We have been clients of the Collins Financial Group for the past two years. Just like so many other people, we wanted to get ourselves into a strong financial position where we owned our own home, were able to go on holidays, able to easily pay for our children’s education and generally enjoy life without having to worry about money. Of course, we wanted to do this without sacrificing too much in our day to day living! We had never seen a Financial Advisor before, but when we were referred to Collins for an initial consultation, we figured we would at least check it out. I look back at it now, and wish we had done something much sooner.
When we first met Brendan, we were nervous and a little sceptical about what he could do for us. It didn’t take long for us to see the logic in the advice Brendan provided, and to start believing that what we wanted to achieve was actually possible. Brendan listened to our goals and ideas for the future, and came up with a plan that was clear and structured, and easy to follow. Since then, we haven’t looked back! We have already achieved so many of our goals, and are well and truly on track to own our home – all of this without feeling deprived.
It’s great knowing that we can call Brendan for help or reassurance whenever we need. He is so knowledgeable about the financial industry, and really understands what we are trying to achieve. With Brendan looking after it all, we don’t have to feel weighted down worrying about our finances. We would absolutely recommend Collins to anyone who is looking to improve their financial situation.
We were referred to Collins Financial Group by a colleague who raved about their services. Initially we felt somewhat apprehensive in engaging the services of another financial advisor due to a bad experience in the past, but after meeting Troy at our first consultation, we felt very comfortable with his manner, professionalism and authenticity.
Since engaging the services of Collins Financial Group, we feel much more peace of mind as to the direction our financial future is heading. Before going to Collins Financial Group we had goals of what we wanted to achieve financially but we did not know what steps to take and how to stay on track to make this happen. It is a huge weight off our shoulders not to have to worry or think about this large aspect of our lives. Leaving it in the hands of the experts really does make our lives so much less complicated.
When it comes to your finances, you want to be working with someone who not only has the knowledge, but someone who understands your needs and wants and what you want to achieve. Troy and Brendan listened attentively to what our goals were and structured an individual plan that was both achievable and easy for us to implement.
Working with Troy, Brendan and the team has been an absolute pleasure and we certainly have no doubt it will continue to be as we continue to work with them in the future.
“We have been clients of Collins Financial Services for 3 years. Our intention in enlisting their services was to plan for our future financial security and bring discipline to our financial situation in order to achieve our goals.
To date, we have achieved some important short-term goals and we are very comfortable with the arrangements in place for taking care of the long-term.
The team at Collins Financial Group have impressed us in these ways:
Professionalism
They are organised and always available for interactions when we have questions or matters to follow-up. We always appreciate their timely, well-researched and well-considered response to any request. They are also proactive in assessing our situation and they bring matters we may have not considered to our attention.
Caring approach
We can clearly see Collins’s understanding of our unique situation, needs and aspirations in every interaction we have. This makes it easy to relax and trust in the process.
Knowledge
They know their game. They know the way of the modern world and the application of their knowledge is both skilful and balanced.
We have no hesitation in recommending Troy Collins and the team of Collins Financial Group to anyone who values these qualities. ”
There are some people who you meet during your lifetime which you end up owing a great debt of gratitude and there is really no way that saying 'thanks' would ever be enough.
Well it applies to all of you guys! We arrived with you, no kids, owning the house, with a heavily mortgaged investment property and in our late 40's with a desire to retire at 55 and 57 respectively. Thank you for my partner’s two year earlier than expected retirement at 55 - that was better than any present I have ever given! What you have managed to do with our money without very much lifestyle adjustment in such short amount of time is truly remarkable.
During our regular checkup meetings, there have been moments when I have conceptually grasped how you manage it all, and I thank you for your patience in helping me to understand and accept that there are productive ways to manage debt.
I lead a far more carefree life now.
Coming along to meet you a few years ago has meant our future is secured, enhanced to a level well above a meager pension and it has meant that we can retire earlier and it means we get to play longer together into our dotage. And there should be something left over for the next generation to squabble about when it’s all over.
Thanks from the heart!
“In all honesty, when we began this journey, there was an element of desperation in our situation. We had both realised that we did not wish to work indefinitely, or did not want to be compelled to work indefinitely, but had no real idea how to avoid that fate.
In 2000, the prospect of being able to retire early seemed very attractive, but also largely illusory. Collins also assured us that we could continue to live a relatively comfortable lifestyle, with regular holidays and a timely replacement of vehicles. It all seemed too good to be true. Added to that, early in our plan we had an unexpected expense building accommodation for an elderly parent.
Despite this complication, and our persistent financial ignorance in the face of the best efforts of the Collins team to educate us, the plan proceeded steadily, moving us closer to the achievement of our goal. One of the great pleasures over the 7 years has been our interactions with the team Troy has gathered around him.
There have been plenty of laughs along the way, but we have always had enormous confidence in the knowledge and experience of the people guiding us. They have been understanding and flexible all the way, and have responded generously and patiently to requests and questions we have posed. Now we are within striking distance of completing the process, and I have been able to move into semi-retirement earlier than planned.
For this alone I am very grateful, but even more so when I reflect that our future is secure.
The plan that was devised for us was soundly based and very successful. I was always impressed by the willingness of Collins personnel to review and reconsider strategies, making adjustments when they were advantageous, but always discussing them with us, explaining the rationale for changes, and then putting them into place efficiently and effectively.
I am mindful that we would not be in the happy situation we find ourselves in without Troy and the gang, and I thank them for all they have done for us.”
“We had long recognised the need to have a financial plan if we were to achieve our financial aspirations of owning our home, funding our children’s education, taking a well deserved world trip and enjoying a comfortable and secure retirement. I knew that a plan without some sort of practical application amounted to nothing more than a dream.
Before the arrival of our two beautiful daughters my wife had worked in the financial services sector and I had dabbled with internet share trading. Despite our combined experience we found it difficult to formulate a clear strategy and take the necessary practical steps to achieve our financial goals. We eventually found Troy and his staff at Collins Financial Services. Their professionalism, enthusiasm and customer focus were evident to us from the moment we walked into their offices. We received advice that addressed our goals and provided flexibility to suit our circumstances.
Most importantly, we have now taken our first practical steps towards turning our financial dreams into reality; they may be small steps at this stage but thanks to Troy and his team we can see ourselves making real progress. We are now more structured in our spending habits and the positive progress in our investments, mortgage and tax position is really motivating us to continue to develop our financial discipline.
At the same time we feel more confident about meeting all of our financial obligations and are more relaxed about our future. Unless we win the lotto, our financial security isn’t going to be achieved overnight, but even if we did win the lotto, I think I’d be talking to Troy about how to make the most of our windfall!”
“We were referred to Collins Financial Group through a friend who had very positive things to say about his experience with the company. At first we were slightly skeptical so we thoroughly looked into what was involved before we made any decisions. The decision to have Collins Financial Group look after our finances was the best thing we have done to assist us in reaching our financial goals.
Everything was explained to us in detail, so we not only understood what was happening with our money, but also felt confident with the decision that we made. We now don't seem to have the stress in our lives which we had at times in the past.
The Collins Financial Group has well and truly exceeded our expectations. We seem to have more money on a weekly basis, we are financing purchases easier than we had done previously, and we are well on our way to a comfortable retirement.
We thank Collins Financial Group for their dedication to their clients.”
“We came to Collins Financial Group as we were both so busy in our everyday lives that we hadn’t made the time to sit down and thoroughly plan where we wanted to be and how we were going to get there (despite the fact that one of us works in the finance industry!). Our Adviser at Collins sat us down and we went through and discussed our complete financial situation. It wasn’t just short term needs they looked at but everything from now until retirement, which for us is at least 30 plus years away. So there was a lot of forward thinking that we were forced to do and it was things like education costs that together we had never talked about and as we were ready to start a family it was an eye opener to look at the funds we needed to put aside each year.
They then assessed our situation and time frames, and came back with a detailed plan which took into account advice on the type of mortgage we needed, personal insurances and investments; it also incorporates our everyday expenditure, holidays, children’s education and other things like new car purchases etc, but is flexible enough to allow for the unexpected. And this is all structured to pay back our home loan as soon as possible so we can use that money for other investments (and holidays!).
They have been very attentive to our needs and we have an ongoing relationship with our Adviser and their support staff at Collins where they’ve essentially became our financial coach. Only a few months after we started our plan, we decided our home renovations were going to cost double what we had originally planned for.
So we called Collins to discuss the impact this would have on our plan. They ran through the numbers and reassured us that we could still do this and explained the impact on our goal to reduce our home loan as fast as possible (which only impacted it by a year!). So in situations like this the plan was very adaptable to our changing circumstances and we felt in control of our financial situation.
We’ve now been working to our plan for at least 6 months and we feel free from worrying about where we’re going as they’ve structured the plan to get us where we want to go. And at no time have we felt we’re being restricted from enjoying our day-to-day lives, in fact we feel more reassured and confident about our financial future, as we have a path to follow and a coach to guide us along the way.
“As someone who was extremely busy in their career, and had little knowledge of financial planning, I needed to find someone I trusted to manage my financial affairs and steer me in the right direction.
Troy Collins was my choice – as I found his personable approach, sincerity and high level of customer service extremely refreshing. That was 11 years ago, and I am very happy to advise that Troy is continuing to manage my financial affairs.
Over the past 11 years there have been several changes in my work and personal life which have needed to be reflected in my financial planning. One of the great things about having Collins Financial Group looking after my financial planning is that they are flexible, adaptive to change and always able to offer up different solutions that will suit my needs. Better still, I have found their structures and plans extremely easy to stick to, and their regular reports mean that it is very simple to chart how you are going.
In the years that Troy has been my financial advisor, I have been delighted with the results that we have achieved in areas such as tax minimisation, savings, retirement plans and even overseas holidays.
For someone who had little knowledge of financial planning, I have since developed a greater interest and understanding of the different approaches that can be used. I look forward to my regular meetings to go over my plan and results, and like the fact that I can ask lots of questions and get answers on the spot! I also like the fact that Collins Financial Group has individually tailored a plan that suits me, and that they go to great lengths to always ensure I understand every aspect about it.
I look forward to Troy continuing to oversee my financial affairs and achieving great successes. Based on the very strong results that I have personally achieved, and my appreciation of having a financial planner who has made this part of my life very easy, I highly recommend Troy and the Collins Financial Group for their great service.”
