Armidale

Only 8% of people reach financial independence. If I can have a much larger percentage of my clients reach financial independence and choose to live the lifestyles they want due to a plan that we have put in place for them, then the clients and I will be happy.

Steve's approach to providing advice to his clients is by first helping them to identify their goals and then put a plan into place to make this happen. With a background in the real estate industry as a property consultant Steve’s dream was to grow his own business.  An opportunity to pursue this dream presented itself in 1998 and he has not looked back.

Steve is incredibly proud of the New England region and is passionate about giving back to the region that his given him so much over the years. He has played an active role in local events since establishing Invest Blue, raising over $1 million for various charities and organisations. He was the founding member of the Armidale branch of Can Assist and is now Patron and Life Member. He also works with the Cancer Council. A focus of his contribution with this organization was to provide financial advice to patients diagnosed with terminal illness without cost, leading to recognition from AMP for being a leader in pro bono work in this field.

Steve loves spending time with his beautiful wife Jenni and four sons Tom, Sam, Joe & Jack. He loves supporting their sporting activities and keeping fit by cycling and surfing.

Areas of specialisation

• Wealth creation strategies
• Transition to retirement strategies
• Risk management strategies
• DIY and Self Managed Super Funds (SMSF Advice)

Qualifications and Professional Accreditations

• Advanced Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning)
• Justice of the Peace Commissioned for Declarations Department of Justice NSW
• Most Trusted Adviser designation; Beddoes Institute

Memberships

• Member of the Financial Planning Association of Australia

Hear from Steve's clients:

Robust Relationship & Relaxing Retirement

Fiercely independent and feeling safe

Keeping busy with the bees

Pursuing her philanthropic dreams without the worry

Have van will travel

Picture perfect

A decade of direction

Beefing up the Business

Riding along smoothly

A natural fit

Striding ahead

“It’s the scariest thing I have ever done!”

Winning has meant losing for Bernadene

I want to make a difference by developing lasting relationships with clients as they transition through life and helping them achieve their dreams and realise their aspirations and goals.

Rob joined Invest Blue in August 2012 bringing with him 14 years’ experience in accounting and the financial services industry. He graduated with a Bachelor of Business degree from the University of Queensland and completed a Graduate of Financial Management at the University of New England. He became a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia in 2005.

Outside of work Rob loves spending time with his family, friends and is a staunch supporter of the bulldogs. He takes great delight in watching his boy’s achievements in a variety of sports including rugby, basketball, athletics and cricket.

Rob is an avid traveller and recent destinations have included Tasmania and Hawaii. He enjoys keeping fit and healthy by cycling, going to the gym and playing golf.

Areas of specialisation

• Wealth creation strategies
• Debt and cashflow management
• Risk Insurance strategies
• Retirement planning

Qualifications

• Chartered Accountant Qualification with ICAA
• Bachelor of Business
• Graduate Diploma in Financial Management
• Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning)

Memberships and Associations

• Member of the Institute of Charted Accountants in Australia (CA)

Hear from Rob's clients:

Dancing back to happiness

Living their best life

When the Universe throws unexpected challenges

65 countries and counting

"Working in Law has allowed me to see what can go wrong in people's lives. It has given me a great appreciation for people who help others make the right decisions and it is something that I endeavour to do in all aspects of life."

Luke, originally from Tweed Heads, attended UNE in Armidale to study a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law. In 2008 and 2009, he worked for Invest Blue as a Paraplanner before leaving to practice law. He re-joined Invest Blue in January 2017 as a Client Support Manager and moved to a planning role in July 2017.

Luke is passionate about all things sport, in particular, rugby union. He enjoys keeping fit and has completed the Gold Coast Half Marathon. He enjoys cycling, playing golf, tennis and rugby. He loves to travel and one day hopes to travel to France to watch the Tour De France.

Luke believes in helping people who are in need. Prior to moving to Armidale, he would assist in cooking meals for people undergoing chemotherapy. He enjoyed being able to talk to a wide range of people going through a difficult time and trying to put a smile on their face.

Qualifications 

• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Law
• Diploma of Financial Planning

Hear from Luke's clients:

An adventurous diversion thanks to Invest Blue

Owning the keys to success

"Financial Freedom allows the opportunity to shift our perspectives and be open to a life of unlimited possibilities. I love being a part of that process for our clients and discovering what financial freedom means to them and what their dream life looks like on that path. I love helping people to live their best possible life and supporting people through my work."

Anna commenced with Invest Blue as a Client Support Manager in 2018 and knew from her first day that this was where she was meant to be. She has always harboured a passion for Finance, and loves helping people. Invest Blue has provided the perfect environment for her to combine the two.

Anna grew up in Tamworth, and after completing her degree at the University of Newcastle Anna travelled the world and worked overseas in Canada and America. She has always loved planning and her career initially started out in Event Planning, leading to her running her own Wedding Planning business while working within the Finance Industry through banking. When her youngest started school, Invest Blue provided the opportunity to realign herself with her career dreams in finance and planning, and her journey began!

Outside of work Anna has a wonderful husband Matthew and a beautiful young family that keeps her busy. She loves to travel of course, as well as spend time with family and friends, drink coffee and read a good book (or ten!). Whenever she has a spare moment you will find her curled up with a book somewhere!

Qualifications/Professional Accreditations:

• Bachelor of Social Science
• Diploma of Financial Planning

"Invest Blue is a wonderful forward-thinking company which puts the client first. Everyone who works here has a smile on their face and is genuinely passionate about helping you achieve your financial dreams and goals.”

Sophie joined the Invest Blue team in 2017 after 4 years working as a commercial solicitor. She studied Law at UNE and grew up on a farm near Quirindi.

Sophie enjoys yoga, cooking and catching up with family and friends. She also has a pet dog called Mill and loves to read and travel.

Areas of Specialisation:

• Commercial Law

Qualifications/Professional Accreditations:

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws
• Arts Major: Communications

“Working for Invest Blue is an amazing opportunity and I look forward to contributing to the team and providing optimal client service."

Rebecca joined the Invest Blue Armidale Team in July 2019 and has Certificates II and III in Business Administration, and a Certificate IV in Frontline Management.

Rebecca has a background in administration, retail management, executive support and customer service. What she loves about her work is being able to work alongside the Advisers and with Clients, to achieve a great overall experience for Invest Blue Clients.

Rebecca is married with three children and has lived in the New England area for most of her life. She likes to keep active by running and playing netball as well as coaching junior rep netball teams. Rebecca enjoys spending time with her family and friends and getting to the beach whenever she possibly can.

“Work hard in silence, let the success make the noise. ”

Rebecca joined the Invest Blue team in 2017 bringing with her almost seven years of administration experience. She enjoys the fast pace of the financial planning industry as well as building relationships with our clients, and adding a homely touch to our Tamworth office.

With a passion for the outdoors, Bec and her young daughter love to ride horses, as well as any outdoor activity that allows them to spend more time together.

Brayden has completed a Diploma of Financial Planning and is currently studying a Bachelor of Commerce (Financial Planning) at UNE. He has been working in the Financial Planning industry for two years. Brayden lives in Armidale with his partner Jess and their two boys Deacon and Grayson. On his spare time, Brayden enjoys playing soccer on the weekend and loves travelling. He is very excited to be given the opportunity to further his career at Invest Blue.

​"I love working with InvestBlue because I can feel that the people here value each other's opinion. It doesn't matter if you're talking to someone higher up in rank, they value everyone! I can also see that they take really good care of their employees and clients and it's such a joy being a part of a practice that helps others, no matter how small the goal. "

Jason has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. He used to work as a payroll officer for 2 and a half years for Airborne Security and a Foreign Embassy Liaison for Magsaysay Maritime Corporation for 6 months.

He likes working in the financial planning industry because it's amazing to him how much a little planning of finances can go a long way in achieving what you want out of life. He never really thought about finances when he was younger, so it's a great eye-opener to see that it really is important if you want to maximize your enjoyment out of life.

During his spare time, Jason lives, breathes, sleeps and eats ice hockey. It's his favourite thing in the entire world. If he's not at the local rink playing hockey, He's either watching hockey at home or playing hockey on the Playstation.

Invest Blue is a fun and exciting place to work. Everyone is very helpful and friendly.

Ronald took up Bachelor of Science in Business Administration majoring in Human Resource Development and Management from the University of San Carlos. He was a Customer Service Associate and had handled healthcare, retail, banking, and telecommunication accounts across the US, UK, and AU. He then got promoted and joined the Human Resources – Recruitment team. Working in the financial planning industry made him realize how important it is to manage one's own finances and plan for one's future in a more structured way possible.

Ronald love's travelling, going to the beach and taking a lot of pictures. He also likes to cook and read Marvel comic books on his spare time.