Colby is a financial advisor at Essential Wealth & Retirement, working with clients in the Gold Coast and Ballina areas. With over 7 years of experience in the financial planning sector, he has a proven track record of helping everyday families achieve their financial goals. Additionally, he holds over 3 years of expertise working with medical professional clients, enabling him to provide tailored advice to this unique demographic. Colby is deeply passionate about empowering his clients to realise their full potential, both financially and in terms of their overall lifestyle.
At Essential Wealth & Retirement, we recognise that every client's situation and goals are unique, which is why we provide a personalised financial roadmap to match every individual specific needs. Colby and the team will dedicate one-on-one time with each client to understand their current financial situation, identify any gaps, and determine their future goals and objectives. Colby and the team are committed to being there for their clients every step of the way, from young professionals embarking on their careers to new families and individuals approaching retirement.
Colby is from the Mid-North Coast of NSW, has lived in Southeast Queensland for 11 years and has now joined the Essential Wealth & Retirement team working with clients from the Gold Coast and the Northern Rivers. Outside of work, Colby enjoys playing and watching pretty much all sports and exploring the great outdoors.
Qualifications:
Colby’s current availability is Thursday in Ballina & Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Friday in the Gold Coast.
Specialty Areas: Holistic Financial Advice & Planning
Leighton is a Financial Planner at McLauchlan Wealth and is driven to provide exceptional advice and service to his clients. Working closely with clients to understand their unique financial situations, Leighton develops personalised and objectives-based financial plans for all clients, to help them reach their financial goals.
Leighton has been in the financial services industry for over 15 years in New Zealand, United Kingdom and Australia and has developed extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of financial planning, including investment management, retirement planning, estate planning, tax planning, and risk management.
“One of the most important things we do is to check whether a client is on track and if not, what can we do to change this. Our focus at McLauchlan Wealth is to help clients to make smart decisions with their money – to grow their wealth but also to protect it. The advice we provide is all based around achieving client goals in the most efficient way possible and then to communicate this in a clear and easy to understand way. We also understand that things change in people’s lives and that financial goals need to be adjusted. That’s why building long-term relationships with clients based on trust, integrity, and professionalism is at the heart of everything we do”.
Whether clients are accumulating wealth, paying down debt, looking to financially protect their family, or looking to create a comfortable lifestyle in retirement, this is where Leighton can help.
Qualifications
Elston Board Director, Darren Withers, is Elston’s Head of Strategic Advice with 20 years of experience in the industry. Darren has three times been named as a member of the Financial Planning Master Class by AFR Smart Investor Magazine (2007, 2010 and 2013).
Darren is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with the FPA® and a Specialist Self Managed Super Fund Adviser (SSA) with SPAA. Darren has a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Diploma in Financial Planning.
Recognition:
- A Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
- A SMSF Specialist Adviser
- One of the Top 50 Financial Advisers in Australia 2018 by Barrons (and published in The Australian)
- One of the AFR Smart Investor Magazine Masterclass Top 50 Financial Planners on 3 occasions (2013 - top 10, 2011 & 2008)
Specialties: Advice on Superannuation, Self Managed Superannuation, Estate Planning, Succession Planning, Retirement Planning & Tax Structuring.
Prior to establishing Robina Financial Solutions (RFS) in 2004, Troy was employed for ten years as an Accountant and Financial Planner with a Tweed financial planning and accounting practice. With the guidance of a senior adviser (who remains a firm friend), he cut his teeth on building client investment portfolios and defensive asset allocation strategies before moving into asset structuring and protection.
CWL Accountants – a BRW top 100 Accounting firm, then provided him with the opportunity to build something of his own within their firm and RFS was born.
The business has gone from strength to strength largely due to a simple philosophy of providing the services that clients want and need and then delivering on our service promises.
Troy has won a number of awards going back to 2006 however he was very proud to accept Professional Investment Services ‘National Financial Adviser of the Year’ in 2012 and in an unprecedented result, again in 2013. There are over 650 advisers in the network around Australia and this is a reflection of the quality of the business he has helped build and his commitment to the clients of RFS.
“Some of the keys to our success in meeting our clients expectations is in breaking the advice process into its component parts and trying to look at it through a clients eyes. Complexity, jargon and risk are not what our clients want. They want to know we listen to them, understand their values and concerns and build a plan that can feasibly achieve the lifestyle they desire. If issues come up, they want us to solve them, they want to spend their spare time with family and friends, not sitting on a phone with a geographically challenged call centre. Finally they want to know what is happening and how they are progressing to meeting their milestones. Yes, we need the technical skills, the systems, the processes and the team that can deliver but it all starts with understanding what each client wants.”
Qualifications
In addition to his qualifications above Troy has completed the Self Managed Superannuation Fund Specialist Pathway Program and is an accredited Finance Broker.
Neil is an experienced Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Private Wealth Manager and joined this profession 30 years ago. He also holds professional qualifications in Agriculture.
Qualifications:
Neil specialises in helping clients achieve their wealth management goals including investment strategy and quality strategic advice. He also specialises in designing income generating portfolios for pre-retirees and retirees who require reliable income.
He works closely with his clients planning for the accumulation, preservation and security of wealth. Most of Neil's clients are self-funded retirees, professionals or private business owners. Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSF) are also a core of most client’s investments.
Neil also specialises in advice in relation to expatriate executives, multi-million dollar business sales and divorce settlements.
He is a Director and owner of Boston Private Wealth Pty Ltd and was awarded ‘Financial Planner of the Year’ in South Australia in 1992 and 1994. Money Management magazine also awarded him ‘Australian Financial Planner of the Year’ in 1998. He has been providing a fee-based ongoing portfolio management service to his clients for over 25 years.
Neil resides at Sanctuary Cove in South-East Queensland and actively services clients in Queensland, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Tasmania, Central West NSW and Overseas.
Neil and his wife Debbie enjoy quality family time, travel and golf.
Andrew is a seasoned financial planner with over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting & finance, is a qualified Chartered Accountant (although does not provide accounting services), and has a deep understanding of financial planning, investments, and risk management.
Throughout his career, Andrew has helped countless individuals and families achieve their financial goals, no matter how big or small. He takes a holistic approach to financial planning, taking into account each client's unique circumstances and tailoring solutions to their specific needs.
Andrew is known for his dedication to his clients, always going the extra mile to ensure that they understand their options and feel confident in their financial decisions. He is a skilled communicator and educator, and takes the time to explain complex financial concepts in a way that is easy for clients to understand.
In addition to his work with individual clients, Andrew is also an active member of the financial planning community. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and has been published in several financial publications. He is also an advocate for financial literacy and has volunteered his time with various local organisations and is involved in 2 local charities.
When he is not helping his clients plan for a brighter financial future, Andrew enjoys time at the beach with his family, and sharing his love of surfing with his children. He believes that a well-rounded life is key to achieving both personal and financial success.
Copyright 2024 Top 10 Financial Planner. All Rights Reserved
