Abacus Wealth Solutions welcomes our new team member: Paul Parsons
Paul has joined our Liverpool office as an Adviser support administrator with over 20+ years of experience in the industry, previously working as a key adviser with a large institution in the Bankstown and Sutherland shires.
Whether you are starting a new family, preparing for retirement, or running a business, we at Abacus Wealth Solutions, will work with you, or your business, to build financial security. With offices in Liverpool and Leichhardt NSW, we help clients throughout Sydney and Australia.
We provide you with the most appropriate advice tailored to your situation.
We at Abacus Wealth Solutions, will work with you to create a customised plan that helps you manage risk and reach your financial goals through a tailored planning process.
After evaluating your needs, investment comfort level and life stage, Abacus Wealth Solutions will provide a customised financial plan to help you achieve your goals. Our financial plan may consider, amongst other things, wealth creation, insurance to mitigate risks, superannuation, Self-Managed Super Funds, retirement transitioning, aged care and tax-effective strategies.
At Abacus Wealth Solutions, we consider our clients to be at the heart of our business and provide personal solutions to help you reach your financial goals. If you have questions about your financial goals or specific financial products, please contact us and we can set up a time to meet with you. We can discuss our services and review your specific needs and will partner closely with you to build a tailored and easy to understand financial roadmap to help you reach your financial goals.
John is a Certified Financial Planner and the founder of Abacus Wealth Solutions. With two decades of experience as a Financial Planner, Johns enjoys providing quality and understandable advice to his clients to secure their financial future. He feels an enormous sense of achievement when observing his clients enjoying the benefits earnt from his long term advice.
During his career John has received multiple acknowledgments from industry and feels his greatest achievement is being elected the National Chairman of the CFP Adviser Forum from 2017 to 2019 which was instrumental in assisting all participants in establishing successful financial planning partnerships nationally.
In his spare time, John enjoys travelling and spending time with his wife and their three active sons.
Tracey has been a financial adviser since 2003, previously managing a successful boutique financial planning business. Tracey has close relationships with all of her clients, ranging from young adults accumulating wealth to clients planning for, and in, retirement.
She enjoys providing tailored financial strategies for her clients by carefully understanding their needs. Tracey’s focus is on making a positive difference, helping her clients to not only make progress, but to find confidence in their financial affairs.
Away from the office, Tracey’s most important role is being a mother to her daughter, Olivia. Tracey enjoys reading, watching foreign movies and spending time with family and friends.
Darren takes a holistic approach when providing financial advice to his clients and is a firm believer that through detailed planning and regular reviews, financial advice will serve to alleviate financial pressure in times of need. Darren provides personalised financial advice, working closely with clients to establish financial pathways to meet their short and long-term financial objectives, he also holds a passion for creating retirement strategies for his clients to help them achieve their financial freedom and financial goals in retirement. His areas of expertise include financial planning, personal insurance, superannuation, retirement planning and income streams and wealth creation.
When not at work, Darren enjoys spending time with family and catching up with friends. Other interests include exercising, travelling with his wife.
Paul Parsons
Adviser Support
Paul oversees and supports the client experience for the Financial Planners as well as provides administrative support in all areas of the Financial Advice process. Before joining Abacus in February 2022, Paul worked as a Financial Planner for 23+ years in one of Australia’s largest financial institutions.
During his spare time, Paul enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, gardening and travelling.
Ritu Sidana
Adviser Support
Ritu joined the financial planning industry in 2000. Prior to joining Abacus Wealth solutions in September 2021 Ritu worked as a financial planner and financial paraplanner for 22+ years in one of Australia’s leading financial institutions. As an Associate, Ritu works alongside the Financial Advisers to research and build the appropriate strategies for our clients to ensure they continue to achieve their goals and milestones throughout life. Outside of work, Ritu enjoys spending time with family and friends.
She enjoys travelling with her husband, reading and relaxing on the weekends.
Steven Homairi
Client Services Manager
Steve oversees the management of Abacus’s administration team, and coordinates our client focused approach to communication. Before joining Abacus in 2014, Steve worked in the Banking & Finance industry for 20+ years in a variety of roles including Business Banking, Corporate Banking and Private Banking. In his spare time, Steve spends his time travelling with his wife and two children.
Melina Gregoire
Compliance Manager
BBus, LLB, GradCertProfLegalPrac
Melina is the Compliance Manager at Abacus Wealth Solutions. Melina is responsible for supporting the Abacus Wealth team to ensure that all client advice is compliant with current legislation and regulations. Prior to joining Abacus, Melina was a Solicitor at several leading Sydney law firms. During her spare time, Melina enjoys spending time with her three children, decorating her home and travelling.
Alex Leclerc
Senior Advice Consultant
BBus
Alex has been in the Financial Planning profession for many years and has worked alongside John since 2001.
He comes with a strong technical background, having worked as a Financial Planner across many of Australia’s leading financial institutions over his extensive and diverse career. In addition to his deep knowledge of all financial planning matters, Alex’s strengths include his ability to connect well with our clients and to make them feel understood and well looked after. Alex holds a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology, Sydney.
During his spare time, he loves spending time with his grandkids and escaping the city to go skiing and enjoys spending time on the North Coast of NSW with his adored wife.
The services we supply along the way to help you attain your short and long term financial goals.
Your Financial Journey
At different stages in your life, issues will arise that will impact on the attainment of your short and long term financial goals. The services we supply are designed to manage your changes and to ensure we keep you on the right track.
We listen to your situation and goals to develop a unique plan that suits your lifestyle.
Our Services
We pride ourselves on providing unique and tailored solutions to meet your key goals and objectives, as well as offering guidance to help keep you on track towards those goals.
Get in touch with our expert team in Sydney. We're here to help you.
Contact Us
Abacus Wealth provides financial advice to thousands of clients Australia wide. We offer tailored financial advice and a competitive fee structure. Our initial consultation is complementary.
Abacus Wealth welcome your enquiry. To book an appointment or simply ask us a question, fill in your details and we'll be in touch soon!
We offer in person appointments along with remote options including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, DocuSign and consultation by phone.
You are gaining financial independence and saving for the next best thing - either a car, an overseas adventure or for your first home. You have no dependents and your first priority is furthering your career to support your savings as well as a relatively expensive social and recreational lifestyle.
Set out below are examples of what you need to consider when managing your affairs. Starting a financial plan to help you map out how to best manage these matters is a great start. Why not ask us how we can help you work out the best plan for you?
Please contact us to discuss: or phone on (02) 9734 6111.
Things to consider:
Protecting income in the event of accident or illness to be able to fund:
Rent
Bills and Cost of Living
Lifestyle
Saving for home deposit and travel
Education
Financial independence
Debt repayments
Starting an investment portfolio and or a savings plan to work towards:
Purchasing first home/car
Traveling overseas
Education costs
Building wealth over the long term
Business Succession
To ensure the ongoing success of your business you need to effectively plan for the future.
What would happen to your business if you suddenly lost a partner, director or other key person due to disability, trauma, death or even retirement?
By implementing an effective succession plan for your business, you can avoid some of the potential problems that can arise from the loss of key personnel. Problems, that in some cases, could lead to the failure of a business.
Why not ask us how we can help you work out the best plan for you?
Please contact us to discuss: or phone on (02) 9734 6111.
Set out below are examples of what you need to consider when managing your affairs.
Things to consider:
Asset Protection
Provides cover for "Capital Purpose" debt in the event of the death or disability of a Business Principal or key person.
Identifying your needs:
Cash required to repay business debt such as; Business Loan, Mortgage, Overdraft, Lease Commitments or Proprietor Loans.
Identify each owners share of the commitments.
Is the liability joint or several.
Who is the person on whom the firm's success and profitability mainly depends?
If something happened to that person, would your firm have difficulty meeting it's commitments under the loan?
Shareholder or Director Loan:
Is the loan on call?
Could your company repay the loan today?
If there was a way to guarantee that the funds would be available on death/disablement to repay the loan and free the assets, would you want to know about it?
Revenue Protection
Provides cover for the loss of Revenue generated by a Key Person in the event of their death or disability.
A key person is:
The main revenue producer of the business (i.e. salesperson).
The "owner" of key intellectual capital.
The "name" behind the business (goodwill).
All employees or business principals that are essential to the continuing profitability of the business.
Who is the person in the firm that the success and profitability mainly depends?
What would be the effect on your business if this key person died or was disabled?
What cash is required to compensate for loss of revenue and replacement costs?
If there was a way to provide you with a cash cushion to offset loss of profits if he or she dies or becomes disabled, would you want to know about it?
Ownership Protection
Provides funding for Business Succession in the event of the death or disability of a business principal.
If something happened to your partner, would you want to buy his/her share of the business?
Do you have a Buy and Sell Agreement that gives you the right to buy?
How important is it to you to be able to buy that share and keep outsiders out of your business?
Have you sufficient cash in reserve to fund the transfer of a terminating owner's equity, due to death or disability, as a continuing owner?
If there was a way to purchase at an agreed price, and that the money was available when needed with.
Developing Professionals
Living independently, you rely on your income to give you the control and security you want. You are wealth accumulators, working towards saving for your future goals. You have disposable cash and you choose to spend it on personal needs, leisure and travel. Your health and appearance are important to you.
Why not ask us how we can help you work out the best plan for you?
Please contact us to discuss: or phone on (02) 9734 6111.
Things to consider:
Budgeting, cash flow and debt reduction.
Protecting income in the event of accident or illness to be able to fund their:
Debt repayments
Travel
Savings
Bills and Cost of Living
investments and negative gearing
Lifestyle and entertainment.
Protecting yourselves against financial hardship in the event of death, disability or major illness by taking out:
Life insurance
Total and permanent disablement insurance
Trauma insurance.
Starting an investment portfolio and or a savings plan to work towards:
Purchasing property (own/invest)
Traveling overseas
Building wealth over the long term using tax effective strategies
Retirement.
Young Families
You are busy with young children and trying to secure the dream of owning your own home outright. Many young families are trying to accumulate wealth through house renovations and/or investments but your main priority is providing for your family. Your mortgage repayments can restrict your otherwise healthy incomes.
Why not ask us how we can help you work out the best plan for you?
Please contact us to discuss: or phone on (02) 9734 6111.
Things to consider:
Budgeting, cash flow and debt reduction.
Protecting income in the event of accident or illness to be able to fund:
Debt repayments
Bills and cost of living
Children’s education
Family vacations
Investments
Lifestyle and entertainment.
Protecting family against financial hardship in the event of death, disability or major illness by taking out:
Life insurance
Total and permanent disablement insurance
Trauma insurance.
Starting an investment portfolio and or a savings plan to work towards:
Purchasing property (own/invest)
Traveling
Children’s education costs
Building wealth over the long term using tax effective strategies
House renovations.
Mature Families
You are a family with teenage children. You are working towards owning your own home and accumulating investments. Your disposable cash is limited due to your children’s expenses, however you are experiencing more free time and enjoy spending money on cars and holidays. You are all too aware of maintaining good health.
Why not ask us how we can help you work out the best plan for you?
Please contact us to discuss: or phone on (02) 9734 6111.
Things to consider:
Budgeting, cash flow and debt reduction.
Protecting income in the event of accident or illness to be able to fund their:
Debt repayments
Bills and Costs of Living
Education
Investments
Vacations and cars
Savings for retirement
Investments and negative gearing
Lifestyle and entertainment.
Protecting themselves and their families against financial hardship in the event of death, disability or major illness by taking out:
Life insurance
Total and permanent disablement insurance
Trauma insurance.
Building on their investment portfolios and savings plans to work towards:
Vacations
Tax effective wealth accumulation for retirement
Buying a caravan or motor home
Updating a car
Home renovations
Estate planning.
Pre-Retirees & Retirees
You may still be working and have paid off the majority of your mortgage. Accumulating wealth for your retirement through superannuation is your main priority. You also enjoy spending money on travel and other luxuries you couldn’t afford earlier. As well as this, you may provide a moderate level of financial support to your children. Your health and insurance is of great importance to you as, with age, the likelihood of illness increases.
It's never to late to start planning for the best future you can afford. Why not ask us how we can help you work out the best plan for you?
Please contact us to discuss: or phone on (02) 9734 6111.
Things to consider:
Budgeting, cash flow and debt reduction.
Protecting income in the event of accident or illness to be able to fund their:
mortgage
bills and cost of living
savings for retirement
house renovations or a sea change
travel and treats
lifestyle and entertainment.
Protecting themselves and their families against financial hardship in the event of death, disability or major illness by taking out:
Life insurance
Total and permanent disablement insurance
Trauma insurance.
Building on their investment portfolios and savings plans to work towards:
Vacations
Tax effective wealth accumulation for retirement
Buying a caravan or motor home
Updating a car
Home renovations
Grandchildren’s education
Insurance policies for children
Estate planning.
Aged Care
Considering your aged care options or those of your parents as part of your plan for retirement? It may seem too early to think about a future you can’t imagine, but the reality is, and experience has shown, that it’s probably too late to consider aged care when the need for it has actually arrived.
It's never to late to start planning for the best future you can afford. Why not ask us how we can help you work out the best plan for you?
Please contact us to discuss: or phone on (02) 9734 6111.
Things to consider:
Family home – Retain/Rent/Sell
Funding your RAD/DAP (e.g. Bond) upon entry to an Aged Care home.
Ongoing costs of Aged Care
Entitlements from Government (e.g. Centrelink/DVA Pensions)
Investments
Aged Care Advice
Considering Aged Care for yourself or a loved one is extremely difficult. It may seem too early to think about a future you can’t imagine, but planning ahead will give you great peace of mind.
If you or a loved one has reached the stage where some form of aged care is needed, then you’ll have many things to consider. Sometimes family and friends will be able to help with things like shopping, cooking or transport, but there are several professional aged care packages available.
John, our Practice Principal, has a keen interest and truly enjoys assisting clients with any transition into additional care. We will:
Understand the financial implications of various aged care solutions
Assess your aged care options taking into account your assets and liabilities, Centrelink, tax and estate planning considerations
Manage your retirement strategy and provide you with a long-term income plan
By thinking ahead early, you can consider alternative options and put a plan in place that reduces the emotional stress for you and your family. We will help you reach the right outcome so you can live the best life you can – whether it’s in your own home or a care facility. We will specifically develop a plan for you which considers the impact of aged care on your loved ones financial affairs. We also have positive relationships making any transition as smooth as possible.
When considering Aged Care your first consultation with us is complementary. After determining your needs and objectives with you, we will be able to provide you with a highly competitive and fixed fee quote for our personalised Aged Care advice.
If you're seeking advice on aged care, please contact us to discuss: or phone on (02) 9734 6111.
Personal Insurance Solutions
Personal Insurance is an essential investment in your financial security.
Life Insurance will provide a lump sum benefit to your financial dependents or beneficiaries in the event of your death or terminal illness. This benefit will help reduce financial and emotional hardship as it may be used to cover your loved ones living expenses and any outstanding debt that you may have. This means that your loved ones can maintain their current standard of living in the event of your death or terminal illness.
Income Protection or Small Business Insurance is a type of insurance that pays out a steady stream of income on a monthly basis in the unforeseen event that you become disabled and are unable to work because of an illness or injury. This benefit will ensure that the financial and emotional impact of an unforeseen event are minimised.
We can help you consider the policies best suited to your needs and the level of cover that will ensure that your loved ones are well cared for should the unforeseen occur.
At Abacus Wealth we know how to protect your wealth and will recommend solutions that best suit your needs. Please contact us to discuss: or phone on (02) 9734 6111.
Self-managed Superannuation Fund Advice
Self-Managed Superannuation Funds (SMSFs) offer a good strategy option for many individuals, families and small business owners to build tax effective wealth and to protect assets over time. SMSFs are becoming popular for those who are ready to take control of their own super investments as they give you ultimate control and flexibility to manage your retirement benefits.
It must be noted though, that you will have increased responsibilities as a trustee of the fund. As a SMSF Trustee you need to keep up to date with all required regulations and keep up with the fast paced financial markets.
Abacus Wealth can work with you to understand your personal financial situation and decide whether a SMSF structure is appropriate for you. We will also make sure your assets are invested in the most effective way to maximise your retirement benefits.
It is generally agreed that there are a number of benefits of an SMSF but it is important that you also understand that an SMSF may not suit your situation, see below for some of the reasons why.
Benefits:
Control - the trustees make the investment decisions.
Asset allocation – the trustees are in control of asset allocation decisions as well as issues related to borrowing.
Tax strategies – trustees have control of tax strategies and other planning options.
Transparency – your SMSF provides you with good transparency concerning investment decisions and gives complete visibility over taxation treatment.
Cost – the cost of running and administering a SMSF fund are not based on a percentage of the value of the fund but more on the time needed to prepare reports and address relevant compliance matters.
Disadvantages:
Running and managing a SMSF may not be suitable to everyone. For example, many of the advantages are also a disadvantage. Costs may be relatively high, there can be too much flexibility for prudent investing, remaining on top of trustee responsibilities can be complex and time consuming, and poor personal knowledge of the investment landscape can have serious consequences.
Should you wish to consider establishing a SMSF then we can help with:
Establishing your fund:
Annual Compliance Services:
Portfolio Administration Services:
Pension advice:
Superannuation Advisory Services:
At Abacus Wealth, we will provide the time and expertise needed to help you implement the best financial strategy possible. Please contact us to discuss: or phone on (02) 9734 6111.
Retirement Planning
Retiring on your own terms is not always easy to achieve, however it is evident that those who plan for retirement are more likely to do so. Research also shows that obtaining professional help during the pre-retirement years further improves the probability of attaining your retirement objectives. The earlier you start implementing a plan the better the outcomes.
Retirement planning is about the lifestyle you will have after you stop work. Planning focuses on issues such as how much superannuation is enough, taking a super pension, making superannuation contributions while receiving a pension from a super fund, estate planning and looking after your family.
We can also assist with claiming the Aged Pension. Planning properly is becoming even more important now we are expected to live longer. This greater need means that professional help has never been more important as well. At Abacus Wealth we will provide the time and expertise needed to help you implement the best financial strategy possible.
When considering Retirement Planning your first consultation with us is complementary. After determining your needs and objectives with you, we will be able to provide you with a highly competitive and fixed fee quote for our personalised Retirement Planning advice.
If you're interested in beginning the journey in planning for retirement, please contact us to discuss: or phone on (02) 9734 6111.
Gearing and Lending Advice
Many of our clients borrow money to invest. This is known as ‘gearing.’ If you have borrowed money to invest and you’re making a profit, you are positively geared. If you’re making a loss, you are negatively geared. Negative gearing is a popular tax minimisation strategy. If you are borrowing to invest, choosing a positively geared investment will increase your income and increase your overall return on investment.
Some benefits of Gearing:
Increases the funds you have available to invest
Allows for a larger investment portfolio, so you can start investing sooner rather than later
Offers diversification across a range of investments through a wide selection of acceptable investments
Provides flexibility, allowing you to choose the degree of gearing that meets your investment objectives
Gearing can potentially be tax efficient, depending on individual circumstances
One form of gearing is margin lending. A margin loan is a line of credit that allows you to borrow money to invest. You can leverage an existing portfolio or create a new investment portfolio to help meet your financial goals.
A margin loan lets you borrow money to invest and uses your shares or managed funds as security. It can help you increase your returns but it needs to be managed very closely as there are margin call risks should the asset value drop.
If you’d like to discuss how gearing and margin lending can help develop your investment plans then please contact us to discuss your thoughts further: or phone on (02) 9734 6111.
Centrelink Advice
Centrelink Age Pension
We provide professional assistance for individuals and families with navigating the Centrelink age pension options and benefits. Whether you're looking to help a loved one or in need of solutions for yourself we're here to help you.
As your appointed Agent we can help in the following ways:
Preparation of your age pension application and review forms.
Attending your pension application reviews on your behalf.
Identification of opportunities that may assist with increasing and maximising your pension.
Ensure you are receiving the correct amount and appropriate pension for your situation.
Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) - We arrange for and attend all ACAT assessments and assist with documentation prior to your admission into your selected "Assisted Living Aged Care Facility".
Estate Planning - We arrange for a solicitor to prepare "Enduring Powers of Attorney" and "Enduring Guardianships" and Wills as required.
Bill Paying Services - We can arrange for all your regular accounts to be paid via a direct debit arrangement and your credit or debit card to be paid automatically on the due date.
Connecting you with care assessment teams and home support services.
Participating at family meetings to help ease the stress of challenging conversations during difficult times for your family.
Working with your accountant and lawyer to ensure the needs of your parents are well supported.
If you're seeking advice on aged care, please contact us to discuss: or phone on (02) 9734 6111.
Useful Links
We've compiled a broad range of useful links for your use. These include tax resources, finance, media, Australian government assistance, business and accounting software.
These calculators are powered by ASIC’s MoneySmart developers, which allow you to calculate mortgage payments, detail retirement cost modelling as well as many other calculators detailing different aspects of your personal finances.
