Meet Angus

I loved the people element of hospitality, and managing bars and pubs was fun, but not what I wanted to do with my life. I fell into accounting for many years, and worked for a lovely firm, but it never lit the fire in my soul in terms of purpose...so as cliched as it sounds, doing the career changing course helped me find my calling. It turns out the accounting and tax background is incredibly useful, but it's all about connecting our clients with their goals, so it's all about the people at the core of it. 

A bit of all of the above. Those that know me know I'm always happy to chat...I'm a very social human! Happily, with the wonderful team around me, I have managed to be more proactive with communications, but also delighted that it's not just me the clients value. My favourite feedback is when it's not about me, but how wonderful the team are, and I know they all communicate with warmth,  care and even a sense of fun, where appropriate. They're just an awesome bunch of people, and clients sense that from all of us. 

I frequently describe investment risk about the timeframe of the goals. The longer we have, rationally and academically, the more risk we might feel comfortable to accept. While we need to acknowledge sequencing risk (all about WHEN markets go up, or down, as this really matters), I tell our pre-retirees that I feel the job of their investments in superannuation is not just to get them TO retirement age, but to feed them from retirement to life expectancy. We don't pull out the stumps at retirement (no more market risk) and say we're not playing anymore...

More than one! 

The first is the misconception that you don't have good choices or options in your life. I love to to help people understand that they likely have far more choices in front of them than they think. Our view of the world can be a huge self-limiter. 

The next is the idea that what we do in financial advice is black magic, or only for the wealthy. You can't possibly be an expert about everything, that's why we outsource to doctors and mechanics and various specialists in their fields. I think helping people understand the choices, and making smart decisions is foundational to a life well-lived, and is at least as important if not more so for those trying to get ahead than those that start with lots.

I think these days I'd be some kind of player/coach...! Running the business is very different to being an employee, with its own challenges and learning, but I can't see a world where I'd not have clients directly. I love the engagement with the mix of humans we get, and reflect a lot about the privilege of being on the journey of life with them. In Rugby terms, I'd be a halfback...always busy, always talking, and helping link together the different parts of our wonderful team to achieve amazing things.

I give them permission to no be expected to be experts in the complex parts, superannuation and tax law, insurances, investments, to name just a few. That said, they must be on the logic journey with us of how we help them make smart decisions towards their goals. They're getting guidance on making informed decisions, but they still make the decisions (easier when you're confident on why it helps!)

We insist on getting them to call us out if we slip into jargon and acronyms. Our profession (like many) is rife with them! I think having two A-Cru in most meetings helps too, as we can pull each other up if something is said and receives the polite nods! Sometimes it's as simple as checking in periodically, to make sure that the concepts we've explained have landed and that our clients are comfortable with the logic of things. 

There are SO many examples. This is literally why I love this work. 

At its core it's being in our clients' corners no matter what they're facing. I call it the privilege of agency. 

We've helped the vulnerable after losing their partner of 50+ years of marriage, and also after losing children. We help people with guidance, reassurance and insurance claims to ease the financial burden among all the other challenges they might be facing in their lives. Let's talk a few positives too, there are loads! We've been there for clients who've set goals to find a great partner, buy a home, get married, have kids...incredible holidays (we collect client postcards!) and retirement done well...lots and lots of fun and laughter in there, too.

We believe in supporting the Crummunity that we exist in, and the community that supports us. This starts in-house, where our guys have shown how much we care about and support one another. I love getting social in many different ways, as a Committee member of the 4556 Chamber of Commerce, sponsoring local children's sports teams and charities, including being a long term (20+ years) participant in Movember.

I am; a devoted husband to my waaay better half Carly (everyone tells me, it's OK), an adoring and proud father to Harlow and Frankie and our practice-child (Digby the dog), an ardent Rugby Union and Cricket fan, quite good at ironing shirts, a deliberately grateful person, someone who enjoys public speaking, a bit of a music nerd, incredibly proud of ACru Wealth, and the magnificent team I am lucky to have alongside me.