As Winner of Best Young Adviser of the Year at the inaugural Australian Wealth Management Awards, Angus Taylor, (or as he prefers, Gus, so as not to be confused with our Shadow Treasurer), established his practice, Sheffield Financial Group, in 2017. “I absolutely love it. … You offer me another occupation. No, I’m good where I am”.
He hasn’t always worked in finance, but his passion for it was ignited early. Growing up his dad, in particular, was very switched on, teaching his sons about money from a young age. Gus and his brothers grew up fascinated by finance, devouring every book they could find.
Gus is not your typical financial planner. Growing up on a large farm in Goondiwindi and then starting his career as a FIFO in the mining industry in Queensland, he flew the coop and set off for adventure in London, where he pursued his passion to dive into the world of financial planning. His clients appreciate that he’s a little rough around the edges and that his journey hasn’t been in a straight line, making him more relatable.
“When I started Sheffield Financial Group, I wanted to deliver a customer-focused service that genuinely helps more people access and achieve financial freedom- whatever that looks like for them. I think the term ‘financial advice’ can have this association that it’s for people who have money to make money, but it’s so much more than that. We genuinely create new opportunities for our clients of all income brackets every day, and that’s what I love.”
Gus and his team help young families who may be on a great household income but are time-poor and financially lost. In building his practice from the ground up, he has focused on developing and implementing processes and fine-tuning systems to automate and outsource as much as possible, enabling him to spend more time doing what he loves: spending time with clients.
Success has been driven through investment in technology, developing referrals through current clients, social interactions (lots of coffee meetups!), and fostering online and business referral partnerships.
True to his aim of encouraging young people to find their way into the industry, Gus is focused on developing in-house financial advice expertise. He recently added two university students to his team, supported by a young and dynamic team of Virtual Assistants. He is realising his long-held dream to build a great team and create a community of great people. This is primarily inspired by the small financial company with a great culture he was part of in the UK, the opposite of his ‘miserable’ experience in big corporations.
Whilst Gus counts winning Best Young Adviser of the Year as his highest achievement to date, “the award made it real,” he said. Put simply, the driving force behind that achievement is doing what he loves and helping people around him succeed.
“There’s something fulfilling about talking to clients about their goals and aspirations and how we’re tracking towards those goals and aspirations, what strategies we can use, how we can add value, educating clients all the time … it’s a great feeling to give back,” he said. “You’re literally helping people. You’re problem-solving day in, day out and adding value”.
For Gus, every day brings a new challenge. He has faced the highs of starting a business with a friend, then buying out his business partner. He has experienced the frustration of endless regulatory change triggered by the Royal Commission and has taken hold of the opportunities presented by COVID-19 to deliver advice online. These challenges keep him on his toes, and Gus truly believes, “It’s never been a better time to be a financial planner.”
When searching for the perfect licensee partner for his practice, Gus was looking for a mainstream licensee with a great reputation in the industry who could deliver stability, on-time remuneration, and back-office support, one that is ‘safe as houses’. In Lifespan, he says, “We absolutely found everything we need.”
To hear more from Angus Taylor, tune in to a recent ifa interview here.
