Retire on your terms
Most Australians are still in the same super fund they signed up for at their first job. Your life has changed significantly since then. Your strategy should too.
Financial advice
isn't about your money.
It's about your life.
The goal isn't a bigger number on a screen. It's knowing you can stop working when you want to, not when you have to. It's not lying awake at 54 wondering if the plan actually holds up.
Most Australians are on track to retire with less than they expected. Not because they didn't work hard enough, but because nobody helped them connect the dots between their super, their tax, their income and the retirement they actually want.
"The decade before retirement is the most important window of your financial life. It's also when most Australians are least engaged with their super."
Redwood Financial Planning
Real advisers.
Real accountability.
Brian and Ryan both came up through the operational side of financial planning before becoming advisers. Brian through client services, Ryan through paraplanning and compliance. They saw the same thing from different angles: people making significant financial decisions with incomplete information, or no advice at all.
"We kept seeing the same situation. Someone in their late forties or fifties with good super, good income and no real strategy. Nobody had ever sat down and looked at the whole picture with them. That's the gap Redwood was built to close."
Brian Kearney
Brian's career started in client services, which means he understands the advice process from every angle. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and Financial Planning and brings a hands-on, plain-language approach to every client relationship.
AR 128 9461 · Grad. Dip. Financial Planning
Ryan Humphries
Ryan came up through paraplanning and compliance, which gives him a sharp eye for detail and accuracy. His approach is direct and honest, focused on making complex financial concepts genuinely accessible.
AR 130 9222 · Grad. Dip. Financial Planning
Do you see yourself here?
We're not the right fit for everyone and we'd rather say that clearly.
You've built a career. Now build a plan.
Super has ticked along but nobody's actually run the numbers on whether it adds up to the retirement you want. You might also have irregular income, a business structure or personal risk cover that hasn't been properly reviewed. That's where we start.
Your life looks nothing like it did when you started working.
Two incomes, a mortgage, kids, maybe an investment property. The financial decisions that made sense at 28 don't automatically suit you at 45. Spousal contribution splitting, tax minimisation and super structure are all worth revisiting when your situation has changed this much.
5–10 years out. This window matters more than any other.
Carry-forward concessional contributions, investment restructuring, transition to retirement strategies, drawdown planning. The financial decisions made in this period have a larger impact on your retirement income than anything done in the preceding 20 years. It's worth getting specific.
The default system
wasn't designed for
your retirement.
Industry funds pool your money with hundreds of thousands of other members and apply the same default investment strategy to all of them. For most people, that's the option they were placed in at their first job. Nobody changed it when income grew. Nobody reviewed it when kids arrived or when retirement stopped feeling abstract.
The result is that millions of Australians are in an investment option chosen for them by default, not by anyone who knew a thing about their situation. That's not necessarily the fund's fault — a fund with half a million members cannot give each one a personalised strategy. But it does mean the responsibility falls on you to seek one out.
An adviser who holds their own AFSL — directly licensed, directly accountable — can assess your situation without the commercial context that comes with operating under a dealer group or a product provider.
"Your fund has no incentive to tell you to leave. We have no incentive to keep you where you are."
Everything that connects.
Good financial advice doesn't live in one box. Super, tax, cash flow, insurance and estate planning are all part of the same picture.
Superannuation & Investment Strategy
We review your current fund, investment option, fees and contribution strategy. If your super is underperforming, overpriced or just hasn't been looked at in years, that's where we start. If a platform like HUB24 makes sense for your situation, we'll show you the numbers.
Tax Minimisation
Salary sacrifice, carry-forward concessional contributions, spouse contribution splitting and investment structuring. Most Australians in their peak earning years are paying more tax than they need to. We find where the gaps are.
Cash Flow & Budgeting
You can't build a financial strategy on assumptions about income and spending. We build a clear, honest picture of where your money goes so every other recommendation is grounded in what's actually possible for your household.
Estate Planning
Super sits outside your estate and doesn't pass according to your will. An outdated beneficiary nomination can override years of careful planning. We work alongside legal professionals to make sure your super, assets and family are properly accounted for.
Insurance
Many people have life, TPD or income protection cover inside their super without knowing the details of what they actually hold. We review what you have, identify any gaps and make sure your cover is structured correctly for your current life, not the one you had when you first signed up.
Directly licensed.
Directly accountable.
Most financial advisers operate under a dealer group — a larger institution with its own product relationships and commercial interests. Redwood holds its own Australian Financial Services Licence. Brian and Ryan are directly licensed and directly accountable to ASIC.
When we make a recommendation, it goes through one filter: does this suit your situation? Not a compliance committee. Not a product approval panel. Just the two advisers whose names are on the licence.
Simple from the
first conversation.
Free 15-minute strategy session
No paperwork, no obligation. We look at where your super and finances currently sit and tell you honestly whether there's anything worth addressing. Most people come away with at least one thing they didn't know before.
We build the full picture
Super, income, debts, tax position, insurance, estate planning. Everything together, because a strategy that fixes one thing while creating a problem somewhere else isn't worth much.
You receive a Statement of Advice
A document that sets out exactly what we're recommending, why it suits your situation and what it's expected to achieve. Written clearly. No industry shorthand. You should be able to read it and understand every line.
Ongoing review throughout the year
Your strategy isn't a set-and-forget document. We schedule regular reviews and reach out when something changes that affects your plan — whether that's a legislative update, a market shift or something in your own life.
Before the first call.
Why most people
haven't done this yet.
We hear the same reasons regularly. They're worth addressing honestly.
"I don't have enough money to need a financial adviser."
This is the most common misconception in the industry. Financial advice isn't only valuable once you're wealthy — it's most valuable while you're still building. The decisions made in your 40s and 50s are the ones that determine what your 60s and 70s look like. Waiting until you have "enough" often means waiting until some of the most impactful strategies are no longer available to you.
"I'm worried about being sold something I don't need."
This is a legitimate concern and a fair reflection of parts of the industry. The structure that creates that risk — an adviser operating under a product provider or dealer group with commercial arrangements — is specifically what Redwood is set up to avoid. Brian and Ryan hold their own AFSL and are directly accountable to ASIC. They're required by law to act in your best interests. That obligation is direct, not filtered through an institution with its own interests.
"I'll sort it out later when things settle down."
Most people who say this are in their late 40s or early 50s. The problem is that "later" is exactly when the strategies that make the biggest difference start to close off. Carry-forward concessional contributions, transition to retirement income streams, and certain contribution timing strategies all have eligibility windows. The later you start, the fewer of these are available. A 15-minute call costs nothing and at least tells you where you actually stand.
"I don't understand super well enough to even have the conversation."
You don't need to. That's what the first conversation is for. We don't expect clients to come in knowing the difference between a concessional and non-concessional contribution, or what a transfer balance cap is. We ask questions, explain what we find in plain language, and only recommend something when we can explain clearly why it suits your situation. If you can't understand what we're suggesting and why, we haven't done our job properly.
The questions most people
search for first.
Plain-language answers to the super and financial planning questions we hear most often.
Industry Fund vs Wrap Platform: What's the Difference?
Industry funds are great starting points. Here's how wrap platforms differ and when it may make sense to move.
How Salary Sacrifice Can Save You Thousands in Tax
How it works, how much you could save, and whether it makes sense for your income level and situation.
How to Find and Consolidate Your Lost Super
Thousands of Australians have money sitting in old super accounts. Here's how to find it and what consolidating actually involves.
How Much Super Do I Actually Need to Retire?
What a comfortable retirement actually costs in Australia, and how to work out whether you're on track to get there.
ETFs vs Managed Funds: Which Suits Your Investment Style?
The real differences, the fee implications, and what suits most Australians in accumulation phase.
Is It Worth Seeing a Financial Adviser in Your 50s?
Your 50s are often the most impactful decade for financial decisions. Here's an honest answer to whether it's worth it.
Not ready to book?
Start here.
Two free guides we've put together for people who want to understand where they stand before speaking with anyone.
Free Super Report
A 5-minute super health check covering fees, insurance, lost accounts and investment options. Includes a case study of someone who added $450,000 to their retirement balance by changing one investment option — without increasing contributions.
Free Wealth Report
Covers the four areas where most Australians quietly lose ground — cash flow structure, tax, insurance and investments. Written for working parents, professionals and tradies who are doing okay but know something could be better.
From people who've been there.
Every review below is from a real client via Google. We don't edit them.
"Brian and the team are amazing when it comes to financial planning. Highly recommend."
"Ryan is great to deal with, highly recommend engaging with Redwood if you don't have a financial adviser already. Would give 6 stars if it were possible!"
"Brian was very detailed about his financial advice, outlining my options to put me on the best path regarding my future. His professionalism and transparency gave me confidence that I'm taking the right steps with my super to move forward towards a successful retirement."
"I have been guided by Brian for a few years now, followed him from another company. The guidance he has provided has been invaluable and my financial knowledge has increased tenfold. Looking forward to many years of solidifying my retirement plan!"
"Brian has been great to work with. He explains the process well, is patient and listens to my questions well. It's been a positive experience!"
"The professionals at Redwood helped me a lot! They provided exceptional service and took the time to understand my financial goals. I finally feel I have got financial peace of mind, and security looking towards the future."
Reviews sourced from publicly available Google reviews for Redwood Financial Planning Pty Ltd. They reflect individual client experiences and are not a guarantee of future outcomes. This information does not constitute personal financial advice.
Is your super going
to be enough?
Fifteen minutes. Free. No pressure. The worst outcome is you walk away knowing you're on track.
Book Your Free Strategy Session