Michael Adams

I grew up in a small country town on the NSW Mid-North Coast, where I spent much of my childhood playing sport and enjoying the outdoors.

As the son of a local GP, I saw firsthand the value of trusted, long-term professional relationships and the personal satisfaction that comes from helping people make important decisions. Those early lessons have strongly influenced the way I approach financial advice today.

I moved to Sydney in 2004 to continue my education and graduated from Macquarie University with both a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws. I have also completed Level I of the CFA Program. My early career included experience in the legal profession and corporate finance, which provided a strong technical and analytical foundation before I moved into financial advice.

I joined Hillross in 2012, initially working in client services before completing the AMP Horizons adviser academy, where I received the Benjamin Short Award for advisory skills. I have been providing financial advice to individuals, families and business owners ever since and am now a Senior Financial Adviser with Cedar Financial Consultants.

I most commonly advise high-net-worth individuals and families, retirees, people approaching retirement, senior professionals and business owners. My areas of expertise include retirement planning, maximising retirement income and long-term wealth, estate planning, self-managed superannuation funds and complex tax planning strategies for individuals, families and businesses.

My approach combines detailed technical knowledge with practical judgement. I take the time to understand each client’s broader circumstances and objectives before developing advice that is carefully considered, clearly explained and capable of being implemented in the real world.

Clients value my ability to understand complex financial, legal and taxation issues and explain them in a clear and concise way. I believe effective financial advice should give clients a genuine understanding of their position and confidence in the decisions they are making, rather than simply presenting them with a set of recommendations.

The strongest advice relationships are built over time through trust, accessibility and honest communication. My aim is to be someone clients can rely on not only for major financial decisions, but also as their circumstances, priorities and opportunities evolve.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my wife and our four young children, keeping active and following financial markets and investment opportunities.