At Renaissance, we can work with you to develop and implement a comprehensive financial strategy, assisting you to maintain, protect and grow your wealth.
Click Our Services to find out more.
Wealth Management and Financial Advice
Why Renaissance Wealth Advisors?
At Renaissance Wealth Advisors, we pride ourselves on our ability to deliver superior on-going advice and diversified investment solutions to you at every stage of your financial journey. Through our own Australian Financial Service License (AFSL 308297), Renaissance can deliver a unique service offering advice that is fee for service.
How Can Renaissance Work With You?
At Renaissance, we can work with you to develop and implement a statement of advice (SOA), assisting you to maintain, protect and grow your wealth.
Our 4 steps financial advice processes are outlined below;
- Initial Meeting and Analysis
- Strategy Recommendations
- Investment Recommendations – Including the basis of our advice and why it is appropriate, information about the remuneration, commissions, other benefits and associations that may influence our advice.
- Regular reviews
How Can Renaissance Help You?
- Strategy for Growing Your Wealth
- Tax Effective Investments
- Superannuation and Retirement Planning
- Maximise Superannuation Contributions
- Portfolio Management
- Protecting Wealth
- Maximising Centrelink Benefits
For more information, please contact one of our dedicated advisers on (02) 9222 9555
Superannuation and SMSF
What is Superannuation?
Superannuation is money set aside over your working life to provide for your retirement. For most people, it begins when you start work and your employer starts paying a portion of your salary or wages into a super fund for you – these payments are known as super guarantee contributions or concessional (pre-tax) contributions.
Super funds invest your money in many things, such as shares, property and managed funds. They may also offer different types of insurance, such as life & TPD and income protection.
At Renaissance, we try to optimise your super such that you receive special tax treatment compared to non-super investments. However, you can’t withdraw from super until you retire or reach your preservation age or reach conditions of release.
Super funds are established and can be set up as trust funds. This means a trustee is appointed to manage the fund on behalf of and for the benefit of its members. Alternatively, you can set up and run your own superannuation fund (see SMSF stated below for more details).
When it comes to investing over the long term, we believe that there aren’t many better tax-effective ways to save for your retirement.
What is a Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF)
SMSF is a super fund that is managed and run by you and normally supported by an administrator, financial adviser, accountant & auditor. It allows you to have greater control, flexibility and beneficial for you. However it requires great care and responsibilities.
Speak to one of our adviser for information on SMSF.
For more information, please contact one of our dedicated advisers on (02) 9222 9555
Investment Philosophy & Portfolio
Investment Philosophy
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change”
– Charles Darwin
Renaissance seeks to invest in quality companies at a reasonable price whilst maintaining focus on companies that are most adaptive to the ever changing business and technological environment.
At Renaissance, we believe and invest in companies that are able to exploit their competitive advantages in which their goods and services earn a sustainable income over the capital they have invested.
Throughout the years, Renaissance has and continues to steer away from value-trap companies and focus on real fundamental value, strong balance sheets with sustainable earning growth and selling at reasonable price. We strive to take advantage of macroeconomic events to accumulate additional stocks on risk adjusted basis.
We follow Keynes’ and many other successful value investors’ philosophy when making long-term investments in companies.
“…As time goes on, I get more and more convinced that the right method in investment is to put fairly large sums into enterprises which one thinks one knows something about and in the management of which one thoroughly believes.”
– Keynes
At Renaissance, we are focused on using a concentrated approach rather than overly diversifying our direct exposures. We believe an appropriate structure portfolio of 10 to 15 investments can provide sufficient diversification. However, some diversification of asset classes and securities is important to minimise non-systematic risk in portfolios. As such, we employ actively managed funds to gain exposures to a broader range of domestic equities as well as international equities.
Asset allocation is perhaps the most recognised method amongst the financial and broader community. Asset class returns can vary significantly, having a well-diversified portfolio and not putting your eggs in one basket can reduce non-systematic risk and provide you with ‘smoother journey’.
Investment Portfolio
At Renaissance, we ensure that the recommended investments and financial strategies address your specific needs and provide solutions to assist you in meeting your objectives for every life stage. We use the following steps:
-
Understanding and Analysis
To understand and analyse your issues, expectations and goals to enable us to jointly establish an achievable framework and investment profile. This is essential for you to pass the “sleep test” with your strategy and investments program.
-
Propose and Recommend
We propose investment solutions and relevant investment structures (such as company, trusts and SMSFs, if required) to the overall strategy. Your accountant and lawyer will work as a team with Renaissance to ensure the recommended strategies are in your best interest. This means you can make an informed decision based on the recommendations of your professional team.
-
Implementation
Renaissance will select appropriate products from a wide range of financing and investment options, draw on in-house and external research houses and bring them together into a balanced and effective solution.
-
Review
Ongoing review of your portfolio development is no less important than the initial asset allocation. Access to our reports is available online detailing portfolio valuation, asset allocation, capital gains/loss positions and income etc. If there are significant changes in the financial markets or particular investment holding, or if you have new goals or needs, we will review your situation again and adapt the strategy as required.
For more information, please contact one of our dedicated advisers on (02) 9222 9555
Insurance
At Renaissance, we provide a comprehensive range of insurance covers to suit clients’ financial circumstances. These insurance options are designed to protect the most important asset of all – you and your family.
Too often, families overlook personal insurance despite protecting their car or homes. At Renaissance’s, we provide a range of flexible insurance policies that are designed to make it simple and easy to get the relevant protection.
Whether you’re protecting your family or lifestyle for the first time or updating your insurance needs, Renaissance has a diverse range of solutions to take care of you and your family for the long term.
Insurance Solutions
- Life & Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Insurance
- Critical Illness/Trauma Insurance
- Income Protection (IP) Insurance
- Business Expenses and Buy/Sell Insurance
Life Insurance
This can be achieved through the implementation of Term Life Insurance cover. The most basic and self-explanatory life insurance contract provides for the payment of the insured lump sum in the event of the death of the life insured. Premiums can usually be paid on a yearly, half-yearly or on a monthly basis and the cost of cover normally increases as you grow older. There are few qualitative differences between this type of policy and the most cost-effective way for you to obtain cover is by “packaging” it with Trauma and Income Protection cover.
Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Insurance
Achieving some financial security if you suffer total and permanent disability.
- Find comfort in knowing your family will receive a” Lump sum” payment to assist them financially if you were to become terminally ill only where it is a rider to a term policy with that benefit.
- Receive financial support if you become seriously disabled, maintain your quality of life and help meet the cost of rehabilitation programs and daily living expenses with TPD insurance.
The cover is designed to pay the insured a lump sum in the event of the death only when the TPD benefit is a rider benefit on a term policy (as per above) or total and permanent disablement of the life insured.
Critical Illness / Trauma Insurance
Trauma (also known as Critical Illness) insurance, which is designed to provide a lump sum payment if the insured person dies only where the trauma benefit is a rider to a term life policy, or is diagnosed with a serious life threatening illness (such as heart attack, cancer – including breast cancer, and others). The lump sum payment is designed to meet medical costs (which, in many cases, are not covered by medical benefits insurance) and costs associated with changing one’s lifestyle if a life threatening illness occurs. In many cases, people who suffer these illnesses are capable of returning to work in a relatively short period of time, making them ineligible for other forms of insurance payouts.
If such a catastrophe were to occur, this form of insurance can provide funds to ensure that you survive the illness financially.
Income Protection Insurance
In our view, this is by far the most important form of cover for you to hold – the consequences of no longer being capable of earning income would be financially quite catastrophic for you and affects both the medium and long term.
Income Protection insurance is designed to substitute your normal income with monthly payments, at the insured rate, in the event of temporary or permanent disablement. The cover can be structured in a number of ways and the following options impact quite considerably on the premium cost:
- Waiting or Excess Period after disablement before benefits become payable.
- Benefit Period ie the maximum period a claim will be paid. Choices are normally 2 years, 5 years or through to age 65.
- Whether claim payments are indexed with the CPI.
Ideally, your Income Protection policy should have a short Waiting Period (eg 30 days), be indexed and payable through to age 65. Of course, this also results in quite expensive premium rates and we recommend that you extend the Waiting Period for as long as financially possible (bearing in mind that this is the period for which you would have to fund yourselves if you were to become disabled).
Business Expenses insurance
Business Expenses insurance ensures the continuity of your business, providing you with a business to return to following a period of illness, or a business to sell as a going concern.
Running a successful business takes not only lots of hard work and time , but also financial resources. So insuring your business should be at the top of your mind when you’re thinking about what might happen if you couldn’t work or become disabled.
The continuity of cash flow is of importance for the self-employed or in a small partnership to keep the business going . Therefore you need to not only insure your income but the fixed, regular expenses of the business.
Whether you’re a doctor running your own practice, a trades person with an apprentice or you own a new growing business (which is still reliant on your income generating capacity), business expenses insurance should be a key component of your business risk strategy.
Buy/Sell Insurance
By using this strategy, you could:
- Ensure your Interest in the Business is transferred to the remaining principal(s) in an orderly manner in the event of your death or disability ; and
- Enable you, your estate of your dependants to receive financial Compensation.
Typically, when one of the principals of the business dies ,the remaining principal(s) may not be happy to admit the deceased principal’s spouse (or beneficiaries) into the business. Or the deceased principal’s spouse (or beneficiaries) might not have the necessary skills to assist in the running of the business, or even want to be involved.
Potential problems can also occur if a principal becomes disabled and is unable to work in the business again.
To Protect the business and ensure an orderly transfer of ownership, a Buy Sell agreement should be considered as part of the broader succession planning process.
For more information, please contact one of our dedicated advisers on (02) 9222 9555
Retirement Planning
Most Australians are expected to live a long life and retire from the work force between the age of 60-65. This means your retirement life is longer or equal to your working life and it is very important that you start to plan for your retirement.
From working closely with many retirees, we have discovered three key components that aid them in better prepare for the future:
- Take control of your finances.
- Setting goals, whether it is:
- A dream car or Yacht Cruising around the Bahamas.
- Business or First Class travel.
- Funding Private School Fees for Grandchildren.
- Helping to pay off the Children Mortgages.
- Or simply have a secured regular income for retirement.
- Make a long-term financial plan
For more information, please contact one of our dedicated advisers on (02) 9222 9555
SMSF Administration
Renaissance provides SMSF administration through CubeSuper a wholly owned business of Renaissance. CubeSuper provides a wide variety of SMSF administration solutions.
- Trustees who want to take control of their superannuation and the flexibility to invest their funds, without the burden of running it day by day.
- Accountants and Financial Planners have access up to date and accurate SMSF funds details, therefore minimising the administrative and dedicate more time on the value added services such as tax, super planning or ongoing investment advice.
Our SMSF administration solutions cater for investment flexibility ranging from cash, bank bills, bonds, term deposits, direct property, listed property, ASX listed shares, managed funds and even use borrowed funds to invest (see specialist financial adviser for more information)
Our administration platform streamlines information and data from various financial institutions to achieve high efficiency level so that we can provide timely and accurate information for the trustees, financial adviser and auditors.
For more information, please visit CubeSuper
For more information, please contact one of our dedicated advisers on (02) 9222 9555
Estate Planning
At Renaissance, we work with a specialist or specialist estate planning firms to ensure that your estate planning is done correctly. We deal with both:
Estate assets
- All assets that you own personally are estate assets.
- You have a right to distribute these assets as per your Will.
- e.g. Personal articles, car, bank accounts in your personal name.
Non-Estate Assets
- All assets that are not legally owned by you are non-estate assets
- The joint owner or the trustee of the asset has the right to decide on the distribution of your non-estate assets.
- e.g. Superannuation Funds (owned by the Trustee), SMSF & Joint Holdings.
