Ex-RetireInvest crew find that money matters

Six former RetireInvest staffers have joined Money Matters Financial Solutions.

Six former RetireInvest staffers have joined Money Matters Financial Solutions.

Ian Bristow, who headed RetireInvest Broker Services in Melbourne, and Jim McNeilly, RetireInvest's broker of the year in 1997-98, have formed the new organisation. Bristow is managing director, while McNeilly is sales director.

Bristow says he established the organisation with McNeilly to provide services to clients in areas RetireInvest has overlooked.

"We felt RetireInvest weren't taking the opportunities available through a range of areas such as the accumulation market, risk insur-ance and salary packaging," he says.

RetireInvest chief executive officer Mark Spiers has rejected the criticism, arguing these areas remain a strong market for RetireIn-vest.

"We have a very deep risk and accumulation strategy and capability within the group," he says.

Former Mercantile Mutual business development manager Peter Murray has taken on Bristow's old position in RetireInvest's Sydney office.

Meanwhile, Reg Sheridan, RetireInvest's broker of the year for 1998-99, has announced he is also taking up a post with Money Matters. He will work as an adviser in the group's Canberra office.

Tania Guster, formerly responsible for risk product research at Re-tireInvest Broker Services in Melbourne is also on board, as is for-mer RetireInvest planner and franchise owner Jacques Blandin, who has joined Money Matters-owned Salary Packaging Services (SPS) in Western Australia. Bud Walder, from RetireInvest's Melbourne office, has also defected to Money Matters.

Bristow says he is also expecting another high profile industry fig-ure to join the group in coming weeks and intends to expand the busi-ness rapidly.

"Very shortly, we'll be looking for 100 advisers nationally, though we're not particularly looking for the average adviser working the mums and dads markets."

Money Matters will offer corporate and high net worth clients a full range of finan-cial services, from financial planning, insurance and superannuation to salary packaging, training and human resources services.