Team Spirit profile: Brett
After starting his working life as a co-owner of a pizza shop, Brisbane-based Superannuation Adviser Brett began working in finance about 25 years ago as a consultant with Colonial State Bank.
‘We didn’t have branches, just kiosks in shopping centres. We mainly helped members with transactions, home and contents insurance, and home loans.’
Keen to move into financial advice, Brett decided to study financial planning.
‘After completing my qualification, I left Colonial State Bank and worked as a financial planner for Suncorp where I stayed for about 11 years.’
With over a decade of financial planning under his belt, Brett turned to super.
‘After Suncorp, I went to industry super fund Hostplus. In my role there, I’d go out with the account managers, visit employers, sit down with members and do financial plans for them.’
After six years with Hostplus, Brett spent five years working for a local government fund when he heard about a job with Spirit Super.
‘A previous work colleague told me that a Superannuation Adviser role had come up with Spirit Super in Queensland. The role involved providing advice on things like transition to retirement and pensions at no extra cost to members. That’s the sort of advice that a lot of other funds charge thousands of dollars for! I thought it sounded great.’
Brett promptly applied for the role.
‘I got an interview, and here I am today. I’m a year in and loving it!’
A big part of Brett’s role as a Superannuation Adviser is to explain strategies and concepts that members may not easily understand.
‘Transition to retirement is a concept a lot of people struggle with. I met with a member the other day who was coming up to her preservation age. When I explained to her that she’d be able to reduce the hours she works without reducing her income, she couldn’t believe it!’.
‘And salary sacrifice can be confusing for people too. If they earn over a certain amount, salary sacrifice not only helps boost their super, it can also reduce their taxable income.’
One of the common misconceptions that members have is that they don’t realise they have options when it comes to how their super is invested.
‘A lot don’t realise we have nine different investment options to choose from. Because each option has a different investment strategy and varying levels of risk and return, the way they invest can make a big difference to their balance at retirement.’
When Brett is asked what’s the one piece of information he wished all members knew, he says it’s the advice that’s available to them at no extra cost.
‘I’d love it if they all realised they have access to a Superannuation Adviser in their state who they can talk with via phone, zoom or even in person. We can answer all their questions about their super, and also provide advice about their super, at no extra cost to them. A lot of members wouldn’t realise this because it’s not the norm in the industry.’
Do you want to speak with a Superannuation Adviser?
If you’d like to speak with a Superannuation Adviser like Brett who can help you feel more confident about the decisions you’re making about your super, give us a call on 1800 005 166.