Sean Nigh, Certified Financial Planner, Ellerfield Financial Planning shares his proudest moments as a financial adviser, his big hairy audacious goal for 2019 and where he would like to be in ten years time!
- Why financial advice?Growing up my Dad always told me “find your purpose.” He hammered it home endlessly so when I left Missouri at 20 and moved to Australia I knew I had to take his wise advice. I was studying a Bachelor of Business and a lecturer I was close to suggested I specialise in something. I looked at the prospectus and when I read about Financial Planning I knew I had found my purpose. Its a perfect combination of my personal strengths and it gives me absolute purpose sharing this knowledge to help people get more out of their lives.
- What are you most proud of?As a financial adviser, my proudest moments are when I ask specialists’ questions and they say to me “no one has ever asked me that before.” The regular recurrence of this situation gives me confidence that I am digging deep for my clients. Albert Einstein said it best when he quoted “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on it, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask”.
3. Who inspires you?
Every adviser out there that takes their fiduciary responsibility seriously and is leading the charge in our transformation to a profession. As the Genxt QLD state chair I meet a lot of them and I am confident the future of this industry is in good hands.
4. What advice would you give to your younger self?
My endless quest to know everything about everything, because I feel that is my obligation to my clients, has taken me far, but also held me back. I would tell myself it is OK to fail. Its OK to not know something. Authenticity trumps factual knowledge.
5. Favourite holiday destination?
Grab six mates and hire a small yacht and a captain and sail the islands off the coast of Croatia for a week. We sailed with an armada of 20 other yachts with Sailweek Croatia and it was divine. Clearest water you have ever seen and such a diverse experience of islands and boat life. Cold beer, great company, blue skies and island hopping, what else do you want!
6. Your big hairy audacious goal for 2019?
Launch my own Podcast show focusing on helping people find financial balance in their lives and reclaiming their time.
7. Where will you be in ten years?
I’ll be leading a financial advice business of the future. Flat dollar fees, annual renewals, genuine best interest advice to a niche client base who will feel more like friends of a tribe than clients. Ushering in the word “profession” with pride and mentoring the future Genxt Sean’s of the world.
