Australians worry about money, more than anything else in life, even their health.

Financial stress is bad for our families and it’s bad for our communities. Those who feel financially stressed drink more, sleep less, have worse mental and physical health, and have more conflict in their personal relationships.

But we get it. Australians have good reason to feel anxious about their money. The entire financial system is stacked against them.  It’s hard for them to make good financial decisions, because the system is just too complex.

And the retirement system is even worse. Over the past twenty years or so, the risk of the retirement system has shifted from the Government to the everyday Australian. A portion of every employee’s income is deferred and paid into super and at retirement they need to make really complicated decisions in relation to that money. 

They have to balance their spending and investment needs, match their assets to their liabilities, manage their cash flow, and make the money last over the course of their retirement; an unknown period of time. It feels like an impossible task.

And too few Australians are turning to a financial adviser to help them.

There are lots of reasons. But the main reason is that it’s just too confronting and uncomfortable. 

People are fearful of looking silly, being embarrassed about their past decisions, and generally being told bad news that it’s all too late for them. They’re frightened that they won’t understand the advice because it all feels too complex and analytical. They think that advice is for other people, but not for them. People with more money, more confidence, more will-power; and for people who are more rational, less emotional than them.

We see it every day. Financial advisers transform the lives of their clients. When Australians access the services of an adviser they feel more organized, confident and resilient. When they stick with an ongoing, active relationship with their financial planner, they are able to spend more, achieve more, with more wealth and less risk along the way.

But only if advisers can break down the barriers. And to break down the barriers, financial advice needs to be approached differently.

That’s why we founded When Financial Solutions.

We give our clients confidence to achieve the things that are most important to them. It doesn’t matter where you are on your financial journey, it’s never too late to achieve what’s important to you.

We work with you to help you understand not if but when you can achieve the things that are most important to you. When you can retire; when you can go part-time and start doing things you’re more passionate about; when you can buy the caravan, and start to travel; when you can renovate the kitchen; when you can study that course; and when you can take time out to teach the grandchildren to drive. 

We’re here for you when you’re ready to start asking the big questions.

There’s always a way. And when you partner with us, it’s not a question of ‘if’ you’ll achieve your goal but ‘when’.

Michael Bowman and James McMaster are co-founders of When Financial Solutions