Would you like to receive financial advice without being ripped off?
Financial services companies and 'advisers' make it intentionally difficult to avoid high costs, complicated products, risky investments, and hidden fees.
That's where we're different.
The only independent financial adviser in Sydney that combines one-off, fixed-fee advice with more than a decade of experience at Australia’s leading private banks and stockbroking firms. Servicing clients Australia-wide.
Independent Wealth Advice is a different kind of adviser
Simple, fair fees
While most advisers charge ongoing fees, commonly as a percentage of assets, we charge a single, flat fee. We publish all of our fees on our website.
Australians should pay for advice the same way they pay a doctor, a lawyer or a plumber, when they need it. A fair fee for a fair service.
Less than 1% of advisers in Australia are independent, we proudly are.
We don’t push products, we’re not affiliated with a bank, we don’t have hidden incentives, we never receive any commissions.
Independence
Financial services companies and financial planners like to tell their clients they need to pay ongoing retainers, charge monthly fees to their super and investment portfolios.
Our clients don’t. Ongoing fees eat away at your retirement balance.
One-off advice
As featured in
Real reviews, from real clients
The process
Consult
Step One
A 45-minute consultation on Zoom/Teams. We go through your super, insurances and investments with the actual figures on the table. At the end, you get a plain verdict: whether full advice is warranted, what it would cover, and what it costs. If it is, a fixed fee is quoted on the call and you decide then.
Consultations cost $330 inc GST, paid at booking, credited in full against your advice fee.
Advise
Step Two
We prepare your Statement of Advice: a fixed-fee, one-off document covering superannuation, insurance, investments and tax, with clear recommendations and the reasoning behind them. Presented to you in a dedicated meeting, not emailed and forgotten.
You enjoy
Step Three
Get on with your life. No ongoing fees, no retainers, no percentage of your assets, no stressing, no wondering if you’re leaving money on the table. If your circumstances change, come back. Otherwise, you're done.
Book an appointment, today.
Imagine knowing your super is perfectly invested for you,
you and your family are covered if anything were to happen,
you're going to minimise tax by maximising superannuation,
and you've got a clear idea of how you're going to retire wealthy.
Initial Consultation; Your Questions, Answered
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Because a free first meeting isn't free. It's a sales cost, recovered from the clients who proceed. The people who say yes pay for the people who don't.
When you see a lawyer, a doctor or a tradesperson, you pay for their time from the first appointment, and you get their opinion, not their pitch. If you're not paying for someone's time, you're not dealing with an adviser. You're dealing with a salesman.
So we charge $330, prepare properly, and give you a straight verdict. Proceed, and it's credited in full. Don't, and you've paid for 45 minutes of a specialist's attention and an honest answer.
It also means "you don't need advice" is a perfectly good outcome for both of us.
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In full, against your advice fee, if you proceed.
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Then that's the advice. You've paid $330 to have a specialist confirm you're set up properly, instead of $6,600 to be told the same thing at greater length. We don't have a smaller product to steer you into. You leave with a straight answer, and we don't hear from you again until something changes.
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No. But you'll have everything you need to: the verdict, the scope and the fee. Most people do. Places are limited and held for those who confirm, so if you need to speak to a partner first, have them on the call.
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Prices start at $6,600 inc GST for a Statement of Advice. This can increase to approxiamtely $8,800 for complex positions such as trusts, SMSFs, companies or defined benefit schemes.
Your price is fixed, quoted on the call, and the $330 comes off it.
We charge no ongoing fees or commisions.
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Nothing further. The $330 covers the consultation and there's no obligation either way.
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Yes, with 48 hours' notice. Inside 48 hours the fee is forfeited.
Who we are
Andy Darroch, Director
B Bus (Acc), Dip FP, SMSF Specialist, MCIFAA, Former CFP (2020 - 2024)
After a decade of working at institutions like Macquarie Private Bank & 125 year old stockbroker Wilson HTM, witnessing first-hand how endless layers of fees, unnecessary complexity, biased advice and rife conflicts of interest eroded any benefits for clients, Advise Me Today (now Independent Wealth Advice) was started. Our ambition is to deliver honest advice, which places clients first, not advisers, not bonuses, not banks.
Based in Sydney, servicing Australia wide
Our offices are located in the Sydney CBD, at Level 12, 14 Martin Place in the historic Colonial Mutual Building. Thanks to Zoom and Microsoft Teams, we service clients of all types Australia wide.
Once conflicts, expensive ongoing fees, and complicated products are removed, servicing clients online becomes very easy, it’s something we do every single day.
Want to understand how we can help you?
Advice when you need it
One-off advice is one of the key elements that differentiates us from the traditional sales dominated culture of financial planning.
Why we don’t charge our clients ongoing fees, so your money works for you, not us
Once you’re setup in the perfect superfund and the perfect investment portfolio, we’ve made a comprehensive plan for your retirement and sorted any insurances, there is really no need to pay expensive ongoing fees… That’s why our clients don’t.
Our clients range from investible assets of more than $10M+ to as little as $100,000.
Why?
Because the investment requirements of a person with $500,000 are in reality no different to someone with $5 million. People want secure returns, top quality investments, proven strategies, trustworthy managers and tax efficiency. Why should someone with $2 million in super pay double the fees of a person with $1 million? Is there actually any difference?
Get honest, trustworthy financial advice from an independent financial adviser that’s designed to benefit you.
We aren’t here to sell you products, we are here to solve problems, to help you achieve your goals and to assist you in navigating the unnecessarily intimidating and needlessly complex world of financial planning.
We help our clients solve these problems
Superannuation
We can boost returns by removing unnecessary fees, lowering costs and helping you choose a top-performing, first-class fund.
Investments
We can help you invest with confidence by avoiding risky, complex and expensive products.
Insurance
We can slash insurance costs by removing any adviser commissions.
Tax
We can help you reduce tax, allowing you to build wealth faster and retire earlier.
You can have sophistication with simplicity, without high costs and without conflicts.
Pricing
Financial Plan
Super review, Insurance review, Investment Review
Price? $6,600 including GST
Includes? Full superannuation & insurance review (couple), complete investment review and recommendations, recommendations/considerations for superannuation contributions, Centrelink recommendations (retirees), and pretty much anything else.
Implementation? Guidance regarding implementation is included. Often, you will setup/arrange the accounts, rollovers and investments. No one is required to have us implement the advice. Depending on availability, further assistance can be provided at an hourly rate.
No ongoing fees, no insurance commissions, no kickbacks. We do not charge ongoing fees.
Who is this for? Retirees, pre-retirees, people who have cash to invest, review their super, review their insurances, anyone who wants to make sure they’re perfectly set up financially.
Complicated Financial Plan
Everything in Financial Plan, but complicated (Trusts, taxes, SMSFs, companies, direct shares, etc)
Price? Starting at $8,800 including GST
Includes? Full superannuation & insurance review (couple), complete investment review and recommendations, recommendations for superannuation contributions, Centrelink recommendations (retirees), and pretty much anything else.
Implementation? Guidance regarding implementation is included. Often, you will setup/arrange the accounts, rollovers and investments. No one is required to have us implement the advice. Depending on availability, further assistance can be provided at an hourly rate.
No ongoing fees, no insurance commissions, no kickbacks. We do not charge ongoing fees.
Who is this for? Anyone listed previously, but with a more complicated situation. This includes, Ultra High Net Worth, SMSFs, Defined benefit schemes, Expats, complicated tax & financial planning, (Trusts, SMSFs, selling small businesses etc).
Tailored Arrangements
Frequency? Upon request. Price? To be discussed.
Examples of a tailored arrangement would be an Ultra High Worth Investor (More than $10m of investments), Not-For-Profits, Charities, essentially anyone or any institution that requires ongoing consulting arrangements. We work out how many hours a month you will need and enter a fixed price arrangement you can end at any time.
FAQs
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Not only are we independent and expert. We do not charge ongoing fees.
We are always here to help, but unlike 99.9% of financial advisers, by using industry funds and ETFs, we don’t require any person to pay us ongoing fees.
We recommend industry funds and ETFs because they achieve superior investment returns and lower risk for clients, not because we stand to gain.
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Yes! All packages come with 1 hours of assistance implementing the advice this includes assisting with Binding Death Benefit Nominations, getting the investment options right, helping setup accounts.
Anything above the 1 to 2 hours, is quoted upfront, so you don’t get hit with a nasty bill, equally, no one is required to have us assist, any client can easily implement our advice with no further involvement or contact from us, we never require anyone to use our services and frankly love it when people save and money by doing it themselves!
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Absolutely! Just because we don’t charge ongoing fees doesn’t mean we aren’t here to help.
Simply put, whatever superfund is perfect for you with $500,000 (or more or less) at age 40 (or more or less) is still going to be the best for you at age 60 (or more or less) and $1,000,000 (or more or less).
However, if your situation changes, e.g. an inheritance, you sell a large asset, want to ensure you’re still on the right path or just want a ‘review’ you can book in anytime. The only difference is you probably won’t need another SOA and instead, will pay a simple hourly fee of $660 per hour for advice that is unlikely to take more than 2 - 3 hours.
We should pay for financial advice the same way you pay a Doctor, a Lawyer or a Plumber - when you need it.
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Not at all, people pay us for an expert opinion on what to do with their money, if they choose to follow that advice to the letter, wonderful! They will not regret it.
For anyone (it’s not happened yet) who doesn’t rest assured you’re under no obligation to change anything.
We get paid to give advice, not sell products.
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Currently, only personally and it is not tax deductible (we wish it was, but it is not).
On the plus side, you pay when you get the advice.
What makes us different?
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100% independent
Privately Owned
We are privately owned and have no ties with any bank, super fund or company trying to sell products.
No Commissions
We do not receive or accept any kind of commissions means we’re not incentivised to oversell you.
No Hidden Fees
We have no hidden arrangements or lucrative incentives that limit our advice and hurt clients.
No Kickbacks
We only recommend the best possible investments, we're not influenced by kickbacks and conflicted payments.
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