The rise of independence
2015 is the year that Indonesia celebrates its 70th independence anniversary from the Netherlands; Singapore its 50th year of independence from the UK; and Korea celebrates 70 years of independence from Japan. 2015 is also the year that Quantum Financial publicly declares that it is more independent than ever.
We, therefore, the representatives of Quantum Financial, by the authority of our good and loyal clients, do solemnly declare that we ought to be independent; that our advice will always be free of conflict and given in our clients’ best interests.
Quantum Financial, more independent than ever
Quantum Financial has been proudly providing trusted financial advice to our clients since 1994. Bill Mackay, Quantum Financial’s founder, obtained his dealer’s licence (now AFSL) in 1994 and we have not had any ownership or other ties to product providers in that entire period.
At Quantum Financial, we hold these 6 core values to be self-evident:
- Put our clients’ interest ahead of our own
- Observe high ethical standards
- Provide independent financial advice
- Keep our clients’ information confidential
- Tell the truth as we see it
- Behave as professionals
We came to financial planning from successful careers in accounting, the law and investment banking. Our advisors are now recognised as some of the top financial planners in the country and are members of the younger cohort driving much needed professional change. Our confidential client list contains some of the top names from the finance, media, medical and aviation professions and their extended families and friends. Senior staff from ASIC, FPA, ATO, CAANZ and other peak bodies regularly seek our assistance on financial planning issues.
Quantum Financial’s client centric business model
When it comes to independence, we hold these truths to be self-evident:
- We have long refused to take commissions, kick backs, volume bonuses or other inducements
- We are not and will never be tied to any institution
- Our fees are fixed and transparent
- Fixed fees disclosed and agreed up front
- New clients agree to re-engage our services each year
We meet with new clients, assess a fixed dollar level of fees based on complexity, time and our professional judgement; ensure we can add more value in their circumstances than the fees charged; and provide a written service agreement outlining our fees and service before clients commit to anything. These clients make a fully informed decision when they join us and we ask them to recommit to our service each year.
We devised our own Service Agreements based on the professional experience our personnel have had in firms such as Macquarie Bank, PwC, UBS and Deutsche Bank in Sydney, London and New York.
Terms we will not use
Furthermore, we solemnly promise we will not use terms designed to confuse and mislead consumers. We will not use terms that seek to imply a sense of independence where independence does not truly exist. Financial planners are either independent and call themselves as such or they are not. It’s that simple. Terms designed to mislead consumers that we promise not to use include:
- “Independently owned”
- “Privately owned”
- “Independently minded”
Bill Mackay
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® FPA Fellow BCom MEc BTheol
Tim Mackay
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® CA CA-FP SSA BEc (Hons) MBA
Claire Mackay
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® CA CA-FP CA-SMSF CTA LLB BCom LLM
