Amber McGhie

I stumbled into financial planning completely by accident - and honestly, it was the best accident of my life. At 22, I quit my job for a massive US trip with my sisters. I came back with $5K in credit card debt and no job lined up - not my finest moment. Fortuitously, when I landed back in Australia, Nigel was starting his own practice. He needed an experienced admin person, and I slotted straight in. Almost immediately after I started, Nigel went on a 3-month holiday and I was thrown into the deep end. It was a proper sink-or-swim moment, but as it turns out, I thrive under pressure.

My career and studies in financial planning commenced in 2014, and I became a Financial Planner Authorised Representative in 2018 and started advising alongside Nigel and Renee in 2019. What really made me want to do this work was watching Nigel and the relationships he built with his clients. When I started, I genuinely had no idea what he did for a living. Seeing how much clients got out of their appointments - both personally and financially - made it clear this is what I wanted to do.

I still look after some of his clients, their children and grandchildren now. I love that I get to make a difference in the lives of everyday Aussies - building genuine relationships and seeing people tick off their bucket list.

Outside work, I play indoor beach volleyball in the super league, love the gym (provided it's not leg day), and walk my very active border collie daily. I'm also a volunteer firefighter with South Coogee Bush Fire Brigade - who are all genuinely lovely, caring people and just a tad mad as well! I'm a complete sucker for animals - three cats, two dogs, and counting. We recently bought a larger block to build our dream home to accommodate our menagerie, with the possibility of getting more, much to my husband's dismay.