An adviser is there to understand your financial goals and develop strategies and plans to help you achieve those goals. We provide advice on how to build and manage your savings and investments, how to manage your cash flow, plan for your retirement and what sort of personal and business insurance you may need. We can explain insurance and investment products, and provide advice on personal and corporate super. 

Firstly, all advisers need to be authorised by the corporate regulator, ASIC. You can look your adviser up here.

Our advisers all hold specialised financial planning or insurance qualifications. We also meet the Tax Practitioners Board requirements for tax financial advice.

There are no silly questions, and you are probably not going to surprise your adviser – we have heard most things before.

Be prepared:

• Go into the meeting with a list of what you own – house, car, savings, super and other investments, and what insurance you have
• Take a list of what you owe on your mortgage, credit cards, personal loans, car leases or any other debts
• Know how much you earn and how much you spend
• Think about your goals – do you want to pay off your mortgage sooner, save and plan for retirement, pay for your children’s education or make the most of a financial windfall like an inheritance

Most importantly, you should walk out of the meeting:

• Feeling that you have been listened to
• Understanding the service the adviser will provide
• Knowing what the advice does and does not cover
• Having a clear idea of how much the advice will cost

If you are not happy with your adviser, it is ok to change advisers.

The cost of the advice will change from person to person, depending on the advice you need.

Your adviser will provide you with a Financial Services Guide which tells you how, and how much, we'll charge for our services. After your meeting, where you discuss your needs, your adviser will be able to give you a more precise costing. 

It’s as easy as picking up the phone to ClearView. We can put you in touch with an adviser near you or you can search here - ClearView Financial Advice or Matrix Planning Solutions.

Some advisers specialise in specific professions or lifestyles – say dentists, or expats, for example. So you may also want to ask around your friends or colleagues for a recommendation.

Above all, you have to feel that you can trust your adviser and find us easy to work with. 

Our advisers are accredited to provide you with personal advice, which is tailored to you and your goals. Your adviser will usually ask you detailed questions about your financial goals, what you own and what you owe. Although the adviser may make some comments and suggestions during your meeting, depending on whether you want to proceed with the service, we'll also provide you with a Statement of Advice that clearly states: 

• Your current financial situation
• Your goals for the future
• A suggested strategy for how to achieve your goals
• Suggestions of specific investments or insurances that they think will meet your needs
• A clear indication of the cost of the advice and fees for the investments

A Statement of Advice is a document, produced by your adviser, that gives you all the information you need to make an informed decision about whether to proceed with the planned investments, or not. A Statement of Advice will: 

• Always be provided in writing
• Clearly set out the cost of the advice and fees for products
• Have a record of your discussion/interactions with your  adviser
• Describe your financial goals
• Contain a strategy for achieving your goals
• List the products and actions that the adviser recommends for you, including benefits and disadvantages

We have advisers all over Australia. Find an adviser near you, or an adviser who specialises in the kind of investing you want to do. Call us on 02 8095 1300 (opening hours 8am - 5.30pm, Mon-Fri, AEST) and we’ll get you in touch with an adviser in your area. 
 

A certified document is a copy of an original document that has been certified as a true copy of an original document. To obtain an originally certified copy, you will need to present the original document and a photocopy of that document to one of the people¹ outlined below.

Examples of people who can certify your documents are:
 

• Financial adviser*
• Accountant (provided they hold a current membership to a professional accounting body)
• Pharmacist
• Qualified school or tertiary/university teacher
• Justice of the Peace
• Solicitor
• Police Officer
• Magistrate
• An employee of Australia Post*
• An officer of a bank, building society, credit union or finance company*

 
*provided they have two or more years of continuous service
 
You can also find a full list of people who can certify documents here.
 
1 Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Rules Instrument 2007