Financial
Roadmap
A clear, personalised path to your financial goals.
6 May, 2021
Investing in line with your circumstance and attitudes to risk
First Financial Team
In today’s financial world, it’s important to have an investment portfolio that truly meets your needs.
It should be well maintained and include an asset allocation that is appropriate for your personal financial circumstance, while also aligning with your attitude to risk.
Here at First Financial, we utilise a methodology that gets to the heart of these two critical factors to ensure that we develop your portfolio accordingly.
By creating your portfolio around these central considerations, we know that you will feel confident as you work towards your financial goals.
Circumstance
As part of our initial steps, we learn all about your financial needs. We have to determine your circumstance in order to be able to provide you with the appropriate professional guidance.
We bring this back to how much income do you require from your savings and investments to support your lifestyle goals. This might be a lot or it might be nothing at all. We then guide you through an asset allocation discussion that will help you achieve the necessary financial outcome.
By gaining complete financial clarity, we can help you secure your current financial circumstance and start planning your ideal retirement.
Attitude to risk
Your attitude to risk is the second integral component we need to assess before you start investing. A traditional financial planner will typically ask you to complete a risk profile. This is a series of questions which identify and measure an investor’s attitude to risk. It gauges risk tolerance, to determine the level of risk the person is comfortable with.
Traditional risk profiling often funnels you towards a psychologically common outcome. But we believe this type of risk profiling can steer people into an asset allocation that may not be appropriate for their time of life.
Our approach is different. We don’t just get you to fill on a two-page questionnaire… we talk to you about how you feel… we facilitate a thorough ‘Q and A ’ session with you.
In order to build a portfolio that is perfectly tailor made, we have to figure out what makes you tick – what motivates you at your core and what will help you sleep well at night.
During our discovery session we look to uncover your goals and aspirations… even the ones you might not have even thought of yet. Questions we ask will help you articulate your dreams and also identify the challenges you currently face day to day so that we can understand the lifestyle you want to enjoy now and into the future.
We look at the different asset options we have proposed through our professional guidance and discuss the details in depth to determine whether they will match your own personal values and ethics.
Investment Philosophy
Another unique feature of our approach is our innovative Investment Philosophy. When we create investment portfolios, we make sure they are robust enough to endure market volatility… while still delivering the income you require.
We do this by separating the portfolio into three individual investment buckets.
- Bucket one is the ‘cash’ bucket and it holds 12 months’ worth of income.
- Bucket two is the ‘fixed-interest’ bucket and it holds two to four years of income in low-risk assets.
- Bucket three is the ‘growth investment’ bucket and it holds the five-year-plus growth portfolio. This is where we maintain your capital investments that are subject to market volatility.
Income moves from both the fixed-income and growth buckets to continually top up the cash bucket. When markets are performing well, profits transfer from the growth bucket to top up the cash bucket even further. If markets experience a downturn, like we saw in March 2020, we quarantine the risk in the long-term bucket.
Talk to us today
At First Financial, we see our role as one of collaboration. We provide market intelligence and prudent financial advice so you can make decisions that suit your investment profile, personal ethics and retirement dreams.
We know our partnership will deliver ongoing certainty that you are doing all the right things to achieve your individual wealth goals.
If you are interested in learning more about our strategy for building wealth and financial success, contact us today.
YOUR FINANCIAL JOUNEY
Building your financial future
Every client journey begins with a conversation. We look closely at where you are now, what matters to you, and what’s possible. Then we structure our advice to match.
Financial
Tax
Efficiency
Proactive strategies to maximise your tax savings.
Personalised
Investing
Tailored plans aligned with your goals and risk profile.
Ongoing
Support
Regular guidance to keep your plan on track.
CLIENT STORY
John
Life Stage:
Retired business owner
Background:
After decades of running a successful pharmacy, John sought financial guidance to simplify decision-making and support long-term planning.
- Navigated the sale of a long-held business
- Wanted simple, honest advice after burnout
- Needed a hands-on adviser he could talk to
- Desired financial guidance aligned with lifestyle goals
- Crafted a strategy that supports relaxed, post-work life
- Offered approachable, plain-English advice
- Maintained an ongoing, trustworthy relationship
- Provided flexibility with investments and cash flow
“I feel genuinely supported by First Financial. I can ask anything, and there’s no pressure, just clear advice and real care. The money’s growing, I’m not stressed about it, and I feel completely at ease for the first time. I don’t miss work, but I’d miss the support I get from First Financial.”
CLIENT STORY
Jan
Life Stage:
Retired
Background:
Jan's husband managed the finances until entering aged care. Jan gradually stepped into the financial picture with First Financial’s support.
- Needed financial guidance after business sale
- Lacked experience managing complex finances
- Sought consistent income and long-term structure
- Wanted a familiar, reliable relationship
- Provided long-term support through several transitions
- Helped structure income reliably for retirement
- Empowered Jan through education and reassurance
- Delivered calm advice through both grief and growth
“The money just comes in. I don’t have to think about it. And I know they’re always there. They’ve always been there in the background, just quietly making things work.”
CLIENT STORY
Larry and Virginia
Life Stage:
Newly retired
Background:
As retirement neared, Larry and Virginia were ready to enjoy travel, family, and freedom, without uncertainty. A friend recommended First Financial, and from the first meeting, they had a clear plan, a safety net, and people they trusted.
- Wanted to travel and enjoy retirement without second-guessing finances
- Needed a structured income plan with buffers for the unexpected
- Valued guidance that felt honest and human, not overcomplicated
- Needed people they could call and count on
- Created a reliable income stream with a set-aside safety net for the unexpected
- Gave them the freedom to travel and spend meaningfully with family
- Kept advice simple, thoughtful, and tailored to what mattered to them
- Built a lasting partnership based on trust
“We’ve travelled the world, Europe, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, without once stressing about the money. They made everything feel simple and gave us the confidence to live well. We feel secure because we know exactly where we stand, and that peace of mind means everything.”
CLIENT STORY
Tim and Adam
Life Stage:
Early retirement and working professional
Background:
When Tim received an overseas medical settlement, he and Adam had just 14 days left in a 90-day window. They needed clear guidance, fast. A referral led them to First Financial.
- Only two weeks left to meet urgent legal and financial deadlines
- Wanted to preserve capital while setting up income for the future
- Needed a plan that supported both retirement and ongoing work
- Hoped to find advice that felt personal, not transactional
- Managed every moving piece, from legal documents to super rollovers
- Designed a strategy that supported both Tim’s retirement and Adam’s career
- Offered clear guidance with steady follow-through, with no stress or pressure
- Built in ethical investing and flexibility, without sacrificing performance
“We’re in totally different life stages, but First Financial built a strategy that supports us both. From urgent legal steps to ethical investing, they handled every detail with calm, care, and real expertise. It’s financial freedom without compromise, and we couldn’t have done it without them.”
CLIENT STORY
Lyn
Life Stage:
Retired widow
Background:
Lyn stepped into financial management for the first time after her husband's passing. With patience and care, First Financial supported her through grief, learning, and empowerment.
- Had never managed finances before
- Was overwhelmed after her husband’s passing
- Needed plain-English explanations and patience
- Sought emotional support and practical clarity
- Offered caring, respectful advice at her pace
- Rebuilt confidence with diagrams, stories, and reassurance
- Supported gradual decision-making around retirement
- Remained a trusted constant through major transitions
“After my husband passed, I was completely unsure where to start. First Financial gave me the space to learn, to ask questions, to grow confident. They drew a diagram that I still have. And now, I sleep well at night knowing I’ve got someone in my corner.”
CLIENT STORY
Graeme and Craig
Life Stage:
Retired and semi-retired
Background:
Referred by friends helped through aged care, Craig sought secure financial guidance after inheriting funds.
- Invest inheritance securely without high risk
- Maintain a modest lifestyle with confidence
- Building trust for someone new to advice
- Accessible, personalised advice
- Provided a low-risk strategy with regular income
- Reassured with steady, market-aware updates
- Established trust through responsiveness and warmth
- Delivered calm, expert support through all transitions
“We feel very secure with First Financial, the income just comes in, and we know everything is being looked after. It’s not just safe, it’s smart. We’ve recommended them to others because we genuinely believe in the team.”
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