Rob McGregor scored the Money Management Financial Planner of the Year Award runner-up spot in what was a very close race to the top, writes Milana Pokrajac.
Only one point kept runner-up Rob McGregor from coming equal-first with this year’s Financial Planner of the Year Award winner, Charles Badenach.
Nevertheless, McGregor – an authorised representative of Professional Investments Services – was recognised by the judging panel for his innovative approach to business and client segmentation, winning the well-deserved runner-up prize in this year’s award.
He was nominated by his colleagues at Holman McGregor Financial Services – a Sunshine Coast-based financial planning practice where he is founder and principal.
McGregor’s team admires his “commitment to making a difference in his clients’ financial lives and his contribution to the financial planning industry, to other advisers and their clients”.
He spent nearly two decades working in stockbroking, banking, funds management, futures broking and financial planning before launching his own practice in Noosa, Queensland.
What impressed our judging panel was McGregor’s dedication to client education. He had launched a financial management program called Pathway to Wealth, which helps investors better understand the world of property, shares, superannuation and insurance. McGregor now trains and mentors other financial advisers in providing this service to their clients.
For McGregor, innovation in the value proposition process is one of the most significant aspects of financial planning in the current market environment.
“I have found that Statements of Advice are rarely read by our clients and hold little or no value to them, despite the important information they may include,” he said.
He has since developed visual tools for presenting financial plans to his clients. The volatility of world markets resulted in practices having to “enhance explanations to clients about market volatility and that changing their investments will impact their financial goals,” he added.
Managing director of Matrix Planning Solutions and one of this year’s judges, Rick Di Cristoforo, said McGregor excelled in client engagement and solutions development.
“He presents an example of an adviser who has understood the importance of corporatising and client segmentation within his advice business model,” Di Cristoforo added.
For Julie Berry – managing director of Berry Financial Services and former Financial Planning Association chief – dedicating a large part of his time to face-to-face meetings with his clients was particularly impressive.
“Rob has undergone a thorough process in segmenting his clients and reviews this regularly; he demonstrates excellent value of advice as illustrated by his client endorsements,” she added. “Both Charles and Rob are passionate advocates of professional financial advice.”
For several years Rob has been actively involved with a local surf lifesaving club in Marcoola. He had been an active lifesaver since 2002 and is now patrol captain, supervising a patrol team every two to three weeks during the surf season.
His practice has provided support for many charity events including the annual Row for Cancer and various local charities.
