Client Profile: Ben & Laura
Ben has kindly written an article about his and Laura’s working lives, world travel, and their relationship with GFM Wealth Advisory. We appreciate Ben’s contribution to Trade Secrets.
I grew up at the base of the French Alps and, at 21, in 2002, moved to Australia to do a 4-month university exchange program in business management. In that first week, I fell in love with the whole country and its people, so I never left. People were open-minded, loved a chat in the tram and were eager to take me to the footy!
I managed to buy a little apartment in St Kilda in 2006, which made me feel very Aussie!
In 2008, after wrestling with the immigration department for a few years, I became an Australian citizen, meaning I could start travelling without fear of being blocked from re-entering the country. My career in the home textile industry was fun: business was strong, I was travelling around the world to source, market and sell our products. Times never really got tough, and I am very thankful for it. It was around this time that my business mentor who was a client of GFM, introduced me to Paul Nicol. He probably saw I was having too much fun and needed a bit of financial guidance!
In 2012, my ambition to climb the corporate ladder was overtaken by my thirst for world travel and remote surfing, so I traded my suits for board shorts and flew to South America and Central America, where I surfed and lived simply for a year. Peru, Cuba and Nicaragua were my favourite destinations.
While travelling, a Geelong-based leading home textile business contacted me and offered me a great job. Perfect! It meant that upon my return home to Australia, I could move to Jan Juc on the Surf Coast and really live the Aussie dream!
I worked there as a General Manager for 10 years. It was intense and rewarding. I managed to buy my dream bush property in Bells, so I was surrounded by nature. This made life easier! During these years, I would take two trips a year, generally looking for surf or mountain-biking adventures in colder regions like Alaska, the Far East of Russia, Greenland, and Iceland.
In 2019, I met my now-wife Laura, and together we decided to shift our focus from career to the environment. Being concerned about the state of the planet, and in love with its people, it was time to explore it with intention. We sold our Bells property, bought a small house in Jan Juc, and took off for 2 years to travel along the coastlines of the South Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
We sailed to Antarctica on a 55ft steel sailboat called the Ypake 2, to find surf, clean up a small stretch of coast, and raise awareness about the poorly regulated krill industry. After a hectic crossing of the Drake passage, we decided to visit the Falkland Islands, where we continued surfing, cleaning up beaches and even had a go at sheep farming with very caring locals!
We continued to Chile and Peru using a small van and public transport. Learning all about these faraway shores and the struggles of the fishing industry had an impact on us, and we started making documentaries. A few even won awards somehow: they are a good way to share what we care about, whilst also weaving in the adventurous side of travel to these regions.
Eventually, we left South America and flew to France to spend a whole summer with my family. Needless to say, it was magic and a good way to gain a few kilograms! In August 2024, we finally set off by bicycle with surfboards in tow to cross France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, and the Gambia. We were in awe of the kindness and solidarity that these African countries offered. Attempting to do an annual review Zoom call with Patrick from the comfort of our tent in Mauritania was one of the many little challenges!
During this 8-month, 8,000km ride, we learned a lot about a very concerning and sad situation: European and Asian industrial super trawlers have been illegally emptying the ocean along the west coast of Africa, resulting in an environmental and humanitarian disaster. The local artisanal fishers, unable to fish anymore, have been trying to migrate to Europe in their basic wooden boats to find work. If they make it, the countries that robbed them of their livelihood are criminalising them, and sadly, they often die at sea trying to reach these shores: 9,700 died last year.
So, we will pause our careers for another year, and from January to October 2026, Laura and I will cycle & surf the remaining 9,000km of the west coast of Africa, riding through Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivorie, Liberia, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Angola, Namibia and South Africa. We will attempt to reach Cape Town to raise awareness and funds for the Environmental Justice Foundation and its relentless battle against this issue.
All along these very entertaining 25 years of Aussie life, GFM has been guiding me, even acting as a translator when I could hardly grasp the vocabulary of financial planning! Peace of mind is key, avoiding financial mistakes too, so we can keep focusing on what is most important to us.