Accredited SMSF and Direct Equities Adviser

Chris holds the internationally recognised Certified Financial Planner™ or CFP® qualification and has completed a Diploma of Financial Planning. He holds two degrees from Newcastle University; one in economics and one in business, and also acts as a Justice of the Peace.

Chris started his career in financial planning with RetireInvest Newcastle in 2000, became a financial adviser in 2002 and was key in the establishment of the RI Maitland office in 2003.

Away from work, Chris spends as much time as possible with his wife and two sons (aged 11 and 8) going to the beach in summer and playing with Lego all year round. As a Knights season ticket holder for many years, you might see him at games reminiscing about the glory days of the late 90s and early 2000s.

Outside of family, Chris is the Public Officer of an Incorporated Association formed to run the Jewells Tavern Beavers Cricket Club and is also the President and co-captain of the club which he formed in 2005. Chris has also played touch football with The Crocs at Wallsend since 1995, and every year comes closer to that first elusive grand final victory.

Christian commenced working in the financial services industry in 1995 with the NAB in their Trainee Banker program and moved into financial advice in 2001.

Christian enjoys ongoing learning and improvement and in addition to the formal qualifications he keeps abreast of the latest advancements and best practices. Christian’s formal qualifications include a Diploma of Financial Planning, Graduate Diploma of Economics and Master of Commerce (Financial Planning). He has also achieved the CFP^® designation - the highest financial planning designation worldwide.

Away from work, Christian spends his time with his partner and daughter and on the weekend you might catch them around the Newcastle beaches or at a local dive site.

Christian also teaches financial planning to undergraduate and postgraduate students with the University of Newcastle

Ryan  has worked in the financial services industry since 2007 with several well-respected firms and has gained valuable experience across a wide range of areas. Ryan was a member of the RI Lower Hunter team up until 2015 before moving on to broaden his horizons and build his own business. Ryan is now excited to be bringing his business back into the RI fold.

Ryan holds degrees in Finance and Law from Newcastle University and a Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning). In addition to these formal qualifications, Ryan is committed to continually enhancing his knowledge in a fast-changing industry to ensure the very best outcomes for his clients.

Outside of work Ryan likes to spend as much time as he can with his family, whether it be playing handball or soccer with his two young sons or enjoying Newcastle’s many great café’s, restaurants, parks and beaches. Aside from family, Ryan’s other great passion is American Football where he is a long suffering fan of the Miami Dolphins.

Steve has worked in the financial services industry since 2005 and has been a practicing financial adviser since 2010.

After working with the RI Lower Hunter team initially for over 4 years Steve decided to go out and gain experience in the wider world of financial services. In that time, he gained valuable skills and knowledge that he brought back to RI Lower Hunter in 2015 to use in helping clients to achieve their financial and lifestyle goals.

As leader of a strong support team Steve manages and builds his business based principally on referrals from satisfied clients who want their friends and colleagues to enjoy the same level of professional service and courtesy they have received.

Steve holds a Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning), a Finance degree from Newcastle University and is an Accredited Aged Care Professional.

way from work, Steve enjoys spending as much time as possible with his two young children. Outside of family, Steve plays cricket the Raworth Rabbitohs Cricket club and has recently retired (maybe) from Soccer after a long association with the Tenambit Sharks Football Club.

Olga has been working with us for 6 years. In her role as Office Manager she is responsible for the team of Client Relationship Managers and this role entails conducting regular training meetings as well ensuring that documents are being produced to a high standard across the office.

Olga also assists in the preparation and implementation of advice, management of client portfolios (contributions and withdrawals), and liaison with fund managers, Centrelink and other organisations.

Olga holds a Masters of Cultural Studies from Silesian University with a speciality in Cultural Communication as well as a Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning) with Kaplan. In her spare time Olga enjoys walking, watching movies and spending too much time in her favourite coffee shop. She is what you would call a "crazy dog lady" and is strongly involved with Dog Rescue Newcastle.

Kylie has been working with us since February 2019. Kylie is one of our Client Services Officers, working in the team alongside Courtney and Olga. She is involved in the preparation and implementation of advice, managing client portfolios, client meeting preparation and communication with fund managers and Centrelink.

Kylie loves being in customer focused roles, she is passionate about developing and maintaining client relationships and ensuring all clients leave with a smile.

When Kylie is out of the office she enjoys travelling, time with family and a healthy sporting rivalry with her British husband. She also loves a good Malbec and roast dinners!

Courtney is one of our Client Services Officers, working in the team alongside Kylie and Olga. She is involved in the preparation and implementation of advice, managing client portfolios, client meeting preparation and communication with fund managers and Centrelink. Courtney helps to ensure that paperwork and filing is complete, as well as ensuring client information is up to date, and will often be the friendly face or friendly voice that greets you!

Courtney loves being in customer focused roles, she is passionate about developing and maintaining client relationships and ensuring all clients leave with a smile. Courtney has ambition to complete further study into the future that will enable to grow and develop in the technical aspects of her role.

When Courtney is out of the office she spends most of her spare time with her family, friends and her dog. She loves to travel and see new places overseas and in Australia. She also enjoys all things food and wine and you will regularly find her in the vineyards, at a new restaurant or a tasting her way through a boutique winery.

Qualifications: Wisdom gained from managing Gil for 19 years

Heather is the Client Services Manager and is responsible for managing our 6 and 12 monthly portfolio reporting cycles and our investment database. She also manages the business accounts, invoicing and payroll.

In her spare time Heather is a loyal supporter of any visiting British sporting team and enjoys travel, sailing, watching Formula One as well as spending time with family and friends.

Laura is the friendly face that will greet you on arrival at our Maitland office as she fulfils the administrative services role. Laura is involved in communication with fund managers and Centrelink. She ensures that paperwork and filing is complete, as well as ensuring client information is up to date and completing the preparation for client meetings.

Outside the office Laura spends her time watching movies and television shows, as well enjoying re-reading books from her large collection and spending time with her family, including her two adorable nephews.

BMedRadSc (DR), DFS

Louise has a Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science and is a fully qualified Radiographer who decided to leave the industry after having children. After agreeing to do bits and pieces to help out in the office 5 years ago, Louise has completed her Diploma of Financial Services and is now employed as a Paraplanner, writing advice documents for our clients.

Louise is married to Chris and working closely together seems to work out fine because Chris knows who is in charge outside of office hours. In her spare time Louise loves reading, watching movies and cooking (and trying to expand the taste buds of her two boys – and her husband). Louise has also recently learnt to sew and looks forward to making matching shirts to build an arsenal of photos to embarrass her children in the future.

Jan is the friendly face that will greet you on arrival at our office as she fulfils the administrative services role. Jan is heavily involved in communicating with fund managers, Centrelink and other professional advisers. She ensures that paperwork and filing is complete, as well as ensuring client information is up to date and completing the preparation for client meetings.

Jan is currently completing a combined Commerce and Law degree, majoring in Finance and minoring in Human Resources at the University of Newcastle. She is happily accumulating more knowledge about the financial planning sector, putting her university studies into practice.

Outside the office and away from the books, Jan spends most of her spare time with her family, friends and her dog. She is a live music enthusiast who has great luck when it comes to personally meeting some of her favourite artists. Jan is also known by her friends and family as "the indiest person in the planet" so you will most likely spot her buying food and plants in local markets, getting smashed by waves in her beach trips with her dog, or fitting in more exercise in her daily routine by going on nature walks and hikes with her friends.