Zurich’s new series, “Taking five with our latest industry leaders”, sits down with the 2016 AFA Adviser of the Year, Darren Johns, and Practice of the Year owner, Sam Henderson to talk about the events that have shaped their advice philosophy, as well as their approach to business and life, and how it affects the way they work with clients.

Darren Johns, 2016 AFA Adviser of the Year – Align Financial:

Darren Johns

A few years ago my wife was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and was no longer able to cope with a lot of her day-to-day activities, including the senior role she held in the insurance industry.

Our two young children are our priority, so we made the decision that I would take on the role of their carer much more than I had previously done – making lunches, doing the school drop-off and pick up and host of other activities that come with school-age children.

This meant that my own work/life balance – and that of the entire family – had to be completely rethought. It made us focus in what was really important. For me that was three key things: caring for my wife and helping her recovery working close to home so I was always available for kids, and if we were lucky, spending some time indulging in what had been our family passion – snowboarding.

By looking at my core beliefs and motivations, it allowed me to recognise just how this could be integrated into my advice business and way of working with clients. This led me to embrace the concept of ‘financial life planning’, or “money therapy” as it can be referred to in the US.

This philosophy takes into account the ‘softer’ side of money and is based on the premise that you should first discover a client’s most essential goals in life before putting together a financial plan, so that a their finances fully support these goals.

It’s something that I think a lot of advisers can shy away from because they feel they aren’t qualified to deal with clients on an emotional level. The reality is, most of us are more than able to discuss a client’s softer side – it’s is as simple as asking the right questions and being prepared to listen.

However, since I was advising my clients that they were able to take financial control of their life goals now – without having to wait until retirement – I thought I should start practicing what I preached. So 18 months after first being diagnosed with CFS, my wife started getting better and we decided to take the family on a skiing holiday in Canada.

What started out as a 6-7 week adventure soon turned into almost 6 months, and I made the decision to live and work remotely. Dropbox, Skype and Outlook were the only tools I needed.

A common question I get asked is, “Didn’t the clients mind?” This was a large consideration of mine, and naturally I consulted with all my clients before I left, to see if any had major misgivings. It was encouraging to hear that none did, and I quickly learned that as long as you remain in contact and deliver on what you promised, clients are happy.

It was great to discover that to work remotely, or operate your business outside the box, you don’t need to be a tech wiz. All you need is a basic level of knowledge and tools – just know how to use them well!

Sam Henderson, Owner, 2016 AFA Practice of the Year – Henderson Maxwell:

Sam Henderson

I remember at a very young age, my father losing our house in a bad real estate deal and spending a lot of my childhood bouncing around Melbourne from rental property, to rental property. This was tough and meant, as a family, we had to start from scratch.

After this set back, my dad started and slowly built up a small retail paint business and I was quite involved in it throughout my younger years. It ended up being a successful venture for my dad, and seeing him go from nothing to something had quite a significant influence on how I viewed the power of money and proper financial management.

Another ‘watershed’ was when my mother, who was a nurse, retired and I discovered that she had little more than $30,000 in superannuation. The insecurity of this experience, along with what our family experienced while I was growing up, instilled a strong sense in me to help others.

I never want my clients to have to tell their kids “we can’t afford it”, which is something that my parents often had to tell us as kids. This was reinforced even more strongly after I became a father and realised just how much your children take precedence over everything else. It’s driven me to keep learning as an adviser, keep providing the best for my clients, and keep growing my business to ensure they have the financial security growing up that I didn’t.

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Darren Johns

The Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) and Zurich are pleased to announce that Darren Johns from Align Financial is the 2016 AFA Adviser of the Year, and Henderson Maxwell is the 2016 AFA Practice of the Year.

AFA CEO Brad Fox said both Mr Johns of Align Financial in Narrabeen NSW, and Henderson Maxwell from Sydney, are outstanding examples of the high caliber and professionalism of AFA award winners.

“The judging process for the AFA Adviser of the Year and the AFA Practice of the Year Awards is deliberately rigorous,” Mr Fox said. “We have to be convinced that the winners are genuinely outstanding on a number of fronts. Therefore, the judging panel evaluates the finalists on client responses to our in-depth client survey, their advice documents and processes, the interviews we have with their staff, and the opinion we form after an onsite visit to their practice. The final stage is their face-to-face presentation to the seven-member judging panel. Without a shadow of a doubt, each of these finalists has earned the right to be recognised as being at the top of our profession.”

Now in its fourteenth year, the AFA Adviser of the Year Award is a joint initiative between the AFA and Zurich, and it is regarded as Australia’s most prestigious award for financial advisers. In its third year, the AFA Practice of the Year, which is also a joint AFA/Zurich initiative, is the foremost award for financial advice practices.

Mr Johns’ distinguishing factor in winning the AFA Adviser of the Year was the combination of his exceptional client relationships coupled with his demonstration to clients that they can achieve well-being, financial security, and lifestyle outcomes whilst still working, and he lives that through his own family, work and life choices.

Henderson Maxwell as the AFA Practice of the Year, led by Founder and CEO Sam Henderson and General Manager Tony Davison, demonstrated their expertise across all of the judging criteria. As a diversified financial services practice they bring a complete experience to their clients, and have successfully leveraged Mr Henderson’s media profile to attract and educate a broad demographic of clients. It is an innovative practice and has used social media very effectively as an engagement tool.

Zurich Life and Investments CEO Tim Bailey said Zurich is very pleased to continue to support the AFA Adviser of Year Award and the AFA Practice of the Year Award.

“Advisers can and do make a profound, positive difference in the lives of everyday Australians,” he said. “These Awards, which Zurich has supported since launch, are an important opportunity to identify, shine a spotlight on, and share best practice within the profession. This year’s winners are testament to the way advisers are constantly innovating in order to improve both the customer experience – and the accessibility – of quality financial advice.”

The Awards were presented at a Gala Dinner at the AFA National Adviser Conference in Canberra last week.

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Brad Fox

The Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) and Zurich have announced the grand finalists in the prestigious 2016 AFA Adviser of the Year and Practice of the Year Awards (the Awards).

This year three leading practitioners and practices are being recognised for their leadership, advocacy and innovation in the financial services industry.

In its 14^th Year, the Adviser of the Year Award was first presented in 2003, as a joint initiative between the AFA and Zurich, and is regarded as Australia’s most prestigious award for financial advice.

In its third year, Practice of the Year is now a highly competitive award with nominations growing significantly each year.

AFA CEO, Brad Fox, says the finalists across both categories have participated in a rigorous assessment process, where they have been judged on areas such as education, experience and contribution to the industry, as well as the processes they employ to deliver an outstanding and consistent customer experience.

“The Awards truly represent the cream of the crop, as evaluated by third party testing and robust business analysis,” says Fox.

“We know each year it is getting more difficult for great practitioners and practices to stand out from the crowd because the standard in our industry continues to be both raised and met. This is a great reflection of the desire in our industry to adapt and change.”

Zurich Life and Investments CEO Tim Bailey says: “As Australia’s premier advice awards, we continue to see finalists who are the true innovators and leaders amongst their peers. The calibre this year is once again exceptional, and proves that the advice profession remains vibrant, forward looking, and well placed to navigate the evolving landscape.”

The 2016 Grand Finalists for the Adviser of the Year Award are:

• Darren Johns, Align Financial, NSW
• Jason Peterson, 5 Financial, NSW
• Gary Spencer, Spencer Private Wealth, NSW

Finalists for the 2016 Practice of the Year Award are:

• Henderson Maxwell, NSW – Sam Henderson
• Mediq Financial Services, VIC – Ravi Agarwal
• Navwealth Financial Group, NSW – Craig Banning

Winners will be announced on 7th October 2016 at the AFA National Conference at the National Convention Centre in Canberra.

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