Testimonials

Some kind words from wonderful clients:

"we got so much more than we expected" – M O’Sullivan

"We are a couple in our mid 50’s with busy work and family lives. I can spend a week researching a new fridge, and yet we pay very little attention to our savings, super and retirement plans. As people with a strong social conscience, it almost feels a bit wrong to fuss too much about such things and money is the one taboo that people, friends, family rarely talk about. And yet I knew we were being irresponsible, frozen into inaction by a lack of confidence in our knowledge and a distrust of financial advisors. Everyone says to “research your advisors” and “choose carefully” but it is time consuming and complicated, and in the too hard basket.

Sonnie was absolutely the right choice for us. His fee for service model is completely transparent and we could be assured he was giving us advice independently. It is also extremely good value and we got so much more than we expected. What we wanted, and got, was a review of where we are at, and advice about our portfolio “buckets”: what percentage of our investment pie to have in each risk group (ie, cash, balanced, growth). What we also had for, and got, was explicit advice about which fund types from which companies (more than one offered) are a good option, and why, and a clear strategy and process for doing this. Whilst this advice in the end is we simple, the fact that we had confidence to go ahead with it was hugely important to us. And Sonnie continues to provide that support that we are on the right track when I send the occasional panicked email ab market bumps.... breathe and stay the course for longer term goals.

What we got that we didn’t expect, and what I think was the most valuable (and surprisingly enjoyable) was the expert facilitation of unhurried, in-depth discussion between my husband and I about what our goals are for our investments. Gently probing questions from Sonnie got us really thinking and talking about topics that are too often avoided or assumed. As dry as money sounds it really is about the choices we make in how we want to live our lives now and later. So we found ourselves talking about our values, our kids’ futures, and our retirement plans (where do we want to live? What do we want to do?) in ways we hadn’t before.

Whilst Sonnie is clearly extremely knowledgeable about investing, he is very personable, easy to talk to, positive and super professional. He is also a great writer, clear thinker, passionate about his work, and good fun. I can’t recommend his services highly enough."

"warm, friendly and knowledgeable" – the Paraku-Swallow whanau

"E aku nui, e aku rahi, tēnā koutou katoa. Special greetings to you all.

Our whānau is grateful to Sonnie for sharing his wisdom and applying a health check to our mapere pūtea or financial plan. He came highly recommended by friends of ours in the FIRE community. We chose the INSIGHT service.

We have not been disappointed. Sonnie has ensured that we think deeply about all aspects of our mapere pūtea along with our tuāpāpā me uara, our financial foundation and family values. We are now clear that:

1.  we are on the right path and have done enough today to make work optional (MWO)...yay!
2.  we understand the different investment classes and how they can be applied to a MWO situation.
3.  we are clear about the level of need for family insurances to negate risk and the level of risk in general our personalities can tolerate and;
4.  we appreciate the idea of ...’giving with a warm hand’.

Sonnie is warm, friendly and knowledgeable and obviously places family at his centre, as we do, so it was a great fit for us. We would recommend the INSIGHT service to anyone who would like to explore their financial plans and ensure they are fit for purpose.

Ngā mihi atu ki a koe mo tō tautoko Sonnie, many thanks to you Sonnie. Best wishes from our whānau to yours.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa."

"the best money I've ever spent" – Lynley
"a financial advisor who is focused purely on YOU and what you’d want to achieve" – C Lin

"Before deciding to work with Sonnie, I’d whittled down and interviewed about 5 other financial coaches/advisors. Sonnie was the only independent advisor as others would receive some sort of compensation for managed funds/investments they would invariably steer me to. This is a conflict of interest in my eyes. After chatting for well over a year with Sonnie, I can say that Sonnie truly have my interests at heart. The best thing about working with Sonnie is that he made me question some of my assumptions and provided clarity in thinking. Our conversations together provided me with a great fundamental starting point on how best to evaluate things going forward. The flawcasting model also gave me some peace of mind and allowed me to have confidence in my financial plan. I highly recommend Sonnie if you need a financial advisor who is focused purely on YOU and what you’d want to achieve financially. Thank you so much Sonnie! It’s been an absolute pleasure chatting with you."

"Sonnie sure lived up to what we had hoped for." – Paul McGregor

"I was worried when my parents told me they wanted to use a financial advisor. It wasn't so much that they would get ripped off, but more that they would get convinced to join the advisor's portfolio - and then have to suffer through all the ongoing yearly fees that would go with that for no real benefit.

At the same time, I could see how a financial advisor might be helpful. They were nearing retirement and had some big decisions to make about their mortgage, business and future lifestyle. I could see that their money situation was starting to cause them stress as it was really hard to know if they had 'enough' to get them through retirement or not. I tried to help them figure things out, but basically we were stumbling around in the dark without a flashlight.

After reading all the FAQs and testimonials on Sonnie's website, I was satisfied he would be a good choice. I liked how he charged a fixed price up-front. That meant Mum and Dad knew what they were committing to and there would be no hidden surprises or increased bills. More importantly, Sonnie was the only advisor I could find that had no incentive to give advice that would make him more money. Many other advisors seemed to earn their money from ongoing yearly commission. I didn't want my parents to waste hundreds or thousands of dollars every year to pay somebody just to have my parents money sit in their account.

Sonnie sure lived up to what we had hoped for.

For one, his analysis was sound and well-researched. He put a lot of thought into his recommendations and went the extra mile to make sure my parents understood his reasoning. This allowed them to make some important changes to their financial arrangements - with confidence. One of these changes alone will save them over $1500 in unnecessary fees just this year alone.

But Sonnie didn't just provide financial advice. He also helped my parents to have important conversations about what they want for the next phase of their lives. And the result is they are more confident and relaxed about shifting into retirement. Before working with Sonnie they were starting to worry about retirement. The uncertainty was causing some sleepless nights. Now they sound calm and ready.

Thank you Sonnie for your awesome work for my parents. Their increased peace of mind is worth far more than your fee and we will certainly be recommending you to others who want to feel confident about their financial future."

"combines great technical advice with a personal touch" – Simon

“I found Sonnie fantastic to work with. His approach combines great technical advice with a personal touch that shows he understands you, your goals, your relationship with money, and how his advice can best complement those factors. I would recommend him to anyone looking to be smarter with their money.”

"We never felt rushed by Sonnie and appreciated his enthusiasm in answering all our questions and concerns." – D & C

“We are a couple in our 40’s, experiencing the life-changing event of the arrival of our daughter and we were at a turning point in our lives. We felt the need to be more proactive in planning our financial future, especially now we were working less, but we were struggling to identify the best options. We had conservations with Sonnie regarding our situation, our savings and super/retirement plans, our values and future goals. After every meeting we felt uplifted and hopeful. He then wrote a substantial report which summarised our discussions and set out logical steps for us to follow. He was committed to helping us mitigate our investment risk and his thorough professional approach (e.g., ‘flaw-casting’, portfolio ‘buckets’ and an explanatory video) to investment was exactly what we needed. We never felt rushed by Sonnie and appreciated his enthusiasm in answering all our questions and concerns. We would definitely recommend Sonnie!”

"Sonnie was engaging, empathetic, thorough and considered in his approach." – Cindy & David

"We are empty nesters wanting to get our finances in order so that we can do what we want to when we retire. Sonnie was engaging, empathetic, thorough and considered in his approach. He listened to us and produced a plan tailored specifically to our circumstances and values. We liked the transparency of his fees model and preferred that to commission-based advisors limited or incentivised to recommending certain products and services. Sonnie challenged us on occasion and forced us to think hard about what really mattered to us. It's less than 2 months since we implemented the plan and we are already seeing positive results. We live in Welington and didn't find it problematic with Sonnie being in Christchurch. Our skype meetings were great. We would highly recommend Sonnie to anyone looking for financial advice."

"It really felt like you were getting advice from someone who was a friend or family member" – Aidan & Siobhan

"We initially chose Sonnie to do us a financial report as he was completely impartial and that’s what we wanted, not just to be talked into something which the advisor would ultimately benefit from. We have a strong property bias and Sonnie has gone the extra mile to research and comment on what he thinks of our current situation. We have found Sonnie to be honest, responsive, able to simplify things and very easy to talk to. It really felt like you were getting advice from someone who was a friend or family member, he has your best interests at heart. He was never patronising but rather gently probes and leads you so that you are completely comfortable with the plan. He has given us great clarity in what we need to do in the future and we look forward to meeting him in a year or so when we have implemented some of the plans into action. We valued meeting with Sonnie so much that we flew down twice to meet with him face to face. Going to Sonnie is one of the best financial decisions we have ever made."

"I’m so pleased we went through this process and I highly recommend Sonnie to absolutely everyone!" – Nadia

"I had been wanting to consult a financial planner for a while but those I’d met had struck me as quite slick and condescending. I came across Sonnie on a recommendation. We talked on the phone first and then had two meetings. It was important to me that the adviser not have any bias toward specific products nor that he/she recieve any commission for recommending particular products. Sonnie impressed me from the start. He was very engaging, unhurried, meticulous and a great listener. My husband and I are financially savvy, and one of my initial concerns was that we would not get value for money. However, Sonnie challenged us with great questions, suggestions and scenarios. I found the whole process exceptionally useful. The financial report was interesting reading and the advice was sound and well-reasoned. I can see us consulting Sonnie again in another couple of years for an update. I’m so pleased we went through this process and I highly recommend Sonnie to absolutely everyone!"

"You have given us... a sense of confidence and peace of mind regarding our finances." – Katrina & Harvey

"After reading some of Sonnie’s blogs we realised we had finally found a financial adviser who was truly independent and didn’t want ongoing fees from any investment we might make. We had already visited four other advisors and each time they wanted to structure our investments to give themselves an income through fees from our investments.

Thanks so much Sonnie, we really appreciated your ability to capture our situation and provide thoughtful and comprehensive advice about where we could go from here. You have given us a sound plan for our investments and a sense of confidence and peace of mind regarding our finances.

P.S. The “flawcast”you provided is our favourite tool! It has given us so much insight into the effects of choices we could make."

"There has been real satisfaction in putting our financial report into practice. The feeling of coming from an informed place gives confidence." – Trudy & Mark

"We are a newly retired/ nearly retired couple who were looking to make sense of our financial situation as we headed into retirement. We had no previous experience of financial advisors but realised the importance of enlisting the support of a professional to make best sense of our personal situation.

We found Sonnie after talking to a number of financial advisors. We immediately liked his investment philosophy which we found aligned with our own.We also appreciated the one single cost of his service. Sonnie appealed as someone who was principled and unhurried in his approach. As ‘financial newbies’ we appreciated the time he took to explain things to us.

Sonnie initially spent time talking about our situation with us, before putting together a draft report which we discussed with him on a number of occasions before he worked on the final report. Part of this process involved giving us a flawcast and examples of different investment possibilities. We were encouraged to reflect on what was important to us in terms of retirement and long term goals. In this way we always felt that we were making informed decisions about the way forward.

There has been real satisfaction in putting our financial report into practice. The feeling of coming from an informed place gives confidence.We feel we can contact Sonnie if we feel any ‘investment wobbles’ coming on and fully intend to touch base with him in a year to check we are on the right path."

"easy to follow, kind and pragmatic." – AT Higgins

We were referred to Sonnie to help us review our financial plan and assess how well we were on track for financial independence and the possibility of early retirement. Sonnie helped us navigate our ideas, ideals and our very diverse portfolio in a way that was easy to follow, kind and pragmatic. We now have a firm plan for our financial future and feel confident we are on the right track. 

"Sonnie delivered what he said he would." – Eric

"My online search for a financial advisor who could provide me with a general direction and no ongoing fees led me to Sonnie. As promised Sonnie delivered what he said he would. Honest and specific to my situation, his service provided just the kind of advice I needed right now."

"I consider Sonnie's advice honest, comprehensive and well considered." – M Elliot

I have recently had a Financial plan created by Sonnie Bailey of Fairhaven Wealth.

I approached Sonnie because having read numerous books and articles about money management I felt I needed some guidance but ultimately wanted to invest the money I had myself rather than via a share broker portfolio.

Sonnie did a very thorough appraisal and produced an extremely detailed report. He put a huge amount of effort into tailoring it for my specific situation and was fantastic at explaining each recommendation. I also found his graphs a great visual tool to indicate how life and investment decisions can have such a big influence over the long term.

I consider Sonnies advice honest, comprehensive and well considered.

I have no hesitation in recommending Sonnie to anyone seeking financial planning advice.

"We appreciate the way [Sonnie] took the time to get a feeling for who we are, where we are at, [his] depth of knowledge, lateral thinking and [his] common sense approach" – Anandi & Anekant

"We would like to express our thanks for the work you have done for us over the past few months. We are absolutely delighted with your service. It is really refreshing to work with someone who is truly interested in our needs, circumstances and preferences. We appreciate the way you took the time to get a feeling for who we are, where we are at, your depth of knowledge, lateral thinking and your common sense approach. Your professional, ethical and caring ways deserve trust and respect, and we highly recommend your services to everyone."

"the most holistic , comprehensive... advice I’ve received" – Joan G

"I have worked with many financial advisers over the years and Sonnie’s service is the most holistic , comprehensive albeit simple to understand and implement advice I’ve received. As a recent retiree, he has given me the guidance and peace of mind I was looking for from an adviser. He is very patient with investment greenhorns like myself and there are no stupid questions . In addition , being fee based one is assured that he is not recommending a policy / investment from self interest . I am very glad I happened across his services and will be doing an annual WOF with him now that I have the initial comprehensive report"

"the sort of understanding and advice that I could've only hoped for from other wealth advisers we’ve dealt with" – Nick C

“Thank you for your most excellent support of mum and our family. Your report represents the sort of understanding and advice that I could've only hoped for from other wealth advisers we’ve dealt with, but who have not delivered in the way that you have.”

"we are in danger of boring our friends in our recommendation of Sonnie!" – R & S

"Sonnie was recommended to us at a time when we felt we needed a second opinion on our current financial situation and how we could best manage it to provide us with security for our long term future. Until very recently, we did not have a good understanding of the fee structures that many Financial Advisers use and how this impacts on investment returns, so to find an adviser that provided a clear fixed fee service with no kick-backs from the products that would be recommended or ongoing charges, was a huge positive for us. We worked with Sonnie via Skype and our conversations were easy and in no way hindered by not being in the same place. The Statement of Advice provided by Sonnie was detailed, completely understood us, our values, concerns and fears and provided clear recommendations that we can implement ourselves and feel confident that we have a plan that will support the future we have in mind. Needless to say, we are in danger of boring our friends in our recommendation of Sonnie!"

"After interviewing many advisers, I found Sonnie was the most 'transparent' adviser" – Ko Vasan

"I found searching for a good financial adviser very difficult. I knew, I wanted someone without a conflict of interest ie fee-for-service adviser. I also had my set questions for all of them, to weed them out. (Remember you are, interviewing them!). After interviewing many advisers, I found Sonnie was the most "transparent" adviser, in terms of answering all my questions. He even answered my question, about his own investments!. ( No other adviser, answered that)

It did concern me, that I couldn't meet him due to living outside of Christchurch, however after our initial conversation, it didn't seem an issue.

The process was very thorough, with Sonnie asking some very good questions to get more information out of me. It really seemed to incorporate everything of my life. Such as, my goals, talking about the implications of looking after elderly parents. Furthermore, he considered all insurances, with the aim to be self-insured (with some insurances) in the future. You don't really hear that from any insurance company or broker!

I would recommend anyone to Sonnie, for true "independent" advise to give them an overall plan of what they can do.

"[Sonnie's] advice was personalized, clear, specific and [had] our best interests and priorities at the center" – Phil & Viv

"I never really understood why engaging a financial planner seemed to be all about investment products. What we needed and was looking for was an expert adviser who could look at our finances, our goals and priorities for the future and give us quality advice on how best these could be aligned. Sonnie offered exactly that - sound financial advice and options. His advice was personalized, clear, specific and our best interests and priorities at the center. Very pleased to have met Sonnie and very happy to recommend."

"Sonnie had a great handle on me, my life, and my expectations, and prepared tailored advice that was in my best interests" – Pat

"I think Sonnie had a great handle on me, my life, and my expectations, and prepared tailored advice that was in my best interests. I found the process of working with Sonnie extremely valuable, Sonnie has helped give me the confidence to take control and plan ahead."

"We discuss things a lot more openly with [Sonnie] than we do just the two of us" – Loretta & Andrew
"We had the good fortune in meeting Sonnie to help guide us with our financial plan for the future. He was so down to earth and understanding of our circumstances and needs. The "flaw-cast" is so valuable for us to see how changing variables can affect the future. We have no hesitation in recommending Sonnie to anyone who would like to get their finances checked out in a completely unbiased way. He has given us the confidence to make some big changes in our future plans. Great value for money, too."

“It is amazing how [meeting with Sonnie] focuses us. We discuss things a lot more openly with [Sonnie] than we do just the two of us”

"fantastic to work with" – Nikki longstaff

"Sonnie was fantastic to work with. We don't live locally however this wasn't a problem with Sonnie offering alternatives to work alongside him. He was very transparent from the beginning and easy to communicate with. Sonnie clearly communicated what was involved, how he worked and the fees that were involved.

We liked that fact that we never felt rushed for time with Sonnie, each meeting took as long as it took for him to ask all the questions he needed to know and vice versa. Sonnie was quick to respond to any further questions we had.

Having someone look at our 'big picture' and give us reassurance that we are on the right track but also give us ideas to protect ourselves more throughly and offer potential outcomes for different life scenarios was invaluable.

We highly recommend Sonnie to anyone who is looking for a financial advisor."

"I would not hesitate in recommending Sonnie to others (in fact, I already have!)" – Matthew T

"Sonnie's advice has really helped me put in place a retirement plan. Even though it's almost 30 years away in my case, I really appreciate his advice on seeing the impact of different saving and investment decisions over time. The plan will give me more confidence with my career and financial decisions. I also appreciated Sonnie's realistic approach, he understood that there will be ups and downs and sometimes you just might want to spend money on a lifestyle you want. / My first meeting with Sonnie was by Skype (as I live in Auckland) and this was no issue at all. I would not hesitate in recommending Sonnie to others (in fact, I already have!)."

"relevant, easy to understand and well-tailored to our situation" – A & M

“We found Sonnie easy to talk to and open to questions. His recommendations have been relevant, easy to understand and well-tailored to our situation.” 

"I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Sonnie" – C W

"I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Sonnie and feel in a much clearer position with regard to decisions I am making now and in the future." 

"We recommend anyone who wants to get their financial side of life on track to talk to Sonnie!" – M & K Donovan

"Sonnie’s advice was a breath of fresh air. An independent perspective that gave us confidence to move forward with a plan in place for our financial goals and insurances. He went above and beyond the call of duty, providing advice over email and phone, sending us to useful web links that spoke to our situation and pulling our spreadsheets into shape. We recommend anyone who wants to get their financial side of life on track to talk to Sonnie!"

"Sonnie has given us the reins back to manage our investments and provided us with very good advice." – K Farmer & J Harcourt


"Sonnie’s advice regarding our investment strategy going into our retirement has been excellent. His approach is to give advice in lay persons terms, to be transparent and find the best opportunity for his clients. Previous advisers have left us feeling confused about their detailed investment choices, tired by tedious reports and unhappy about the fees. Sonnie has given us the reins back to manage our investments and provided us with very good advice. We are now in control. Sonnie is very generous with his time and commitment to his clients."

"great to work with.... I would gladly recommend his services" – Halee M

"Sonnie Bailey is great to work with. His completely independent stance means that my husband and I trust that his financial advice is based on what's best for us. Plus, he's' a really nice guy. I would gladly recommend his services to my family and friends."

"Sonnie is a good listener and very easy to engage with" – John A

"Although I have a good track record with saving, I felt it worth seeking assistance to prepare for my retirement. I wanted someone independent to challenge my assumptions on what might be best. Many options for advice don’t seem to acknowledge forms of investment other than the products they are aligned to and that was why I chose Sonnie rather than an advisor attached to a fund management company.

This was a very personal process and Sonnie is a good listener and very easy to engage with. I was able resolve my questions and came to a strategy after two detailed discussions. The process didn’t merely reinforce my views and has resulted in me having confidence to modify the mix of investment, so definitely something learned. Thank you Sonnie."

"a knowledgeable, honest and caring financial adviser" – Elizabeth R

"As a newbie in the world of finance I contacted Sonnie after some online research of financial advisors in Christchurch. I decided to contact him s he was independent which was something I wanted. I would rather pay a small fee upfront and be sure I was getting advice tailored to me, rather than have a free session which could ultimately benefit the advisor. I rather hesitantly rang Sonnie and he offered a free initial meeting to "try out" what he could offer. We had that, and I was happy to go ahead with paying for his service. We had three face to face meetings in total plus he wrote me a comprehensive report all for a very modest fee. I am sure I am one of his smallest clients but I always felt very looked after and valued. I did have some ideas about what to do with my money and he confirmed I was on the right track and added some more suggestions of his own. This "peace of mind" was exactly what I was after and I now feel confident to proceed financially for the next few years, knowing I can call on Sonnie anytime if my circumstances change. I think this was an excellent investment on my part, very good value-for-money, and I would highly recommend him as a knowledgable, honest and caring financial advisor."

"I could trust his advice and not wonder if he was selling me things I don't need." ... "I feel more confident now" – Ruth H

"Sonnie met me at times and places that suited me which was so helpful because appointments can be hard to meet when I'm busy at work. He was knowledgable but able to speak in layperson's terms, and he made recommendations that suited my situation.

I appreciated that Sonnie is independent so I could trust his advice and not wonder if he was selling me things I don't need.

I feel more confident now and like I've organised my money responsibly for me and my family."

"trustworthy & straightforward financial planning advice" – Leah S

"Fairhaven Wealth provided trustworthy & straightforward financial planning advice. I am more confident about my financial future and what I can/need to do with my money and would not hesitate to recommend Sonnie & his services."

"friendly and knowledgeable" – Chris & Jude

“We liked the model for financial advice that Sonnie uses. As the advice that he gives is completely impartial. This impartiality has given confidence and changed some of our thinking, particularly regarding insurance needs. Sonnie himself is friendly and knowledgeable and created a good rapport with us. The advise we received gave us confidence in the investment approach that he recommended. We would have no hesitation in recommending Sonnie as an advisor.”

"We... have no hesitation in recommending Sonnie to anyone looking for good independent advice" – Brian & Shelley
"After a lot of research, we chose Sonnie to provide us with investment advice. We had never before been in a position where we had money to invest and it was very important that any advice we got was totally independent. Sonnie took the time to get to know us and to fully understand our needs and aims and presented it all in a way that was easy to understand. We would have no hesitation in recommending Sonnie to anyone looking for good independent advice at a very reasonable cost."

"I would wholeheartedly recommend Sonnie to anyone seeking personal and specific advice on their financial situation." – Val

"I was impressed with how easy it was to contact Sonnie and how quickly he responded. He asked all the right questions and he was interested in more than just the financial facts. These were appropriate to our situation and helped us to focus on where we were at and what we wanted to achieve, as well as how to do that. Sonnie was clear about what was and was not appropriate for him to comment on and open about what being a financial advisor means, so we understood fully what we were doing. I would wholeheartedly recommend Sonnie to anyone seeking personal and specific advice on their financial situation."

"A testimonial of appreciation for the job well done" – Steve

“Before retiring i didnt know what to do for the best, with my lifelong superannuation savings, as you only get one chance to get this right. I was apprehensive as to who to trust and where to invest. Searching online i read about Sonnie. A quick email and a couple of visits from Sonnie and i found the confidance in him to follow his plan for my situation. I am pretty much relaxed about my investment plan to provide for the coming years.“

"candid, honest dialogue... plain English and easy to understand" – Anne Marie & Osman Kross

“The main points we would like to emphasise in our dealings with Fairhaven Wealth were: convenience of interaction, candid, honest dialogue and financial reporting which, tho’ still professional in style, was written in plain English and easy to understand“

"We wish we had done this much earlier in life." – S & R

“Having never worked with a financial advisor in the past, we had no idea what to expect, but we were very pleased with Sonnie’s approach and the outcome. Sonnie took his time getting to know us and to get a very good understanding of our current situation and our future goals. The advice given was very simple and easy to understand. It was obvious that Sonnie had really listened to us and put some thought into what we wanted, therefore we felt very comfortable in implementing his recommendations. We wish we had done this much earlier in life. “

"[we] were amazed at how insightful you were, how comprehensive & how clearly the draft [report] was presented" – Marian & Mike

"Hello Sonnie,

Marian & I would like to say how much we appreciated & dare we say enjoyed your time with us discussing our future wishes, & hopes for or financial future.

With both Marian & I being on the cusp of retirement, we suddenly realised just how vulnerable we felt regarding our financial future, not least of which we would simply run out of time to gain back what was lost, if we really made a mess of our finances either thru our own, or others' poor decision making.

It is therefore extremely important to us that we can rely on someone that we feel we can trust to not necessarily make decisions for us but to help us make the right decisions.

It is not often that we sit down with someone to discus these wishes & hopes, let alone a complete stranger. However it wasn't long into our first meeting with you before we were completely comfortable talking about our future. It must be said also ,that to devise a plan tailored for our future, you had to learn about our past !!. This is not something that just anyone can do, & it speaks to your ability to put people at ease, ask the right questions & that you are not frightened of being generous with your time.

When we received our plan Marian & I were amazed at how insightful you were, how comprehensive & how clearly the draft was presented, making it easy to understand, & the purpose it gave us looking forward to the future.

In the end what we think that we are most happy & excited about, are that what were just hopes & wishes, have now been formulated int a plan that we can feel most confident in implementing. We think that between us all,we have done the best we can to safeguard the future & for that we are most grateful.

We look forward to seeing you for annual checkup, & we have no hesitation in recommending you to our family & friends, let alone anyone else who might ask for financial guidance.

All the very best for your future."

"someone who demonstrates true integrity and conducts themselves fully aligned to their values" – Alan Clifford

“Every so often you get to meet someone who demonstrates true integrity and conducts themselves fully aligned to their values.

Sonnie is for me one of those people. I along with I imagine many of his clients had read his blog posts and already had a good understanding of his way of thinking, it was this that led to me engaging Sonnie to sense check my financial position and to challenge / probe my financial future.

The discussions I had with Sonnie touched on areas that I wouldn’t normally discuss, but I found it easy to trust him and be open.

I’d recently come out of a relationship separation and needed to take stock and reset my plans.

I gained insight and clarity from the discussions and Sonnies report.

I highly recommend Sonnie to anyone wanting truly independent advice.“

"Sonnie's knowledge and facilitative skills have helped us enormously." – Stephen B

"We are heading towards retirement and needed some direction in relation to our financial future. Sonnie's knowledge and facilitative skills have helped us enormously. We would have no hesitation in recommending Sonnie to anyone needing independent, knowledgeable and professional advice."

"I am extremely fortunate that I engaged with Sonnie two years ago and only wish it had been before then!" – Joan G
"I first engaged with Sonnie in 2017 when I retired and he produced a very comprehensive tailored report and recommendations for my retirement funding and decumulation period . I have put 95% of his recommendations in place and am extremely happy with the results so far .

Although I’m probably one of his lowest $ value clients ,Sonnie has never made me feel I’m any less important and has always responded to my ad hoc queries and comments in a considered and professional yet empathetic and friendly manner . I have recently been through what I have termed a biennial WOF on my small portfolio and again Sonnie has given me valuable insights and recommendations .

I am extremely fortunate that I engaged with Sonnie two years ago and only wish it had been before then ! I will continue to recommend him with utmost confidence to my friends and business colleagues .

"completely genuine and honest and trustworthy" – A & S Redmond

"This is the 3rd time that we have met with Sonnie in the past couple of years and it was just as worthwhile as the previous times. Sonnie takes the time to see where you at without judgement and offers a very positive outlook on the opportunities that lay ahead. He allowed both of us to talk and acted very well as a facilitator regarding getting both of us on the same page re our financial future. Sonnie is completely genuine and honest and trustworthy and we wouldn't hestitate to recommend him. We look forward to our next meeting and are excited about what lies ahead"


(Letters and testimonials reproduced with permission.)