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When Tom migrated to Australia around seven years ago, he engaged an institutional financial adviser to help him invest his savings.  But it wasn’t working.  Tom wasn’t seeing capital growth on his investments even in the midst of the share market boom. 

 

Frustrated and now over 70, Tom realised he couldn’t afford to make any more mistakes with his money.  He didn’t want to waste more time and he was losing faith in the financial advice industry.

 

A friend helped by recommending Garth Collingwood saying, “This guy’s sharp.  He’s good”.

 

And that’s what Tom experienced.  His first impressions were positive, “Garth listened better than he spoke.  He didn’t try to impress me with anything glossy.  We just stuck to the facts.”

 

“Garth has uncommon insight.  He is able to swing between the macro and the micro.  He can explain the drivers of the economy and understands how they impact on my investments.”

 

“He is able to take complicated ideas, simplify them and explain them clearly and logically.  He is always able to substantiate his advice with facts.  And that engenders confidence because you feel more in control.  You can understand what’s happening.”

 

“In my opinion Garth’s the best kept secret in the industry”.

When Deb was approaching her retirement, Australia was in the middle of a Royal Commission into financial services.  The revelations of the commission really shook her confidence.

 

Before dealing with River City Financial Planning, Deb had another adviser for more than ten years.  The previous adviser had recommended a self-managed super fund.  It felt like the adviser had total control over Deb’s money because she was choosing the investments and undertaking administration of the fund as well. 

 

Deb decided to take back control of her finances.  She decided she wanted to unwind her self-managed super fund and invest in an industry fund.  According to Deb, “At that time I was pretty clear that I never wanted to be in a position ever again where I was totally reliant on an adviser.”

 

But the task felt overwhelming.  “Unravelling the self-managed super fund was complicated.  Garth gave me confidence that I could actually do what I wanted to do.”

 

“Garth doesn’t create a reliance relationship.  He provided clarity in the face of so much complexity.  He demystified the process and gave alternate options along the way.  He never gave me any sense that this was not achievable.”

 

But the best thing, according to Deb, was Garth’s compassion.  “When you’re dealing with your money, it’s a very intimate relationship.  Your financial adviser must understand your values, your priorities, your ethics and your behaviour.  Garth is very insightful and compassionate.  He emotionally held my hand through the process.”

 

“I think his degree in behavioural science helps with that.”

Robyn is a financial services industry insider who is well versed in retirement and financial advice. Her professional background means she understands what high-quality advice really looks like.

 

Robyn was a financial planner herself, and her work connected her with thousands of retirees, as well as the best local financial advisers – including Garth Collingwood.

 

So, when it came to her own retirement, Robyn sought out Garth.

 

According to Robyn, “his understanding of public sector super is unmatched.”

 

“Garth has saved me a lot of money in tax over the past six years. Even with the knowledge I’ve gained through my professional experience, I still value my relationship with him.”

 

It’s not just what he knows that sets Garth apart from others, it’s his straightforward, honest approach. “He’s someone who can point me in the right direction and tell me if my strategies will work, and help to devise the best course of action.” 

 

“Garth doesn’t just tell you what you want to hear, even if that’s easier for him. He’ll make certain you’re fully informed on whether what you think you want is actually the right decision.” 

 

“He’s very authentic.”