Colin Lawson
Colin is the managing partner of Equilibrium Asset Management; he founded the Wilmslow-based wealth management firm more than 18 years ago. The business has now grown to a team of 30 staff who manage more than £300 million worth of assets for 500 clients.
Equilibrium offers a genuinely personalised financial and investment management service, providing expertise on wealth and investment planning, pensions and inheritance tax strategies from its Wilmslow, Knutsford and Chester offices.
Colin has over 20 years’ experience in the financial services market and holds a Diploma in Financial Planning and advanced papers in Personal Investments and Pensions.
In June 2013 Equilibrium was ranked in the top five performing UK wealth management companies in the Financial Times Private Client Wealth Management Survey. It was also named Best Wealth Manager in the UK at the 2013 Money Marketing Awards.
The company also holds New Model Adviser Firm of the Year 2010 (Northern Region); New Breed Adviser Awards Best Pensions, Retirement & Post Retirement Planner 2009; New Breed Adviser Awards Best Paraplanner 2009; Money Management Investing for Income Award 2008 and New Breed Adviser Award Best Support Team 2008.
For more information visit: www.eqllp.co.uk or follow Equilibrium on twitter: @EquilibriumAM
Craig Richards
I was born in Japan and lived there till I was 7 years old. My father is Australian an my mother is Japanese, but since my early days were spent in Japan, I came to know and understand the traditions of the Japanese culture – honesty, integrity, persistence, commitment, dedication. Like the kamikaze’s who devoted their life to one cause until the last dying breath, I too feel much the same way with regards to the cause I have selected to pursue. To me, this is nothing special, as there are many other Japanese who feel the same way, although I have been told on more than one occasion that this is not normal… regardless of whether this commitment level to life is normal or eccentric, I believe it is important to understand other people’s traits, as the journey to succeed in life is founded on these traits.
I have been blessed to be able to do the work I do and the chance to get to know so many people on so many levels, so naturally I want to share something about me in return. I believe that if you can understand why I do what I do, this will help you understand what I wish to share about the things I know in finance – I am not just another broker or planner selling products – I have created something that will change people’s lives financially and help people become part of something that the rich people do. My dream is to help every family get out of debt quicker and build their wealth quicker so their retirement will be a happy and prosperous one.
Through the years, my studies have led me to find and create strategies that only the wealthy had access to in the past. With my youngest of memories, my first job was at the age of 5, and by first business venture was at the age of 8. I have always wanted to find out what makes a person rich, and my desire to ensure my own parents would be taken care of financially, I felt such urgency to solve this wealth puzzle before it was too late. I am very happy to say that they are living a comfortable lifestyle today.
My background is in the banking sector, with my final years at the bank as a high net worth bank manager. I wanted to give my clients the best deal, but at the time, I could only sell the prescribed products and not the cheaper interest rate around the corner with another bank. So becoming a mortgage broker solved this issue.
My next challenge was to figure out what investments were available in the market place. I used my previous experience of watching the wealthy clients moving their money around, and I used this platform to further my studies. I became a financial planner and this helped expand the knowledge base considerably.
Over time, I started to merge the complications of loan and investment selection into a more simplified process. I started to create strategies that made a significant difference to clients’ debt reduction capabilities and investment opportunities.
Today, we are providing a holistic approach in providing high end professional services for mortgage structuring, financial planning, accounting and selecting appropriate investment solutions to everyone who wish to create true wealth.
Chris Gray
Chris Gray is CEO of Empire which builds property portfolios for other people – searching, negotiating and renovating on their behalf. For clients or to add to his personal portfolio, Chris buys around 1-2 property per week, providing a unique insight into market conditions and buyer and seller sentiment. Chris hosts “Your Property Empire’ each Friday on Sky News Business channel, where he interviews various heads of property research and major industry figures. Chris is a qualified accountant, buyers’ agent and mortgage broker.
For more information visit www.yourempire.com.au, www.chrisgray.com.au and follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisGrayEmpire
Amanda Cassar
Amanda Cassar is a Financial Adviser based on the Gold Coast of Australia, living with her husband and two teenage children and you’ll often their friends also running tame throughout the family home with a cat, dog, turtles and fish thrown in also. She runs a successful financial planning practice, Wealth Planning Partners and is involved in a new venture to encourage female empowerment around money, called Financially Fabulous. She has been in the financial services industry since leaving high-school and enjoys travelling throughout Australia to assist her clients.
Amanda has a Masters Degree in Financial Planning and loves assisting her clients set and attain their goals too, with protection strategies for their existing wealth, plans on how to best manage within our means, and still retire in style.
With an appetite for good food, great wine, the company of friends, diving and travel, she works to indulge in her passions and live a great lifestyle. Amanda can be found on Twitter @WealthPP and @financechicks and on LinkedIn if you’d like to connect with her.
Peter Locandro
Peter Locandro is a CPA qualified accountant with over 20 years public practice experience based out of Melbourne, Australia. As Principal accountant of his business ZJL Partners, Peter and his team service over 4,000 clients and have won the prestigious “Accountancy Business of the Year” awarded by the Proactive Accountants Network in both 2012 and 2013.
Peter is an accountant who is about more than just the numbers. He is also a public speaker, radio host, blogger, marathon runner and small business mentor. He has featured in Australian national newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald Newspaper and The Age ’Money’ as well as local publications ‘The Stakeholder’ and ‘Our Town’.
Unlike many accountants Peter focuses proactively on educating his clients to understand their financial situation and empowers them with the tools to create wealth for their retirement. Peter specialises in Self Managed Superannuation Funds (SMSF) and transitioning to retirement plans. He has developed the “Running Accountant Theory” which breaks down the taxation saving strategies and wealth creation methods that are used to retire in comfort into easy to understand terminology.
His expertises have lead to public speaking engagements with many Australian business institutions, including; Westpac Bank, The Bank of Melbourne, Ray White Real Estate, Eview Real Estate, Rotary Club of Victoria.
More information about Peter and his work can be found on his business website www.zjl.com.au and his personal blog www.therunningaccountant.wordpress.com.