Rose Bryant-Smith

Rose has kindly written the article below on her family, working life and the relationship she has had with our company since 2009. We appreciate Rose’s contribution to Trade Secrets.
When Paul Nicol was initially recommended to me by my friend Campbell in 2008, I had just bought my first home in East Brunswick. At the time, I was a single woman who was working as a corporate lawyer, on a steady, moderate income. I quickly developed a fierce resolve to pay down non-tax-deductible debt! My only financial goal at that time was to pay off the mortgage on my home. The trusting relationship that I have built with Paul Nicol since then has been key to my financial confidence and independence.
Since I first engaged Paul for advice, I have built my advisory firm Worklogic set up a family trust and a Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF), and bought and successfully sold a commercial property in the Melbourne CBD which my business rented from my Family Trust. In 2007 I was married to Jeff Daniels, a New York native and documentary filmmaker. Our daughter Mia was born in 2011.
In my professional life, I run Worklogic which employs 20 people and has offices in Melbourne and Sydney. We work with Australian employers to address poor conduct in the workplace – with a focus on bullying, harassment and fraud – and to build healthy, ethical workplace cultures. We work with companies from BHP to World Vision, running training programs, settling conflict through mediation, and conducting private investigations of misconduct allegations. Together with my business partner Grevis Beard, I have published two books with international publishers – Workplace Investigations with CCH Wolters Kluver and Fix Your Team with Wiley.
I undertook the Vincent Fairfax Fellowship in Ethics and Leadership in 2009, and a Human Rights Law Fellowship with Mercy Global Action at the United Nations in New York in 2016. In addition to running Worklogic, I’m a professional Board Director at Australian Home Care Services and the Queen Elizabeth Centre. This year I was a Finalist in the Telstra Business Women’s Awards.
Being a small business owner brings some interesting challenges and opportunities, from a personal wealth perspective. Income can be variable and risks higher, with commensurate rewards. I’ve enjoyed talking with Paul as a fellow business owner. He is ambitious for my family and me, as well as what my business is achieving.
It’s clear from how Paul and the GFM team consistently operate, that they demonstrate integrity, transparency and trustworthiness. We both always act in the interests of our clients.
The practical advice that Paul has provided over the last 11 years has been invaluable – in goal-setting, our family’s financial structure, tax-related issues, and investments. Back in 2007, the most tricky question I asked Paul was whether to pay down the home loan first or contribute more to superannuation. Now we discuss Small Business CGT exemptions, Asset Allocation and SMSF governance!
Paul has also given me great practical advice on life issues like budgeting for maternity leave and taking a sabbatical in 2016. I thought Paul would tell me I was mad when I suggested taking 6-months off work to study oil painting and volunteer at the United Nations, but instead, he said ‘Go for it – life experiences like that are priceless’.
Personal finance has become a real passion for me over the last two years. Avidly consuming podcasts, Money magazine and personal finance books, I’ve built on what I’ve learned through working with Paul. Driven by my wish to provide financially for our daughter Mia, I get a real kick out of knowing what I own, what I owe, and being in the financial front seat. Working with Paul has been empowering and enriching, and I look forward to the next decade of building my financial security. Thanks to Paul, Witi, Mai and the rest of the team at GFM.