Specific
One clear outcome you can picture, not a general hope.
How we work
The six-step advice process
Advice you can follow, from first call to next review.
Every recommendation we make follows the same six steps. The process is built on the international standard for personal financial planning (ISO 22222), is used by advice professionals around the world, and keeps our advice in line with New Zealand’s Code of Professional Conduct for Financial Advice Services.
For you, it means no surprises. You always know which step you are on, what happens next, and why we are recommending it.
The process
Six steps, in order
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Step 01
Get to know you
Before any advice, you should know exactly who you are dealing with and what you are asking us to do. We agree the scope together, so nothing is left out by accident.
What happens
- We walk you through our disclosure: licensing, what we advise on, how we are paid, conflicts of interest and how complaints work.
- We agree what we are advising on: a home loan, insurance, or both.
- If something sits outside the scope, we explain what that means for you before you decide.
Paperwork
- Our disclosure information
- A written scope of engagement, or an email confirming it
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Step 02
Gather the facts
Good advice needs the whole picture. We collect the numbers, and the things numbers do not show: your plans, your priorities and how comfortable you are with risk.
What happens
- Income for everyone on the application, how secure it is and where it is heading.
- Assets at realistic value, debts, and a budget for your pay cycle.
- Existing loans, KiwiSaver and insurance policies.
- Your goals for the short, medium and long term, shaped so they can be measured.
Paperwork
- A fact find for you to check and correct
- ID, payslips or accounts, and recent statements
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Step 03
Work the numbers
We test where you are against where you want to be. If a goal is not realistic yet, we tell you, and show what would make it realistic.
What happens
- Strengths and gaps in your current position, set against each goal.
- Lending policy, servicing and pricing compared across our panel.
- Policy wordings checked, along with what ACC or government support already covers, so you do not pay twice.
- Assumptions on rates and income agreed with you, not guessed.
Paperwork
- Needs analysis and modelling
- Research notes on lenders and insurers
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Step 04
Recommend in writing
You get our advice in writing: what we recommend, why it suits you, and what it would cost or risk, in language you do not need a dictionary for.
What happens
- Options compared, including leaving things as they are.
- The reasons behind our recommendation, linked back to your goals.
- Risks and limits spelled out, such as break fees, exclusions and rate changes.
- Time to ask questions and change things. The decision stays yours.
Paperwork
- Statement of Advice
- Disclosure of fees, conflicts and the complaints process
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Step 05
Put it in place
Once you agree, we do the legwork. Everyone knows who is doing what, and you hear from us at every stage until it is done.
What happens
- Your sign-off before anything is submitted.
- Applications to lenders and insurers prepared and lodged.
- Valuers, solicitors and other specialists coordinated, such as a lawyer for wills or powers of attorney.
- Progress updates until settlement, or until your cover starts.
Paperwork
- Signed authority to proceed
- Completed applications and an implementation checklist
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Step 06
Review and adjust
Advice has a shelf life. We agree when we will review it, and you call us sooner if something changes. A review can take us back to step two.
What happens
- Confirming that everything we recommended actually happened.
- Progress against your goals, and whether the assumptions still hold.
- Changes made where your situation has moved on.
Paperwork
- Review notes
- Updated advice if anything changes
Step two, up close
Goals we can actually measure
Measurable
A number or a date, so we can both tell when it is done.
Achievable
A stretch is fine. Out of reach is not, and we will say so.
Relevant
It fits your priorities and the rest of your finances.
Time-bound
A deadline, with milestones along the way.
Vague
“Pay the mortgage off one day.”
Measurable
“Be mortgage-free before I turn 60, with extra repayments every fortnight.”
Step six, up close
Do not wait for the review if life changes
- Getting married or separating
- A new baby
- Buying, selling or moving house
- Changing jobs or going self-employed
- Redundancy or a drop in income
- An inheritance or windfall
- A fixed rate coming up for renewal
- Starting a renovation or build
Questions we get asked
The process, answered
Every piece of advice follows them, but the depth depends on what you need. A simple refix can move through the first five steps in one conversation, while a first home with insurance takes longer. If we limit the scope, we tell you what that leaves out.
A written summary of what we recommend, why it suits your goals, what it costs and what the risks are. You keep it, and it is the record we review against later.
That is common, and fine. We talk through what does not sit right, change what can be changed and note why. The final decision is always yours.
We agree that at step one. For most clients it is once a year and ahead of any fixed rate ending, and any time you tell us something has changed.
It is kept confidential and secure, used only to give you advice, and shared with lenders or insurers only with your authority. Our privacy policy has the detail.
Where the process starts
