Ross and Pat Simshauser are very thankful that five years ago, they made the decision to seek financial advice with Invest Blue. In their own words, they ‘really turned a corner’ once Steve Sewell and Invest Blue began managing their finances. The Simhausers had instant results and have been able to enjoy the things they love in retirement with financial peace of mind. They’re particularly keen on traveling regularly within Australia and Ross has a great passion for landscape photography.
For Ross, adapting to retirement took time. Throughout his career, he had loved working as a diesel mechanic and found he really missed the satisfaction that came with completing those challenging tasks and getting different machinery working well again. He now recognises how much of a change in lifestyle retirement can be and for Ross, keeping busy has been crucial since ceasing work eight years ago. Fortunately, he’s able to ‘keep his hand in’ and continues to do mechanical work with his equally nifty son. Together, they service their own vehicles and Ross also helps out rural friends with the maintenance of small farming equipment.
In addition to tinkering away on engines, Ross loves landscape photography and whilst he has always dabbled in photography, things have gone up a notch since retiring. Ross sees beauty in all scenery; the coast, the bush, the dessert and ideally, displaying his photographs beyond the crowded walls at home isn’t too far off.
For Ross and Pat, much changed with their financial situation five years ago, when their advisor introduced them to Steve Sewell. With Invest Blue taking over the existing business, everything shifted direction and the Simshausers believe that Steve coming along ‘was the best thing.’ They’ve seen steady growth in their finances since then and not only have they achieved their goal of preserving their annuity balances, their money has grown.
Before Steve entered the picture, Ross admits taking a great interest in the couple’s finances even to the point of studying it all. These days though, he takes less and less interest and leaves it Steve, thereby freeing up the Simshausers time to do what they most enjoy. Ross says, “I have great faith in Steve and as a result, he’s handling more and more of our finances.”
Ross considers Steve a ‘very decent chap’ and says that from the outset, everything felt easy with him. “The first time you meet Steve, you sort of know him. I think he’s a very forthright, honest man. He’s friendly and professional with plenty of good advice. Pat and I just think the world of him.”
Ross also values that through Invest Blue, Steve can access great contacts and has extra backing in place which wasn’t the case previously with their advisor running a small business alone. For Ross, this means that Steve has been able to look at the couple’s finances with a fresh perspective and set up their plans and goals accordingly.
So with their finances all squared away, Ross and Pat have much to look forward to in 2017 and beyond. March next year will see an adventure with friends across three Aussie states; Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. The very proud parents and grandparents will continue to enjoy quality time with their two children and three grandchildren, also based in Tamworth. Plus, with the milestone of a golden anniversary (50 years of marriage) just a few years away, there will certainly be more wonderful road trips ahead. And given intentions to showcase all that fabulous landscape photography, it’s possible we’ll all gain insight into the amazing Australian scenery Ross and Pat have taken in along the way…
What you need to know
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