I recently took a 2 week trip to London with my wife Rachel who was there for business, shacking us up at the beautiful InterContinental London Westminster.  Although the weather was cold and drizzly, the sun made a few unexpected appearances and the rain remained subdued during the most part.  The food and service I find, is a lot friendlier in London than that of its Melbournian counterpart and the public transport system makes for travelling everywhere almost as easy.

We shopped on Oxford Street, dined in pitch black darkness at ‘Dans le noir’ and satisfied our sweet tooths at ‘Haagen Dazs’ on Leicester Square, they are dessert magicians!  While Rachel worked, I took on the sites via the double decker bus, black cab, and subway visiting the London Eye, Big Ben, Royal Palace and other typical tourist hotspots.

To top off the holiday, we hopped over to the bicycle crazed city of Amsterdam.  Although we only stayed a weekend, the hop on hop off tour bus provided easy access to all things Amsterdam; Anne Frank’s house, the water canals, Museums, the Heineken Experience and of course, the Red Light District.

We had a great time and would definitely go back to both these amazing cities.

Mat

I am one of the newest recruits at JBS – lucky enough to join the team at the end of 2013. Although new to JBS, I have been working in the Financial Services industry for over 8 years and have known the team for a little over 2 years.

I am the Office Manager at JBS, looking after the day to day running of the office, helping Jenny and Brodie wherever I can. You can generally count on speaking to me if you call our office or visit us in South Melbourne.

I am a Queenslander through and through, loving all things SUN, SURF, and SAND. 2012 was the year for change and out of the blue I decided to swap the laid back beach life for the fast paced city life. I have always loved visiting Melbourne for city getaways with friends, usually visiting multiple times a year – fantastic shopping, all the footy you could ask for and of course the nightlife.

Since becoming a Melbournite, I have tried to visit as much of Victoria as I can (without owning a car), so far I have crossed off the popular towns:

• Falls Creek
• Torquay
• Lorne
• Cape Schanck
• Barwon Heads
• Altona
• Williamstown
• Daylesford
• Ballarat
• Cobram
• Hepburn Springs
• Healesville

Being a Queenslander at heart, I am loving the warm weather and sunny days Victoria has been putting on so far this summer, next on my list is Wilsons Prom and Phillip Island.

Below are some happy snaps of my adventures round Victoria.

JBS Financial Strategists is taking team building to a whole new level; we’ve registered for the March 2014 Tough Mudder!  And we need your help!

We considered doing a marathon but let’s face it, marathons are boring and we wanted to do something a little more challenging!  And there’s no better way to challenge our camaraderie than to run, jump, crawl and fall through 20km of mud, fire, ice-water, and 10,000 volts of electricity!!  So how can you help?  You can clasp your hands together and sing “Star Light Star bright, the first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight”….I wish for JBS to complete the Tough Mudder challenge!

Well not really, because everyone in the JBS Team is quite capable of completing the obstacle riddled challenge designed by the British Special Forces….or so we think.  But for a lot of young Australians, battling a life threatening illness is their challenge and that’s why the JBS team has partnered up with ‘Make A Wish Australia’ to help make real wishes come true.  Since the 80’s, Make A Wish has granted over 7000 wishes great and small; from visiting the Gold Coast Theme Parks to meeting Jackie Chan, and even becoming an honorary Police Officer.

Your generous donations will not only help light the fires we need to complete Tough Mudder, but the funds will go to a worthy cause – Make A Wish Australia. Click here to donate!

Once we tick into May I will have been at JBS for 5 years.  My current role is to automate and improve the systems we use on the SMSF side of the business.  We are well underway with the project and are looking to utilise all the technology and software available to ensure the SMSF client experience is unlike any other while encompassing the values of transparency, efficiency and accuracy.

Once the work day ends you can find me on the golf course, boarding the slopes, reading a book or playing my guitar. Some say I also have a mild travel addiction, they are not wrong. In my 24 years on planet earth I have had the pleasure of exploring 25 different countries, all amazing and beautiful in their own right. My goal is to continually stay at least 1 country ahead of my age.  What attracts me to travelling so much is that it opens your eyes beyond any form of written education. It also gives you invaluable perspective and memories that stay with you for life.

Some of the countries I have visited include; Poland, Croatia, India, Switzerland, Belgium, Thailand, UAE, Israel and New Zealand.  I am always planning my next trip as it gives me something to work that extra bit harder towards. South America for the soccer world cup is currently topping my list. Hopefully the Aussies qualify!

Below are a few snaps from my global escapades. From the top left; Paris, Budapest, Agra, Breckenridge, Berlin & Venice.

We are so excited to announce that JBS Financial Strategists has won the Engaging through Innovation and Quality Award at the recent Professional Investment Services Conference in Hawaii.  While the award is a mouthful to say, we gracefully accept it with pride.

The award recognises an innovative engagement strategy delivered by a practice within the PIS network.  The Engaging through Innovation and Quality Award is assessed using the following criteria:

• Has a noble purpose anchored to generating positive awareness of the role of the financial adviser
• Increases financial literacy and understanding in the community
• Offers innovative strategies to engage new and/or existing clients in a repeatable and sustainable fashion
• Had clear strategic intent in its design, execution and expected outcomes and delivered on those objectives
• Demonstrated how the practice delivers quality service for their customers and/or develops new business through targeted networking and referrals
• Received feedback to endorse that it was well organised and delivered
• Involved referral partners and used them strategically to generate new business
• Employs effective marketing practices to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Well done team and thank you for all the support and positive feedback from all our clients and colleagues over the past year.

I’ve been a part of the JBS team for over 2 years now and deal with all things Super and Investment related.  My job involves me assisting clients reach their financial goals by reviewing their current and future financial positions via performance figures, statements and fund research.  I also help to write that huge document that all your recommendations come in.

One thing most people don’t know about me is I’m a car enthusiast!  I started saving for my first car at the age of 16 and by age 18 purchased my dream car, a’99 S15 in white.  The insurance premiums alone nearly sent me broke paying the equivalent to the cost of a new car over the period of 3 years.  But I’ve always thought it was money well spent.  Today, I still have my white beast and still love a good cruise from time to time.

Aside from my love of cars, I compete in Soccer and actively attend the gym, up to 5 times per week!  I believe it’s important to keep active, especially spending an average of 9 hours per day on my backside.

Hi Readers!  So you’re interested in yours truly?

For starters, I’ve been with the JBS Team for 2 and a half years bringing my total experience in the Financial Services industry to just over 6.

My role within JBS is Risk Client Services and I take care of all things relating to Life Insurance, by helping our clients protect what’s important to them; their Families, Assets and Income.

How do I protect all of that you ask?  I’m a superhero disguised as a Risk Client Services Officer!  Just kidding!  I simply complete a complex analysis of the aforementioned using techniques bestowed upon me from great minds.

Have to keep it vague or everyone will be doing it!

So what makes ME tick you ask?

Like most I enjoy traveling, playing/watching sports, training in mixed martial arts and I recently got hitched in Las Vegas!  So maybe not quite like most.  I’d blog about my wedding but my Wife prefers to keep it out of the public eye.  Oooo, you’re intrigued now?! Too bad!

Something a lot of people may or may not know about me is I love all things photography – Places, Selfies, People, Food, Pets, Abstract…etc etc.

I’ve done a bit of traveling over the years and took thousands of pictures, after reviewing them I realised that 99% were rubbish or inadequate depictions of my memories.  So I said to myself, “It’s time to turn that 99% rubbish into 99% AWESOME!”…verbatim, aloud.   How you may ask?  I simply learnt how to use my camera…properly.  I studied a little, attended a few workshops and now I shoot around 60% awesomely, well at least I think so.

Here’s a snapshot of my work for you to enjoy, which can also be viewed on my Instagram – http://www.instagram.com/itookdispic