When life sent me a curve ball, Bret helped me get back on track
A very thankful, Lou
My husband Bill, passed away suddenly three years ago in March 2020. At the time we were running a telco retail business with another couple and COVID was restricting our movements. The sudden death of my husband coupled with business pressures and COVID placed enormous stress on me. I was simply overwhelmed.
It was a difficult time, and when I discovered that there were financial issues that had to be addressed, I was struggling to know who to turn to. Our Accountant of many years was not providing me with the right answers and I realised I needed a Financial Planner. I asked around, and based on glowing feedback from a good friend, I contacted Bret, and as the saying goes the rest was history.
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all smooth sailing after that as my Accountant did not appreciate the value and expertise that Bret was providing, which was disappointing. In fact, I realised not just the importance of having the right experts’ advice but also the importance of having them working together with my interests always in mind. Which is why I now have a new Accountant, a terrific Solicitor, as well as the amazing Bret on board. Together they are doing work that I know is benefiting me, and my family.
It was Bret however who truly got me back in control of my life. He asked the right questions; pushed me to consider my immediate, medium- and longer-term goals; worked with me to set targets and build strategies; and regularly reassured me that things will get better [and they did!].
Not only was Bret a huge help to me, he also was an enormous help to my adult children, Sam and Sophie. They too are now more financially secure and with Bret and his team’s help, have set their personal goals.
Nearly three years on, I can confidently say that Bret has got me back on track. I am in control of my life; I can relax knowing my children are in control of their lives; I have personal goals that I know I can achieve; and I am doing things that are just for me, such as my weekly Pilates and singing lesson; and finally, travel is back on my agenda.
I see now that when Bill passed away I was not well informed on our financial position and did not have access to all of the information I needed in order to move on with my life.
This discovery is why I talk to my female friends about them having greater awareness of their overall financial position and where to find things if they were on their own. It is also why I tell them the importance of having a Financial Adviser, someone you can trust, as I do with Bret. I tell them that being in control early, rather than go through what I had to go through, is really critical. Because you can never be too prepared for what life might throw at you.