It’s been going for less than two years but Narellan’s Your Life Financial Services has taken out a major national award – the Australian Unity Best Small Practice of the year for 2015.
Jason Danjoux, who established Your Life Financial Services 18 months ago, was presented with the award at the Australian Unity’s annual conference.
More than 180 financial advisers around Australia come under the banner of Australian Unity.
Mr Danjoux said the award recognised excellence in running a financial planning practice.
But Your Life Financial Services and Mr Danjoux are no strangers to such honours; earlier this year the company was short listed as a finalist in the local business awards.
Mr Danjoux himself took out a rising star award while working for a big company early in his career.
“Of course it’s nice to win such awards but the most important thing for me is to be the local financial planning guy in Macarthur who helps locals with retirement planning to build wealth, protecting their family, that’s really the main goal,’’ he tells the South West Voice.
Jason Danjoux is a typical Macarthur resident.
Married with three young children, he grew up in Campbelltown, where he went to local schools St Thomas More and St Gregory’s College.
But like a lot of people of his generation – who were born in the late 1970s or early 1980s when their parents moved to Campbelltown – Jason and wife Sheree are bringing up their family closer to the new geographic centre of Macarthur at Mt Annan.
Jason, who worked in the financial services sector for more than 10 years, always wanted to be his own boss, another thing that marks him out as a typical Macarthur resident.
So when he took the plunge 18 months ago, the location of his own company’s office was a no brainer: Narellan.
“It’s been a dream of mine to run my own business since I started working as a financial planner,’’ Jason says.
“I wanted to be able to make decisions on how we do things, how we get clients.
“The main reason I left my job to start my own business was so I could be my own boss.’’
Your Life Financial Services – which is pretty much Jason Danjoux for now – is located in the Exchange building in Elyard Street, opposite Narellan Town Centre.
The key areas in which Mr Danjoux offers advice are superannuation, personal insurance and pre and post retirement planning.
He has a particular passion for the last one of those – planning – and he would like to see more people understand how important it is.
“We stand around the barbecue and talk about the footy, the sport but who ever asks, what’s your vision for the next 5-10 years? We just don’t realise how a little financial planning can make a massive difference later on life,’’ he says.
He gives me an example of how he could materially help someone who is aged 55 or over with a little planning.
“Say this person has a little money in super and I will suggest a transition to retirement strategy where you may move the money out of super and into a pension environment.
“Now that, depending on the amounts we’re dealing with, could save this person between $3,000 and $5,000 in their tax liability.’’
I must admit he has won me over and I have always been a financial planning skeptic. You know, the one who thinks, what’s the good of planning for 40 years from now when you could get run over by a bus tomorrow.
But still I ask him if reducing your tax liability in this and any other way are all legal strategies.
“All legal,’’ replies Jason Danjoux without hesitation.
“The thing is that there are a lot of different things you can do financially, but 90 per cent of people are not aware of them.
“They think, well, my job is to just work, work, work until I retire and then see what I get.
“So a lot of people miss that step where they make their money work smarter for them.
“It’s about enjoying life along the way but put some money away for the future.’’
I ask him if he does his own financial planning.
“Sure,’’ he says. “I review my goals on a regular basis, make sure my insurance is up to date, my superannuation.
“And that’s how I work with clients – so if there’s something I wouldn’t do for my family I also wouldn’t recommend to clients.’’
• Disclosure: The author’s daughter is married to Jason Danjoux’s brother.
Well done Jason ?