towards achieving your goals and objectives

– Ensure your strategy remains aligned with your goals 

– Collaborate with external advisers where required (Accountants, Lawyers etc)

– Adapt to any changes in your circumstances and the legislative and economic landscape. 

– Set clear action items 

– Ensure changes are implemented efficiently to optimise your strategy and outcomes