Matt and Christine’s world

Overwhelmed by complex financial decisions, Matt and Christine turned to Rachael for guidance. With clarity, warmth and options they never knew existed, they’ve set a confident path for their young family, without sacrificing life now.

Video transcript

I’m Matthew Saddock and I’m Head of IT at Black Milk Clothing.

And my name’s Christine Saddock and I’m a stay-at-home mum, full-time mum.

I’ve known Rachael for some time now, and my husband and I—Matt and I—were looking for some advice.

So it was a natural first step to contact someone I already know and have a great deal of trust and admiration for.

We’ve been to a few of these before, but I think this one was different—there were expectations set before we even arrived: what to bring, what to be thinking about. That was great, because it meant the conversation started immediately, rather than spending 20 minutes figuring out what we actually wanted.

I always expect to feel completely overwhelmed. Especially in that first meeting—but with Rachael and her colleague, it was really welcoming and comforting. They explained things so I could actually understand what was going on.

It’s not my forte—it’s not my specialty—so it was really easily understood for me. They made me feel very comfortable in something that would normally frighten me a little.

From an impression perspective, Rachael is very clear, very concise.

There’s a lot of energy, which is great—because this stuff can be difficult to get excited about. But it’s great to see someone where this is their passion.

The rest of the team we met were very professional, very friendly.

I’d say there’s a level of confidence and clarity that you wouldn’t necessarily get from your tax planner down the road.

Actually dealing with a professional who’s been doing this for so long, has won so many awards—you don’t get that through just doing the standard set of processes. You get it by tailoring the offering to each person.

Understanding who you’re dealing with, from all walks of life. They can really break it down individually, per person—specifically for the client.

That was really helpful for us.

I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Rachael and the firm.

They’ve just made everything so easy. It’s very comfortable.

I have every faith and trust in what they’re doing for us and for our future—especially having two young children as well.

We’re just starting off in life—and there are others in the same position. It’s getting harder and harder.

Rachael and her team are just making things so easy for us. Making us feel comfortable—like we’re in the right hands.

I think it’s absolutely critical to start early with this stuff.

We feel like we started a bit late, but based on Rachael’s advice, that’s not necessarily the case. There’s always an opportunity to improve your situation. There’s always an opportunity to plan—to grow your wealth.

The earlier you start, the more comfortable you’ll be later on.

Sometimes life just happens. It gets in the way. But it’s nice to know someone has your back.

And I firmly feel that here.

I know we’re doing all right on our own—but having a professional involved, someone with your best interests at heart, definitely takes some of the stress out of it.

First and foremost for me, it’s the staff—the friendliness, the welcoming.

The moment you walk in, you feel like you’re in the right place.

Matt’s probably been to more of these types of meetings in the past—even with business—but for me, it’s always overwhelming.

Here, I felt comfortable and at ease from the moment I walked in the door.

There was no moment of hesitation—they just had our backs from the start.

For me, it was the people. Definitely the people.

Where I was coming from with these meetings—they can sometimes feel conservative.

Everything has to be about the time you hit 65, and then it’ll be all right—without necessarily understanding that’s not where life is now.

That’s not where our life is. We’re not going to just sit at home for 30 years and wait. You miss your life that way.

Some of those conservative plans are like, you’ve got to do this, and then that, and then this—then hooray.

But with Rachael, there was a conversation where she said, “Well, let’s do this this way, and you can pull that forward by 20 years.” Done. Easy.

There are options now.

Where previously there weren’t—well, we weren’t aware of them.

Now we have options. We’ve got a better idea of where we’re going, and where our family is headed.

So I’m happy.