(Left to right) Anne Graham, Kara Treeby, Sarah Leslie and David Graham

With women currently representing only around 20% of Australia’s financial advisers, it’s extremely rare to find a financial services company that is predominantly women, but that is exactly the case for Story Wealth Management.

Bucking the trend of male dominated financial services companies, three out of four of Story Wealth Management’s directors and seven out of nine team members are female.

Headed by award-winning advisers Anne Graham and David Graham, Story Wealth Management was formed after the recent merger of Sigma Wealth Management with Thinc Wealth, a respected and energetic company run by Sarah Leslie and Kara Treeby. Their respective business’ historical growth and success is an indicator that women have a lot to offer the profession.

“Thinc were a great example of a successful company focussed on providing an exceptional service to clients,” says Anne, “and the synergy with Sigma Wealth Management was obvious. Together we are a powerful team that can provide a comprehensive range of advice and services to help clients achieve their goals.”

The change in name reflected the fresh start for the resulting company, and also highlighted to clients the company’s commitment to bringing clients’ stories to life through great financial advice and management.

Anne, who serves on a number of boards and committees in addition to her client work, believes more women will enter the profession as demand grows.

“The workforce in Australia is changing, with greater representation of women across the board, and the financial services industry will not be immune to that,” says Anne.

Anne hastens to add that it’s not a case of women being better advisers than men; the issue is that clients sometimes don’t have the option of working with a female adviser given the limited number of experienced, qualified women in the profession. “Our client base encompasses all types of people, and they generally select their adviser based on how that person meets all of their needs, in terms of their ability to understand their goals and partner with the client to achieve them,” explains Anne. “Our clients value the skills and experience of our team, and we’re proud to offer them a service that they love.”

“Any industry benefits from better representation of their client base, and the financial services industry without doubt can count any member of the Australian community as a potential client. Why wouldn’t you include women in your team?”

The answer to that question seems to be that women are still entering the industry at a lower rate than men. However some key players have recognised that the imbalance is not good for the industry and are working on remedying the situation.

For example, BT Financial Group launched the Stella Network in 2013 to increase the representation of women in the industry generally, and in their own organisation specifically. In 2015 they cited an noticeable improvement in the ratio of female advisers in their own team, with around 45% of new advisers in 2014 being women.

Though it might take some time for the balance to be redressed, Story Wealth Management are proud to stand out in the financial services profession.

“In the end, it’s our financial and market knowledge, our extensive experience, and our genuine interest and concern for our clients that earns us our success,” says Anne. “But it’s also great that we can offer a real point of difference in a heavily male dominated industry.”

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Anne Graham, 2013 AFA Excellence in Education Award recipient.

At sunrise on 25 February, four CFP professionals reached the summit of the world’s highest freestanding mountain knowing that they had raised tens of thousands of dollars to help disadvantaged young Australians through Future2, the foundation of the Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA).

For Julie Berry, Anne Graham, David Graham and Sam Hunt the Future2 Kilimanjaro Challenge (17-28 February) was both about fulfilling a personal goal and raising vital funds to help empower disadvantaged young Australians.

The team’s initial fundraising target of $16,000 ($4,000 each) was blown out of the water by the generous support of friends, colleagues and families, to reach over $39,500.

The Future2 Kilimanjaro team spent seven days on the mountain accompanied by a team leader/ doctor and local guides and porters. Their route took them up the north eastern side of the mountain, near the Tanzania-Kenya border, through lush farmland and into the pine forest, making a gradual ascent to moorland and finally a rocky, moon-like landscape.

At midnight on the fifth day, they started the trek to the summit under the stars, navigating a narrow switchback trail by torchlight and climbing slowly to 5,686m. On reaching Uhuru Peak, the mountain’s highest point at 5,895m, they unfurled a Future2 banner despite temperatures of -15°C and punishing winds.

Future2 Chair Matthew Rowe CFPâ applauded their spirit and achievement. “It’s only with the help of individuals like Julie, Anne, David and Sam that Future2 can make grants to community not-for-profits across Australia, funding diverse programs that give these kids hope for a better future.”

Future2 ran this fundraising challenge in partnership with Inspired Adventures (IA), a specialist fundraising and travel company.

The funds raised by the Future2 Kilimanjaro Challenge were ear-marked for four organisations who received multi-year grants in 2014:

• BackTrack Youth Works, Armidale NSW
• Bridge Builders Youth Organisation, Lilydale VIC
• Women’s Health & Family Services, Northbridge WA
• Palngun Wurnangat Association, Wadeye NT

The Future2 foundation draws its support from financial planning professionals and others linked to the profession to make a lasting difference in the lives of young Australians living in social and financial disadvantage.
For more information, visit: www.future2foundation.org.au

By Julie Berry, Anne Graham, Inspired Adventures team leader/doctor Dr Jane Taylor, David Graham and Sam Hunt.

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