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I started in the financial advice profession back in 1994 as an adviser's assistant and have been giving clients financial advice since 1996.
I was fortunate enough to join a business in late 1996 that ended up being a very good quality organisation that grew steadily by word of mouth for the 16 years I worked there.
Being in the one business from 1996 to 2012 allowed me to work closely with a group of clients for a long period of time. The most enjoyable part of my work was being able to form very close relationships with my clients and I was privileged to see the benefits of my good, consistent advice over a long period of time. I loved seeing my clients enjoy their retirement!
Getting my clients through the GFC in as good as shape as possible and having them participate in the eventual recovery was definitely the most challenging part of my role and it helped to reinforce the value I provide as it was a time when my clients relied on me the most.
Over time, I also took on a number of new clients that had received poor advice from their previous adviser - this allowed me to see first hand, the financial damage that can be done by advisers who are not acting in the best interests of their clients.
In mid 2012, I decided to change course after 16 years. This was not an easy decision and was mostly due to the change in ownership of the business I worked in. I saw first hand how a financial advice business operates differently when it is owned by an organisation that also sells investment products, rather than a business that solely focusses on the best outcomes for clients. The whole culture of the business changed in a way that I was deeply uncomfortable with.
October 2012 saw the birth of ATC Advisers. I now had a clear idea of the type of advice I wanted to provide, the type of clients I wanted to look after and how I needed to structure my business to give great advice to clients in the future. I was able to start fresh, from the ground up, and am now proudly running my own advice firm that is structured to give great financial advice.
Michael's greatest passion is his family. Michael and his wife Maree, have 4 young children (Oliver is 13, Alexander is 12, Gabriella is 8 and Max is 5) and they keep their lives full of adventure. Michael stays fit by playing soccer for his local club (over 45's) and also coaches Alexander's soccer team. He knows what 'dad's taxi' is all about with after school and weekend activities and realises that there is more to come as his 2 youngest children get older. With 4 young children, Michael's clients can be rest assured he's going to be working hard for many years to come!
Well done if you have read this far! Michael is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER� practitioner member of the Financial Planning Association of Australia. This is the world's highest professional credential for a financial planner.
Michael also holds a Bachelor of Business (Finance) from UTS, a Diploma of Financial Planning and a Master of Applied Finance from Macquarie University.
