The coveted 2020 Independent Financial Adviser (ifa) Holistic Firm of the Year award, is the second for Stratus Financial Group. The highly respected Brisbane-based financial planning firm took the honour in 2019 as well, shoring up their reputation for delivering quality and truly ‘holistic’ financial planning that is underpinned by integrated services and advice borne of collaborating with aligned professionals.
Since 2016 Stratus Financial Group has earned an award every year, and in 2019 they received two.
Practice Director, Brett Cribb, admits awards are important to Status Financial Group. He says they provide an external measure that allows them to compare themselves against their peers.
“Every year we invite our entire team to participate in a planning retreat where we evaluate every aspect of our business. It’s very much intended as a ‘good, bad and the ugly’ discussion and I’m very pleased to say issues that are deemed bad or ugly are pretty rare. As for the good, we do take a moment to recognise them and congratulate ourselves, then we look at what we can do better,” he said.
At the heart of the Stratus holistic planning approach is a commitment to the core principle of ‘Make it Happen’.
“Our holistic management and coordination approach to financial planning involves diligently managing relationships and collaborating with other professionals. Together, we are able to help clients achieve the best possible outcomes across all aspects of their life,” Brett said.
To make it happen, Stratus compiles and coordinates an advice team specifically for the needs of individual clients. If clients already have advisers, they are invited to contribute, otherwise Stratus introduces trusted professionals from their own well-established network.
The outcome of this fully integrated approach considers legal, tax and accounting, property, debt and other matters that can influence achieving what really matters for clients.
Over the past year, Stratus Financial Group has implemented measures that have first and foremost benefited their clients. This has included extending their reach to clients living and working overseas, and others returning home to Australia after prolonged periods of time abroad. These clients benefit from sophisticated solutions for diverse and often complex financial considerations caused by living in one or more overseas locations.
Proactively embracing technologies has also been a significant game changer for the firm.
More efficient, secure and overall better data collection and management systems have resulted in a 38% administration time saving. The convenience and security that technology brings, such as digitally signing and submitting documents, has been particularly beneficial for clients living overseas or in lock-down, as has been the case in 2020.
Further, as part of their dedicated client communication approach, Stratus has expanded its comprehensive education and information program. With a loyal client base and around 20,000 contacts on LinkedIn, Stratus generously shares regular editorial, podcasts, videos and strategy papers with their significant and growing following.
“There’s no doubt 2020 has been a challenging year and during this time our systems and genuine holistic approach has provided confidence and reassurance for our clients. I’d like to extend a very sincere thank you to our clients for their support and to our team for their diligence and unwavering commitment to continually raising the bar and achieving our goals,” Brett said.
For more details about Stratus Financial Planning and our award winning Holistic Financial Planning approach, please call +61 7 3007 2007 or email info@stratusfinancialgroup.com.au
Photo Caption: L-R
Principal Advisers & Directors, Stephen Nicholas, Brett Cribb & James Marshall
At Stratus Financial Group, we help professionals, executives, business owners, families and retirees manage their complex financial affairs and coordinate their professional advisers.
Stratus Financial Group and its advisers are authorised representatives of Fortnum Private Wealth Ltd ABN 54 139 889 535 AFSL 357306. The information on this website is of a general nature only and neither represents nor is intended to be personal advice on any particular matter. Stratus Financial Group strongly suggests that no person should act specifically on the basis of the information supplied and should obtain appropriate professional advice based on their own personal circumstances.
