Advisers branch out to create goals-focused firm

Amie Wild and colleagues Jonathan Alchin, Leon Jones, Tristen Cosgrove, Brian Traylen, Sam Schmarr and Clive Warner left Aspire Wealth and Protection last month. They are now all directors and advisers at their new brand, Avanti Advisers.

Speaking to ifa, Ms Wild said the decision to create Avanti was driven by their desire to move away from product-based advice.

“We really want to take on a fresh approach to advice, and by rebranding we are able to focus on offering holistic financial advice that focuses on who our clients are, what’s important to them, what their values are and what they want out of life as opposed to set-and-forget, product-based advice,” Ms Wild said.

Mr Alchin noted that they cropped out the concepts of wealth, investments and insurance from the branding and logo, which is necessary to keep up with changing consumer needs.

“We're now holistic advisers to our clients. We want to be an advice group that is more about long-term client journeys than short term transactions,” he told ifa.

“We’ve been in the finance industry for many years and the new environment that our clients are finding themselves in really needs a new approach.

“A lot of the older generations of professionals working in the industry aren't really taking action on the industry changes that are happening at a rapid rate,” he said.

Ms Wild added that the fresh approach will help them connect with those Australians currently not seeking advice.

“We really need to connect with that 80 per cent of people who don’t seek financial advice” she said.

“Even though it’s been proven that people with a financial adviser perform better, there is a real gap caused by misconceptions amongst average Australians that they need a lot of money in order to seek advice.

“Avanti is going to enable us to have conversations around financial advice that don't even involve insurance or superannuation. Whilst those elements are important, if you want to provide holistic, goals-centric advice and have a long-term relationship with clients, you need to start the conversation with understanding someone's values and their lifestyle before the conversation of money is brought to the table.”