simplyaskit meets Financial Planner James Wrigley from First Financial

Welcome James,

What service do you provide? Occupation

Senior Financial Adviser

What is the name of the business?

First Financial

Where is the business located?

90 Collins St, Melbourne.

How long have you been a financial planner?

I’ve worked here since 2007 & have been providing financial advice to clients since 2012.

Have you been able to create a point of differentiation from other financial planners, how do you stand out from the crowd?

I just genuinely what to help. I have an area of expertise and want to help as many people as I can with that. At times this probably sees me give away more than I should (at the expense of my business) to people who haven’t yet agreed to become clients but it’s just in my nature. People tend to pick up on this about me & allows me to build rapport quite quickly.

What role does communication play in helping you operate a successful business?

It’s critical. The most important part of my job is being able to communicate my advice to my clients in a way that they can easily understand and digest. Aside from being able to communicate with my clients, I spend my day between a variety of client meetings, on the phone with clients or returning emails. In this part of my job if my team and I aren’t communicating effectively all the time things end up taking much longer than they need to.

What advice would you offer millennials in their journey of creating financial security?

Automate your cash flow so that you have some money set aside every month or fortnight for bills, some for general living & some for longer term savings & investing. Then don’t touch the longer term savings & investing unless it’s for the goal you set yourself. Take up income protection insurance because your greatest asset early in life is your ability to earn an income, the annual premium is nothing compared to a lifetime of earning capacity.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in business?

Meet with anyone & everyone who is willing to meet with you – you never know what opportunities may await.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

Be patient, work hard and success will come.

What are your favourite hobbies?

With two young kids (my youngest is only 6 weeks old!) there’s not a lot of time for hobbies. Having said that I love escaping the house for an hour for some physical exercise. The lift to my mood, productivity & outlook can’t be beaten.

To find out more about James expertise and advice click