Rob & Necia Richards
Rob has kindly written the article below on their working life, family, travels, and experiences with GFM Wealth since 1996. We much appreciate Rob’s contribution to Trade Secrets.
Necia and I have been clients of GFM since 1996, and we have been incredibly lucky to receive valuable financial advice from GFM on our SMSF and SMSF investments, and more recently, tax planning from GFM Gruchy.
Necia spent the latter part of her working life as a legal receptionist with Baker McKenzie and Rigby Cooke before retiring and providing invaluable guidance and support with my business. I have been a pharmacist for over 50 years, owning three different pharmacies and more recently operating www.idose.net. iDose is a computerised dosing system for patients on drug addiction therapy, which employs iris recognition and other sophisticated technologies to deliver doses, manage records and reporting. It provides services to prisons, hospitals and pharmacies throughout the country.
About 18 months ago, we moved to Portsea, which has been a massive drawcard to our family. I have 8 grandchildren with my first wife, who sadly passed away, and now a grandson with Necia with another one pending. It is an exciting time. Being a larger property, it has been quite an upgrade from our apartment in Toorak with considerable gardens, lawns, a pool, and tennis court keeping us busy. We have recently completed all the improvements and renovations to this property and we are now thoroughly enjoying all the initial efforts.
Now the hard work on the Portsea site is “under-our-belt”, Necia can get back to her pleasure and talent as an artist. She is renowned for large canvases (www.ipaint.org.au) and has been appreciated by a local TV personality even accepting a few small commissions. However, our house is by far and away Necia’s most significant art gallery. On the other hand, I have re-joined Sorrento Golf Club and I am incredibly keen to play more regular games on this fantastic track.
Together we look forward to expanding our exploration via Silversea Cruising in August this year. This Grand Mediterranean Cruise visits many of our favourite countries and ports for 37 days in 9 countries plus many new destinations we have not visited before.
Our initial years with GFM were quite agreeable but became more satisfying and rewarding when Paul Nicol joined the company. His experience in finance and thoroughness in research showed synergy with my training and background, holding an MBA degree as well as my pharmacy degree.
Paul has collected a talented team around him and now includes Andrew Goldman at GFM Gruchy Accounting. So much so we have moved our personal and business accounting to this “one-stop-shop”.
In a volatile financial environment, where Governments are always looking for opportunities to increase their revenues, often at the expense of those who historically have paid the most taxes, it is crucial to have a financial advisor who is a lateral thinker and not just a “follow the leader”, like many.
The benchmarks achieved at GFM during our +20 year relationship have been solid and substantial, we have no hesitation in recommending GFM as a firm of integrity and significant ability. The results we have enjoyed have exceeded any standard, and most importantly, we enjoy our interactions and dealings with the GFM team. We look forward to enjoying our future successes together.