Distinguishing Benefits

True Fee-For-Service Model
You will see that the biggest and most valuable difference for you comes from us moving ahead of the industry by charging on a fee for service basis that we will quote at the commencement of our service. Under this system, you only pay for the services you use – which is a fairer system for you. Also, it’s fully transparent so you can check our fees at anytime.

We do not charge any entry fees or exit fees, nor do we change a percentage of funds invested, and we rebate back to you all upfront and trailing commissions from the various investment institutions.

This provides you with a total assurance that the strategies and investments we recommend are in your best interest.

Higher Level Of Service
The second point of distinction is that we are not tied to any major corporations that dictate how we run our business or where your money is to be invested. This allows us to set higher levels of client service and personalised advice – all with your best interests in mind.

Your dedicated and proactive adviser strives to add value to your situation at every opportunity and at every level, be it investment or financial strategy related.

Furthermore, the accurate reporting on the progress of your financial strategy and the regular contact by your advisor forms a valuable and long lasting relationship.

Professionally Structured Investment Portfolio
We take a highly personalised approach to helping create, manage and preserve your wealth and to ensure your individual needs are met. Based on your specific circumstances and objectives, we develop a personalised investment plan that contains recommendations about specific investment options and the appropriate allocation of your investments between the different asset classes.

Your investment portfolio of directly held shares, listed property trusts, bonds, debentures and managed funds will be personally tailored to suit your needs of income and growth, as well as being tax effective. All investments are actively monitored by your adviser and all transactions conducted in conjunction with you. Ongoing advice is provided on all investment matters.

Our investment advice is based on our own internal research and we access investment research from many institutions allowing us to offer you recommendations based upon a wider opinion of investment analysts.

You can monitor your portfolio value and cash balances at any time on the internet. Regular reports are also provided, as is an annual tax report for the preparation of your tax return.

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Distinguished People

Quality Advisers & Higher Standards
Importantly, your advisers are Certified Financial Planners (CFP) and qualified accountants (CPA’s and Chartered Accountants) with over a decade of experience, ensuring you receive valuable advice and professional yet personalised advice. A solid grounding in income tax and superannuation coupled with extensive experience in financial strategies and construction of investment portfolios ensures you will benefit from our advice and services.

Your advisers also give their time back to the profession by being part of FPA task forces that review the educational material prepared for financial planning students of the Financial Planning Association.

Self Managed Super Fund Specialists
Your advisers are also accredited SMSF Specialist Advisers (SSA’s) with Self Managed Super Fund Professional Association of Australia (SPAA). This accreditation is only available to professionals who aspire to excellence in SMSF in terms of expertise, ethical standards and compliance, and have demonstrated this through assessment of their knowledge, experience, education, quality & practice and professionalism.

You will have total peace of mind knowing that your SMSF, or the one you wish to establish, will be managed by competent and recognised professionals.

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Stephen Degiovanni

A specialist in developing effective wealth creation strategies for clients, Stephen Degiovanni is passionate about providing the kind of advice and support you may need to achieve a better quality of life now and throughout future stages of your life.

He’ll work closely with you to distil your financial goals and will recommend the most effective strategies to help you achieve them in the short, medium and long term.

Stephen will also regularly review your investments to ensure their financial structure is still the most effective solution to minimise tax, enable growth and provide maximum return and compliance.

His approach to financial planning and provision of support services is designed to ensure you have a sound and sustainable financial foundation from which to grow your wealth and that includes highly professional and personalised service when administering your investments.

With his focus on delivering very personalised and responsive service, Stephen provides a quality of client care in administering investments that is highly valued by his clients.

Qualifications
Clients benefit not just from Stephen’s considerable experience but also from his high calibre qualifications to deliver the most prudent financial advice and services. He is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) with the Financial Planning Association of Australia Limited (FPA), Australia’s peak body for financial planning and the only organisation representing financial planners in Australia. Stephen is also a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) with more than ten years experience in superannuation and income tax. He is a recognised SMSF Specialist Adviser with the Self Managed Super Fund Professionals Association of Australia. Stephen has a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in accounting and Law in Administration.

Specialisation
Stephen’s specialties are long term investment planning and structuring of investments, including tax planning, superannuation and retirement planning, and estate planning. He is committed to delivering strategies that grow your wealth sustainably, are easy to manage during retirement, and that can be smoothly transferred to the next generation.

Experience
As co-founder of Aspire Retire Financial Services, Stephen brought to the business more than fifteen years diverse experience in providing professional accounting and financial advisory services to clients in tier one chartered accounting firms and national stockbrokers. His clients include retirees, wealth accumulators, family businesses, self-managed superannuation funds and high net worth individuals. In particular, Stephen has played a vital role in developing the financial planning divisions of companies with whom he worked throughout his career. At Aspire Retire, he is responsible for developing and implementing the business plan for the financial planning division, including its policies, procedures and client service standards.

Memberships
Stephen is a professional member of the Financial Planning Association of Australia Limited, CPA Australia and the Self Managed Super Fund Professionals Association of Australia.

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Olivia Maragna

Co-founder and General Manager of Aspire Retire, Olivia Maragna’s business success was recognised when she was named 2008 Queensland Young Business Woman of the Year as part of Telstra’s annual Business Women Awards.

Her laser focus on providing the best possible client service has been the driving force behind her success and Aspire Retire’s. Olivia is passionate about ensuring you understand and feel comfortable with your financial affairs.

She’ll work very closely with you, explaining concepts in Plain English and providing you with a range of strategies designed to keep you firmly in control of your affairs, minimise risk, and at the same time, free you from financial stress.

Olivia takes the time to work one on one with each client to ensure they fully understand the complexities of their financial affairs, empowering them to become more astute investors so they can actively grow their wealth.

The trust many of her clients place in her has led to the development of strong friendships and ongoing referrals from clients’ friends and family members. Aspire Retire clients now include several generations within a family.

The peace of mind Olivia delivers to clients, knowing their financial future is being prudently managed, enables them to truly enjoy their lives.

Qualifications
Olivia is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), which is the highest level of accreditation to be offered by Australia’s peak professional organisation for qualified financial planners, the Financial Planning Association of Australia Limited (FPA).

At 28, Olivia was the youngest Australian to receive SMSF Specialist Adviser certification with the Self Managed Super Fund Professionals Association of Australia. She is also a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) with experience in superannuation, taxation and Centrelink. She also has a Bachelor of Business, majoring in accounting, business law and taxation.

Specialisation
Olivia specialises in superannuation, retirement planning, taxation and estate planning. She is focussed on providing effective strategies to help you increase your wealth in a tax effective way, managing your portfolio during retirement, and ensuring a smooth transition to your next family generation, when the time comes. If desired, she can also brief your family about your financial affairs as a contingency, should anything happen to you.

Experience
Olivia’s career spans internationally- recognised Chartered Accounting firms to national stockbrokers. She is experienced in providing professional accounting and financial advice to a broad range of clients including retirees, wealth accumulators, small and family businesses, self-managed superannuation funds and individuals.

A popular speaker, Olivia is committed to improving individuals’ financial education on a global level. During 2009, she will be releasing her first book, designed for novice investors in superannuation.

Memberships
Olivia has professional memberships in the Financial Planning Association of Australia, and Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia (ICAA). She is a member of Babes in Business, Business Chicks and Women’s Network Australia.

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