Our Approach: From Process to Fees

Not even close and this is one of the most common questions we hear from tech professionals who have spent their 30s and early 40s building their careers, accumulating RSUs, and contributing to super, but feel like they never had a clear wealth plan underneath it all.  At 48, you are likely at or near your peak earning years. Your RSU packages are probably larger than they have ever been. Your super balance has had time to compound. And the Australian superannuation system has a feature designed almost perfectly for your situation. There is also a layer of urgency specific to tech professionals at this age. The sector’s volatility – layoffs, restructures, ageism in hiring – means financial independence is not just a retirement goal. It is protection. The question we help you answer is not ‘is it too late?’ but ‘how do we make the next 10 years count more than the last 20?’ The one thing we would encourage you to avoid: waiting another year to get clarity.

Yes – and it is more achievable than most tech professionals realise when approached with a structured plan. After advising 380+ tech professionals over 20 years, this is the goal we work toward with the majority of our clients.  The variables that determine your timeline are: your current income and savings rate, your RSU vesting schedule, the investment structure you use (super, SMSF, investment portfolio, property income, or a blend), your target monthly income, and when you want to stop depending on an employer.  What we do in an initial conversation is map your numbers against realistic return assumptions and give you a specific picture of what is achievable and by when. Most tech professionals are surprised to find the goal is closer than they assumed – particularly those who have been systematically converting RSUs into a diversified investment base.

This is one of the most common frustrations we hear and it usually comes down to three things.  First, income is not the same as wealth. High earners in tech often face high taxes, high cost of living, and lifestyle creep that consumes income before it gets invested. Without a structure that captures and deploys that income efficiently, a $350,000 package can produce surprisingly little investable wealth.  Second, RSUs are often treated as income rather than a wealth-building instrument. Tech professionals who systematically convert vesting RSUs into a diversified portfolio consistently build wealth faster than those who spend them or leave them concentrated in employer stock. Third, tax drag is underestimated. If you are in the 47% marginal bracket and your investments are held in your own name, nearly half of every dollar of investment income goes to the ATO before it compounds. The right structure – super, SMSF, or a trust – changes this dramatically.

Financial independence means your passive income covers your lifestyle – you no longer need to work to maintain your standard of living. Early retirement means you have stopped working. They are related but not the same, and the distinction matters for tech professionals.  Many of our clients do not want to stop working entirely – they want to stop being dependent on an employer. They want to choose their projects, work on their own terms, take sabbaticals, or step back from full-time employment without financial pressure. That is financial independence, whether or not they formally retire.  Our planning process works toward whichever version of independence matters to you – with a specific income target and a specific date attached to it.