Our Services

Retirement planning is all about commencing with the end in mind and everyone’s retirement plans are unique. Some endeavour to travel, help their children or require more funds for retirement than others. There’s a lot of confusion about what the role of a Financial Planner is. Some believe we buy/sell shares or sell life insurance, while others have no idea.

We view our role as Financial Coaches. Good financial planners guide, support and hold you accountable when achieving your goals and objectives as a coach does. For us, it’s all about what is important to you. Some of the world’s best sportsmen rely on a coach for all the same reasons. We use the analogy, if you decided to run a marathon, you don’t wake up one morning, put shoes on and run 42.2kms. This takes months/years of planning, training and most importantly, commitment to eventually arrive prepared and ready to race on the day. Financial planning is similar; the more planning, time and commitment you make, the greater the outcome you can expect.

Comprehensive retirement planning encompasses all the key areas of advice listed below to allow us to prepare and implement a financial plan for you. Therefore, when new prospects ask what’s the role of a financial planner, my response is simple ‘We improve the likelihood of your achieving your financial goals and aspirations through tailored advice and accountability’.

We often advise clients that both wealth protection and insurance plans are the foundations of retirement planning. Not having an insurance plan is like building your home without a slab. Your plan will always be vulnerable or exposed to an unexpected event. For this reason, we start with a client’s wealth protection or insurances when providing retirement planning advice. The main objection from clients taking out insurance costs. It’s a valid objection, however, when you think about it more carefully, costs shouldn’t enter the equation. If we can demonstrate how we are going to meet your financial goals and objectives, does it really matter what it costs us to get there? Or is it more important to have sufficient money in retirement no matter what curve balls are thrown at you? Worth thinking about!

Wealth protection or insurance advice generally covers off life insurance, total permanent disability insurance, trauma cover and income protection insurance. All play their part in ensuring your family remains financially secure in the event of death, disability, sickness or accident.

Insurance is a complex area of advice. It is crucial to seek and consider professional advice. At Altitude Wealth Management, we are aligned with all the market leading insurers to ensure you have the right level of cover, at the right price and structure in the most tax-effective manner.

Looking to protect yourself and your loved ones against life’s curveballs with flexible insurance solutions? Contact us today and to speak with one of our friendly insurance specialists.

Many clients that we come across do not have a clear understanding of why they have an SMSF, nor do we to be honest. Too many clients have gone to both the trouble and expense of taking on the responsibility of operating their SMSF and moving forward, have not done anything different to what they were previously doing in their retail or industry fund.

Why establish and SMSF? Most want more control, access to a broader range of investment classes (including direct residential or commercial property), to borrow in their supper fund or reduce costs. However, most don’t consider whether they have the time, knowledge and skills to manage their own super fund. Most are unable to recognise their role and responsibilities to act as a trustee and haven’t considered the upfront and ongoing costs to administer an SMSF.

We believe having an SMSF isn’t for everyone but extremely beneficial to some. When discussing whether to establish an SMSF, we consider all the above and more before deciding if its right for you. We see too many clients being talked into by other professional advisers and some non-professional advisers and they simply don’t need one or use it properly.

Our adviser Dennis DiBartolo is a Self-Managed Superannuation Specialist Adviser through his association/membership with Self-Managed Super Fund Association. The SMSF Specialist adviser is a symbol of excellence and demonstrates that the individual’s SMSF expertise has been endorsed by the association. SMSF Specialist advisers maintain their high level of skills and knowledge through ongoing education. Their work practices, integrity, professionalism and ethical standards are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they remain at the highest standard.

Before making a decision on the suitability of an SMSF, contact Dennis or an SMSF Specialist Adviser to ensure both pros and cons, and roles and responsibilities are clear when operating your fund.