Hey there Rask community!
I’m James, Rask Advice’s most recent Financial Adviser (as of writing this article, I am currently on Day 3 at Rask). I am excited to introduce myself and be a part of Rask. Before transitioning into financial advice (more on this below), I spent a decade in retail management (mostly at Woolies). Through my own experiences, personal finance is something I have become deeply passionate about, and the ability to guide clients through important milestones and decisions is incredibly rewarding.
How I got into advice
Growing up in a single-parent household where, while we weren’t stressed for money, the importance of being mindful about our finances was deeply ingrained in our everyday lives. One of the earliest lessons that stuck with me from my mum was to “pay off credit cards in full every month”. While I was too young to fully comprehend what this really meant, this conservative mindset about money stayed with me (all the way to my career, it seems).
I knew that money was important, but like most people, it took years of experience, study, trial and error, and a few personal mistakes to truly appreciate the impact of financial decisions. One of those mistakes was buying a new car well outside of my means. At the time, it felt like a reward for hard work, but the ongoing repayments became a weight, limiting my flexibility and slowing down other goals. It wasn’t until years later that I understood how to use money as a tool for building long-term security and opportunity.
My path into financial advice wasn’t straightforward. After years in leadership and operations at Woolworths, I realised the part I loved most was helping people make informed decisions—whether that meant guiding teams or mentoring individuals. At the same time, my growing interest in personal finance and the way it could help people take control of their lives really pushed me to explore financial planning as a career.
So, I decided to take the leap and dive into financial planning.
I dedicated myself to studying and gaining the knowledge I needed, eventually transitioning into the field. First, I started as a paraplanner, learning the technical aspects of the advice process and what goes into building a financial plan for someone behind the scenes. After completing my Bachelor of Business (Financial Planning) with UniSA, I was then given the opportunity to undertake my professional year as a ‘provisional adviser’, working side-by-side with fully qualified advisers and getting different perspectives on how to model best practice.
After completing my professional year, I began practising as a fully qualified financial adviser. I’ve felt incredibly fortunate to step into a career where I can meet with clients directly, build relationships, and support them through meaningful decisions that shape their lives.
Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with a broad range of clients, honing my ability to simplify complex financial concepts and turn them into clear, actionable strategies. Whether it’s helping with retirement planning, growing wealth, or risk management, I find great satisfaction in empowering people to make confident, informed financial decisions.
My ‘why’
At its core, financial advice is about education, empowerment and making informed decisions. I’ve been fortunate enough to see firsthand how sensible financial choices can not only improve people’s quality of life now, but ultimately lead to better long-term outcomes. On the flip side, I’ve also seen how poor decisions (my own included)—or no decisions at all—can hold people back from reaching their potential. That’s why I care deeply about helping clients understand their options, gain clarity, and feel in control of their financial future.
I also consider myself really lucky to have entered the industry at a time when financial education was becoming more accessible than ever. Podcasts, online content, and communities like Rask give people—myself included—the opportunity to learn, reflect and engage with personal finance in a way that just wasn’t available a decade earlier. It helped me build my confidence, and it’s one of the reasons I’m so passionate about continuing that mission as an adviser.
I’m also deeply committed to changing the perception of financial advice as a profession. It’s an industry with immense value, but it has faced its share of controversy and remains a work in progress. Many people remain hesitant about engaging an adviser, and that is understandable given the past challenges and the emotional and practical weight financial decisions carry. My goal is to help make financial advice more accessible, transparent, and genuinely valuable—especially for those who need it most. By focusing on trust, education, and real impact, I hope to contribute to a positive shift in how financial advice is perceived and experienced.
Joining Rask is particularly exciting for me because it’s a business that shares that commitment to education. Rask’s mission to empower people with the knowledge and tools to take control of their finances really resonates with me. I’ll be working across Rask Advice, contributing to content and conversations that highlight the critical role financial planning plays in securing a better future.
I’m looking forward to being part of this journey and helping guide more people toward informed, confident financial decisions!
In the meantime, you can find me on LinkedIn or jump into the Rask Community for a chat.
