First Financial Lego Legends
POSTED JULY 2022
The First Financial Team enjoyed a team social event for the end of financial year and tested out their lego building prowess while making a special contribution to charity.
First Financial back in the office
POSTED MAY 2022
It’s been a long couple of years. The First Financial team started working from home at the end of March in 2020 but we are excited to say that we are now back in the office!
Our financial adviser Professional Year program continues
POSTED MARCH 2022
We take pride in supporting our team members. We encourage them to develop their skills and provide them with many different training opportunities.
One of these programs is the Financial Adviser Professional Year and we are excited to have another three team members on the journey to becoming fully qualified advisers.
Welcome baby Beau Boylen
POSTED DECEMBER 2021
In the middle of the recent Melbourne lockdown, First Financial’s Executive Assistant to the MD, Katie Stevens and her partner Andy welcomed their son Beau Michael Boylen into the world.
He was born at the Mercy Hospital for Women at 2.05am on Wednesday 13 October and immediately changed Katie and Andy’s lives forever.
First Financial’s pandemic pets
POSTED OCTOBER 2021
Here in Melbourne, we are now the record holders for the longest cumulative lockdown of any city in the world.
But during the lockdown period some of our First Financial team members welcomed new furry friends into their lives… while others were extremely grateful for their long-standing pet-pals.
Beanie packing for FightMND
POSTED SEPTEMBER 2021
The team at First Financial regularly supports community organisations. We truly enjoy volunteering our time, and earlier this year we were again involved in activities for FightMND.
In May, we had a dozen staff members help to pack beanies for FightMND’s biggest fundraiser of the year – the Big Freeze.
Our group was split over two mornings, and we were part of an efficient production line. We packed beanies according to order numbers from all over Australia with a thank you note from Neale Daniher.
Once packed, we placed mailing labels on the satchels ready to post out. Rebecca Ruck, Office Manager says:
“The staff who volunteered were from a mix of teams, so it was really nice to do something different to our everyday work with colleagues we wouldn’t necessarily speak with every day – especially in the current working from home environment.
Not to mention the whole reason we were there, which obviously makes it even more worthwhile. We love supporting FightMND and all the great work they’re doing to try to find a cure for motor neurone disease.”
Congratulations David, Graeme and Jennifer
POSTED APRIL 2021
On Sunday 11 April, First Financial Principal David Jackson and Senior Adviser Graeme Quinlan took part in the Canberra Times Marathon Festival. They were joined by Graeme’s daughter Jennifer and all achieved fantastic results.
David took on the challenging long distance 42.2 kilometre course and crossed the finish line in 4 hours 19 minutes 36 seconds, while Graeme and Jennifer ran the 21.1 kilometre half marathon in 2 hours 27 minutes 27 seconds. It was certainly an impressive effort made by our team. They celebrated with a lovely lunch at a local winery… the perfect spot to rehydrate!
Financial adviser training - Professional Year program
POSTED APRIL 2021
We have a long and proud history of providing extensive training for our team. It has always been part of our business operations to help our people meet their career goals and support them with appropriate learning opportunities.
The FASEA (Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority) Professional Year standard commenced on 1 January 2019, and to ensure that we meet the new industry standards, we incorporated the Professional Year program into our Financial Adviser Training.
Our year working from home
POSTED MARCH 2021
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 12 months since our team moved to our working from home model.
The year has certainly seen significant changes in how we deliver our services but we are proud to have maintained strong client relationships and found appropriate solutions to any challenges we faced.
Congratulations Stefanie and Alfie Falleti
POSTED JANUARY 2021
The stork paid a sweet visit to First Financial Adviser Stefanie and husband Alfie early in 2021! Beautiful Remy Mia Falleti was born in the Mercy Hospital on 4 January 2021 at 3:59am.
Remy already has a heart-warming little smile, with a beautiful head of hair and striking eyes. Proud parents Stefanie and Alfie have instantly fallen in love with her long lashes and cute little toes. “Her eyes are blue at the moment, but this will most likely change,” says Stefanie.
We’re sending our best wishes to Stefanie and Alfie as they settle into their new family dynamic.
Fundraising fitness and team trivia
POSTED DECEMBER 2020
As we draw closer to the end of 2020 the team at First Financial has continued to find ways to keep motivated and stay connected.
After more than eight months working from home and going through the tough Melbourne lockdowns, it’s been great to share our camaraderie and keep each other feeling positive.
Congratulations Adam and Laura
POSTED AUGUST 2020
The arrival of a new baby is a true cause for celebration!
Last month, Financial Adviser Adam Ezerins and his wife, Laura, welcomed beautiful baby Mara Colleen Ezerins.
She was born on Tuesday 21st July, weighing 3.45kg (7lbs 9oz) and measuring 49cm tall.
She has already brought a thousand smiles to her doting parents and is surrounded by love, warmth and lots of joy.
We are sending our best wishes to Adam, Laura and Mara as they settle into their new life as a family of three.
Celebrating 30 June 2020
POSTED JULY 2020
It’s a First Financial tradition to celebrate the end of the financial year. This year with coronavirus restrictions enforced, we turned the party digital to make sure we still said ‘Cheers’ to another successful year.
Katie Stevens, First Financial Office Manager, talks about this year’s celebration and how we made the most of our virtual party.
James Wrigley shares
POSTED JULY 2020
One of our talented Principals, James Wrigley, has ventured into the world of podcasting. For the past 12 months, James has been regularly hosting live online sessions discussing a wide variety of subjects.
In recent episodes he has talked about topics such as redundancy and retirement due to COVID-19, buying your family home and the recently announced HomeBuilder program. But James doesn’t only stick to finance… he has also interviewed guests about employee wellbeing, digital marketing and making the most of isolation.
Check out his podcast online or watch the video versions on YouTube.
First Financial team working from home
POSTED MAY 2020
Working from home has become the new normal during the coronavirus lockdown, and the First Financial team has truly embraced the digital conditions to make sure our clients continue to receive our high level of service.
First Financial family grows
POSTED APRIL 2020
In times like these it is truly heartwarming to share the news of a special arrival!
We are thrilled to introduce you to sweet lovely Luci… the newest addition to the First Financial family.
Her mum is Financial Adviser Nicole Costa and Mark is already a doting dad. Together they welcomed her to the world on Thursday 19th March at 3.59pm. Weighing 3.1kg (6lbs 8oz) and measuring 50cm tall, she is a wonderful blessing and adored by all. We know she will have a life filled with warm hugs and happy moments. For now, they are all settled in at home, enjoying some quality family time.
David and Chris in the Top 10
POSTED FEBRUARY 2020
The year has kicked off with some great news! We are thrilled that two of our team members featured in the Adviser Ratings ‘2019 Financial Advice Landscape’ report. Principal David Pitt and Financial Adviser Chris Pomaroff made the list of Top 10 Financial Advisers in Inner Melbourne. This means they have received the highest number of positive reviews from their clients across the Inner Melbourne region.
It’s a great achievement and we are proud to celebrate their success. Congratulations David and Chris!
A Message from Ben Rossi… welcome to 2020
POSTED FEBRUARY 2020
The new year is well underway and First Financial’s Managing Director, Ben Rossi, would like to share his thoughts and well wishes for the months ahead.
Happy New Year to everyone and I hope 2020 has started off well. The festive season seems all too distant now and it's back to normality…especially the traffic.
Our hearts go out to the many bushfire victims who have lost loved ones. This season we have seen an unprecedented event that has taken many lives, properties and possessions.
First Financial in the Corporate Games
POSTED FEBRUARY 2020
In November 2019 a team of First Financial basketball enthusiasts competed in the National Corporate Games.
While they didn’t make it to the finals, they played some fantastic matches and have a new found camaraderie with each other.
Anthony’s 150 plasma donations
POSTED JANUARY 2020
“I’ve always just wanted to do something to help other people.”
Anthony Dhillon, Senior adviser, recently completed his 150th plasma donation through Australian Red Cross Lifeblood.
An incredible achievement that has taken over six years to complete.
A year of celebrations
POSTED DECEMBER 2019
There have been many wonderful reasons to celebrate during 2019! Within the First Financial family we’ve had engagements, weddings and beautiful babies… every tear jerking moment you can imagine.
We want to take a moment now to reflect on all the happiness we have shared together.
First Financial volunteer with FareShare
POSTED DECEMBER 2019
The team members at First Financial truly enjoy volunteering their time for a worthy cause… and no cause is more worthy than people in our community who are doing it tough.
In November, 14 of our staff spent an industrious afternoon working at FareShare, an organisation that is dedicated to minimising food wastage and creating healthy meals that are distributed around Melbourne to homeless shelters, food vans and refuges.
SoKo Designs… crafting the ideal retirement
POSTED SEPTEMBER 2019
Shirley O’Connor and her daughter Kathleen O’Connor-Lee started SoKo Designs over a decade ago. The bespoke baby linen venture has grown from its humble beginnings to have a dedicated regular client base and provide an extra source of income..
We talked to Kathleen about how the business has helped Shirley enjoy her retirement.
So many staff promotions
POSTED AUGUST 2019
We’ve always been proud of our team… they are pretty awesome! And in recent months we’ve had so many internal staff promotions that we have been in a constant state of congratulations.
Learn something new with U3A
POSTED AUGUST 2019
Retirement is the perfect time to start something new. You’ve worked hard for many years building your wealth and creating the foundations for a strong financial future… so it’s time to do the things you’ve always been interested in.
U3A offers an incredible selection of courses from hundreds of locations around the country.
Extending education for financial advisers
POSTED JULY 2019
One of the key recommendations from the recent Royal Commission into the financial services industry was to raise the education standards required to become a financial adviser.
Major changes were proposed and the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) has recently released the new requirements.
First Financial giving back
POSTED JUNE 2019
We know that many of our clients love to support their community and that they engage in different philanthropic activities. This is also true for the First Financial team!
Our wonderful staff have been actively involved in some fantastic incentives this financial year and today we want to revisit their successes.
Exciting times at First Financial
POSTED JUNE 2019
Over the past 12 months, we’ve had promotions, milestones, weddings, babies, seminars and conferences. Plus, we are about to farewell Chris White as he retires and welcome Ben Rossi to his new position as Managing Director.
Sean Curran returns as Compliance Manager
POSTED MAY 2019
Career development is very important to the team here at First Financial. We love to see our people grow and extend their skills as they build their career. Just over 12 months ago, Sean Curran made the decision to follow his aspirations and left First Financial to gain experience in a much larger financial organisation. We are thrilled to welcome him back into the First Financial family as our Advice Team and Compliance Manager.
Murray Greys annual golf tour
POSTED MAY 2019
First Financial is the proud sponsor of the Murray Greys, a group of avid golfers who meet annually for a social competition. Many members are husband and wife duos who enjoy playing golf together. They all belong to different clubs around the country, with most of them coming from Queensland. This year’s tour ran from Monday 18th to Friday 22nd March, across four wonderful courses in the Yarrawonga Mulwala region.
Welcome to the world
POSTED APRIL 2019
We are delighted to celebrate the arrival of sweet baby girl, Isla Kydd.
Financial Adviser Brendan Smith and his wife, Miranda, welcomed her to the world on Friday 8th March at Francis Perry House. Weighing 3.795kg (8lbs 6oz), she is adored by her mother, father and grandparents.
As the first new baby in the family we are sure she will always be surrounded by love! She has her mother’s nose and her father’s love of sleep (for now).
Another First Financial Newly-Wed
POSTED APRIL 2019
Did we mention that there’s a lot of love at First Financial? Earlier this year we featured three separate team members’ weddings… there were plenty of reasons for celebrating. Well it’s time to raise the glass again as we toast one more union!
On Saturday 26th January, Emily Still, Associate Adviser, married Sean Vincent in a fun-filled ceremony at Melbourne Docklands, surrounded by friends and family.
Aussie Butterflies basketball team – reaching their goals
POSTED MARCH 2019
Janice Crosswhite, Sue Pickering, Jenny Connolly and Faye Campbell are all First Financial clients and members of the Aussie Butterflies basketball team, an inspiring group of women who travel the country and the world, playing a sport they love. They are a highly skilled team that currently hold the World Masters gold medal.
First Financial’s Newly-Weds
POSTED JANUARY 2019
Love can certainly be contagious and at First Financial we celebrated three separate weddings in late 2018.
There were smiles, laughter and even a few tears at each of the nuptials of Adam Ezerins, Stefanie Costa and William Hume. The three newly-weds kindly gave us some photos of their special days and a little insight into the love they share with their partners.
First Financial Adviser Nicole Costa shares her career journey
POSTED DECEMBER 2018
Nicole Costa has worked her way up through the ranks at First Financial to her current position of financial adviser.
She’s the perfect example of how we foster our in-house talent through our financial adviser training program that provides our staff with mentoring and opportunities to grow.
We asked Nicole to share her journey here at First Financial and talk about how our unique training program has helped her career progress.
“The culture here is great,” says Nicole. “The opportunities that we get here are great. The mentoring system that we have is amazing. I think it comes down to who you work with, and everyone here is like a big family.”
Providing a nurturing and rewarding workplace for our employees ensures that we can deliver the very best results and customer service for our clients.
Karen and Gary’s trip of a lifetime – A lesson in Retirement Planning
POSTED NOVEMBER 2018
Karen and Gary’s shared love of animals is the daily inspiration behind their dream retirement.
They have just returned from the trip of a lifetime to South America where they encountered Galapagos tortoises, marine iguanas and Karen’s favourite, the Andean condors.
The couple are now enjoying the retired life they started planning twenty years ago.
Their wonderfully busy lives are a perfect example of how planning early can allow you to live the dream retirement you didn’t think was possible.
We spoke to Karen and Gary about their world travels, favourite animals, volunteering, veterans’ cricket and their gorgeous grandchildren.
First Financial training program promotes in-house talent
POSTED NOVEMBER 2018
It gives us great pleasure to announce the recent promotion of two First Financial team members. We chatted with Adela Ngai and Harley Leslie about their new roles and how First Financial’s unique in-house training program has advanced their careers.
Footy finals fever
POSTED OCTOBER 2018
The First Financial team got into the footy spirit for Grand Final long weekend!
And what a nail-biter of a game it turned out to be!
We had a great time at the office lunch on Thursday. There was a delicious spread of footy approved food, including meat pies and sangers, followed up by some fun games with the old Sherrin out on the terrace.
The Cold Frog Challenge - Ray and Jenny Pietsch
POSTED SEPTEMBER 2018
Giving generously to support others in our community is, without a doubt, one of the great privileges of being financially secure. When clients Ray and Jenny Pietsch told First Financial Principal Ben Rossi about The Cold Frog Challenge, a charity sleep out they were organising to raise funds and awareness for homelessness in their local area, Ben didn’t hesitate with his support.
In fact, the team at First Financial have been so moved by Ray and Jenny’s dedication to help their community that we wanted to tell their story.
Welcome to the newest member of the First Financial family!
POSTED SEPTEMBER 2018
Welcome to the newest member of the First Financial family!
Beautiful little Mia was born last month, weighing 2.9 kg (6 lbs 7oz) to proud parents Honi and Chris Crough.
Chris, who is a principal at First Financial, tells us both Honi and Mia are doing really well and that so far everything has been much easier than they expected.
When ex-staffers come knocking!
POSTED AUGUST 2018
We know we’re doing something right when ex-staff members knock on our door again.
We recently welcomed two First Financial alumni, Adam Ezerins and Paul Seidl, back into the family after a few years testing the waters elsewhere. And who can blame them when our commitment to training, support and career progression are second to none!
Management Team Grows
POSTED AUGUST 2018
There’s no greater compliment to the business than when one of our own decides to put down roots with the firm.
James Wrigley has been with First Financial for over 10 years.
On 1 July we welcomed him into the management team as our newest principal.
No standing still for Emily!
POSTED APRIL 2018
If you’re one of Nick Thomas’s clients you’ll see a new face among his team, with the promotion of Emily Still to Associate Adviser.
Emily has been with First Financial since August 2016. She joined as client services manager so she knows exactly what is required to assist in the delivery of exceptional client service. It’s this experience which made her a perfect fit for her new role.
So it was with great pleasure that we announced her promotion to Associate Adviser on 20th April.
Biggest Morning Tea
POSTED JUNE 2018
We all love a good cuppa and chance to catch up at First Financial.
So we were very happy to support the Cancer Council with a Biggest Morning Tea fundraiser in the office last month.
Our delicious treats were kindly supplied by a dozen staff.
Entry was a minimum gold coin donation and we managed to raise $600 between us!
The funds go towards the Cancer Council’s vital research, prevention and support service programs. Well done everyone!
Double the promotions
POSTED MARCH 2018
It was double the excitement in our offices this month as Associate Advisor Stefanie Costa joined her twin sister Nicole in being promoted to an advisor role.
We are thrilled to announce Stefanie and Nicole’s promotions. Both share a passion for financial planning which began at university and doesn’t look like fading anytime soon.
There’s no better reward for hard work and professionalism than being promoted. Nicole and Stefanie have delivered both in spades.
They joined First Financial as graduates and they’ve learnt and grown in the business together. This promotion reflects the professionalism and commitment they both share.
Managing Director Chris White is absolutely delighted for Stef and Nic.
“They both started as vacation students six years ago and it was evident back then that they were of the highest quality. Stef and Nic have an amazing work ethic and an incredible aptitude to learn and this has given us the confidence that they will become outstanding advisors.”
You will find Nicole and Stefanie in our wealth management team. They’re looking forward to meeting new clients and adding a female balance to our team of advisors.
Our staff give back to the community
POSTED MARCH 2018
Some of our dedicated team are stepping out of the office and helping at Foodbank Victoria.
Foodbank rescues food from across the supply chain and in Victoria they distribute the equivalent of around 20 million meals a year. Their mission is to ensure that all Victorians have access to healthy food.
We’re passionate about helping this cause and we’re thrilled that our staff have embraced it so enthusiastically.
Our first group of nine staff packed an impressive 6,930kg of food orders and 500kgs of plums in record time.
These went out to 17 charities across the state and made approximately 13,400 meals. This is the equivalent of feeding a family of four with three meals a day for more than three years! We couldn’t be prouder.
We’ve donated a 40kg Food Drive made up of grocery items which get packed into mixed grocery hampers. These get distributed to the charities which Foodbank Victoria supports.
Another two groups of staff will be heading to Foodbank in April. We’re so proud to see the First Financial spirit in action!
