Ensombl Advice Australia

Caitlin Iles' (@ms_iles) story is one we're sure Universal Studios wish they could get their hands on. After discovering she was dyslexic in year 12 she then went on to start a property investment company in Dubai at the age of 24, receive an invitation to Necker Island from 'Mr. Virgin' himself and is now creating the largest portfolio of female founded startups through her Venture Capital firm Capital XX (www.capitalxx.com). Her extensive knowledge and passion becomes very apparent as she explains the current situation and the benefits of having female founders in the startup world, the most important trait entrepreneurs need to have, how to carry out due diligence on potential investments, why the traditional VC model hasn't necessarily been the most optimal and how advisers, both male and female can (really) disrupt the financial advice space. To anyone who has ever thought of giving the startup world a go, especially those with the XX chromosome, do not let fear, concern or worry get in the way because "to be an entrepreneur, you need to be a little bit crazy" – Caitlin Iles. A big thank you to our major partner HUB24 (www.hub24.com.au) and also to Centuria (www.centuria.com.au) for supporting the podcast that is driving the positive evolution of financial advice.

After 'retiring' from the unique Latvian sporting code that is Novus, Berin Delforce (@stickmanwealth) of Stickman Wealth Management (www.stickmanwealth.com.au) switched the snooker-like table for SOA's. He never initially had his sights set on Financial Planning though. It was only after a tumultuous job history (his words, not ours) that he saw a great entrepreneurial opportunity within the industry. Not too dissimilar to the Novus game, this podcast bounces around in all kinds of directions and elaborates on some great topics such as Berin's early business challenges, the philosophy behind his awesome business name, the key to successfully outsourcing, when you should niche down in a business and how advisers can delight their clients. While touching on the client experience, Berin throws it out to the audience and asks what other XY advisers are doing to delight their clients; to go beyond the expected level of service and differentiate themselves in the market. You can jump in on the conversation and reach out to Berin at hello@stickmanwealth.com.au. A big thank you to our major sponsor HUB24 (www.hub24.com.au) and to Centuria (www.centuria.com.au) for the continued support.

We think it's fair to say that despite being one of the most debated topics within the XY Community, it's also a topic that fosters the biggest absence of knowledge. We are of course talking about… cryptocurrency. To combat this, we've brought in one of the most qualified people in this space to define, debunk and dive into the ins and outs of cryptocurrency. As a qualified accountant, stock broker, financial adviser and business coach to over 4,000 financial planners, Warrick Pleash (@warrickpleash) the now partner manager of Bitcoin Trader (www.bitcointrader.org.au/) uses some awesome (and hilarious) analogies to explain what crypto is, what a blockchain is, how crypto is valued, where it sits relative to estate planning, market volatility of bitcoin and crypto's place within an investment strategy. The aim of this podcast is to simply help advisers understand the fundamentals of cryptocurrency better so that when faced with a question about the evolving 'internet money' from a client, a loved one or a friend, they can handle it from an informed and educated space. A big thank you to our major partner Zurich (www.zurich.com.au) and Sunsuper (www.sunsuper.com.au) for the continued support.

Neil Rogan (www.linkedin.com/in/roganneil/) of Centuria (www.centuria.com.au/) is the guy turning investment bond jargon into terminology that advisers can easily understand and use with their clients. Thanks to the XY community for throwing up the investment bond discussion on several occasions; you asked and we listened. This podcast explores the ins and outs of investment bonds – what they are and where they sit in the investment world, when you should consider an investment bond for your client, key features to look for in a bond, the estate planning advantages of investment bonds and the implications faced (or not faced) with legislative changes compared to superannuation. Neil Rogan is in the business of equipping advisers with relevant tools to help them make informed decisions when looking at investment bonds for their clients. A big thank you to our major partner Zurich (www.zurich.com.au) and also Sunsuper (www.sunsuper.com.au) for the continued support.

For those eagerly awaiting a smooth and sultry solo podcast from Clayton Daniel, unfortunately (or fortunately?!), thanks to Ben Nash you'll have to continue waiting for that one. In this episode, Ben and Clayton shoot the breeze and give us an update on the XY Adviser community and discuss why this awesome group just might be the sanity check we all need as to where we, as advisers and the industry itself is headed. We especially loved the conversation around these topics: The astounding stats on XY's group conversations (hint: it's in the 4 digits) The compounding effects of fostering a community full of people dedicated to pushing our profession forward How to leverage the demand for direct consumer financial education The three types of clients and the biggest market gap The education debate and the impact this will have on advisers So what does the future of financial advice look like? Will more or less people seek out a financial adviser and what does the financial services profession look like in 10 years' time? A big thank you to our major partner Zurich and also to Sunsuper for the continued support.

Chris Bates of Wealthful is the Financial Adviser and Mortgage Broker with a very unique (and very successful) service offering for young families looking to 'live a life fulfilled with what they value'. Step inside his virtual LinkedIn abode and you'll instantly get a feel for the kinds of ideas, information and opinions that swirl around in Chris' head on the daily. With his short form posts reaching an audience of 20,000 + people a day, it's obvious his stuff has a lot of merit and is having a very positive effect on his 18,000 + followers (and his bottom line). This podcast swings in all kinds of directions and touches on some really interesting stuff like: How to nail your LinkedIn presence Chris Bates style How to use social media to develop client relationships at scale Chris' bold and unique approach to qualifying (or de-qualifying) potential clients Chris' advice on how not to get blocked by LinkedIn… twice. Chris' tips on the current property market and where it's headed We're just thankful Chris made it out of Africa prison-free to sit down and chat with us. Yep, for the full (uncensored) version of THAT story, you'll definitely want to tune in for this episode… A big thank you to Zurich our major partner and also to Sunsuper for the continued support.

"Our mission is to be the Amazon of Comparison sites" – Fred Schebesta When it comes to Fred Schebesta, we could tell you about the digital agency business he started and then sold to a publicly listed company at the ripe age of 25. We could tell you about the plethora of awards he's received OR we could just tell you that Fred has got the 'direct to market' business model crafted down to such a fine art, it's the reason his company finder.com.au receives over 6 million unique visits a month! So what's his secret? If you want to: Understand your audience and clients better than anyone else Know how to create amazing content that speaks to your different consumer personalities Learn how advisers and companies like Finder can foster highly valuable partnerships Open your mind to the possibilities of Cryptocurrency …then this podcast has your name written all over it. Let us let Fred leave you with this – "If you think that crypto is a scam, a pyramid scheme or it's non-existent, you sound like someone who is looking at the early internet". And that's coming from a guy who is about to launch a platform where sophisticated investors can buy cryptocurrency between $250k up to $300million! A big thank you to our major partner Zurich and also SunSuper for the continued support.

What do the words dulcet and game-changing business coach have in common? Two words. Stewart Bell. Stewart is the industrious business coach of Audere Coaching & Consulting who is teaching frustrated advisers how to turn their business challenges into opportunities. Having spent the last two decades working with financial professionals, Stewart has seen significant shifts in the way our industry markets itself and how to do it effectively. Aside from the Tinder references, here's our favourite takeaways from this podcast: The biggest asset of a startup advice business The digital platform set to take over from email marketing according to Stewart How to position the asking of referrals in a way that actually works Why information is useless if not implemented correctly, or at all The importance of accountability in any business model If not for the endless nuggets of wisdom, listen to this episode purely for the 'dulcet' sounds of Stewart Bell who will inspire you to think outside the box when it comes to innovation within your business. A big thank you also to our major partner Zurich and also to SunSuper for the continued support.

"I'll never invest money in a fund unless I meet the fund manager" – Paul Mann (True Direction Financial Services) With 25 years of combined experience as a futures trader and a financial adviser, Paul Mann has watched the evolution of financial advice change from a very heavy sales culture to one that is more focused on making a lasting difference in clients lives. For Paul, transitioning into the advice space was an opportunity to make a significant contribution to society and to give back. Sure, he took a 75% cut in his wage when he got started, but was it worth it? Absolutely! Fast forward to 2018 where you will now find the title 'Principal and Financial Adviser' on Paul's office door. In this podcast, Paul expands on his past trading experience and how that has helped shape his client value proposition as a self-employed adviser. Our favourite key takeaways from this discussion look at: What it was like to be apart of an open outcry in the 90's What the financial advice industry looked like 18 years ago The psychology of money and how to become a client's trusted adviser How Paul is niching down with his target market How advisers can leverage the corporate super space and help employees of (really) big companies Why people who are very emotionally connected to their cash flow and disconnected from their super have got it around the wrong way From a chalkie on the stock exchange, to building a company from 8 to 65 employees globally, Paul Mann has a level of knowledge and understanding that can only come from years of experience working in the trenches of financial advice. For a bunch of fresh ideas and some interesting history on the industry, this is a podcast you don't want to miss. As always, we would like to thank our major partner Zurich and also SunSuper for the continued support.

If marketing, public relations and social media were like Kung-Fu, Adele Martin is definitely your Bruce Lee. She's the Money Mentor, financial adviser and keynote speaker who has nailed the one-to-many market and continues to use her trusted personal brand to grow and scale her advice business, and boy is it growing. She's a big believer in a sharing economy and is full of tested ideas and strategies that will help you build trusted relationships with your clients, position yourself as a leader in the industry and increase your bottom line. Of the many nuggets of wisdom shared in this podcast (and there's so many), here's our standouts: The single piece of advice Adele would give to anyone starting out as an adviser Adele's proven strategy to work 'on' your business rather than just 'in' it How to commercialise a Facebook Group and build a trusted community How to kick start your marketing, PR and social media plan How Adele's virtual office has allowed her to leverage the amazing skills of people she would never find in Newcastle Let's be honest, a 45-minute podcast is just not enough, so we'll have Adele front and centre at our event next week in Sydney for a 'warts 'n all' discussion around using digital media to scale your business and master your client value proposition. This event is a must for employed, aspiring and self-employed advisers. If you can't attend the event in person, be sure to tune into the Facebook Live on Thursday 22nd Feb at 6:30pm. Get your last minute tickets here - http://bit.ly/2DdD4tJ A big thank you to our major partner Zurich and to SunSuper for the continued support.