Straight answers about fees, superannuation, investing, insurance and what to expect from a financial adviser, before you ever sit down with us.
There's no minimum balance or income you need to have a conversation with us. Getson & Co is a boutique practice by design. We work with a deliberately small number of clients so every relationship gets real attention, and that's a different starting point to firms that only take on clients above a certain asset threshold.
We're a good fit for people who want a financial adviser they can actually reach, rather than a rotating case manager, and who'd rather pay a transparent flat fee than a percentage of their balance. Some clients come to us for a single piece of advice, others for ongoing, year-round support, so it's really about what you need help with rather than what you've already accumulated.
Our fees are flat and agreed upfront, in writing, before any work begins:
These are starting points, and your exact fee depends on the complexity of your situation. We'll always confirm the number with you in writing before any work begins.
Not everyone does, and a decent financial adviser will tell you that too. Generally, it's worth a conversation if you've got a specific decision to make (super consolidation, insurance, starting to invest), a life change coming up (new baby, business, inheritance), or you just want a second set of eyes on where things are heading. If your situation is genuinely simple, we'll say so.
The first conversation is free and obligation-free. We spend it understanding your situation and what you're actually trying to solve, not selling you a product. You'll walk away knowing whether we're a good fit, roughly what advice would cost, and what the process looks like if you decide to go ahead.
It depends on your situation, but good advice usually pays for itself through better decisions rather than any single dazzling recommendation: consolidating lost super, structuring insurance correctly, avoiding costly mistakes, and staying on track through life changes. The right test isn't "will this make me rich" but "will this take a genuine problem off my plate and improve my position over time." If we don't think it's worth it for you, we'll say so.
Nothing, really. They're the same thing under Australian regulation these days, and the terms get used interchangeably. What matters isn't the title, it's whether they're licensed (see the Trust & Protection section below) and whether their advice areas match what you need.
A few worth putting on the table in a first meeting:
You should walk out of that first conversation with clear answers, not more questions.
Not at all. Most people come to us precisely because things feel scattered: a few super accounts, an insurance policy they've never reviewed, a general sense that they should be doing more. Untangling that is the job.
Our advice fees are flat, agreed upfront, in writing, before any work begins, and don't change based on how much you invest through us or your account balance. The one exception is insurance commissions, which are paid by the insurer, not you, as explained below, and are always disclosed to you before you commit to anything.
Exact pricing depends on the complexity of your situation and which service level suits you, and we'll always confirm the number with you before you commit to anything.
Not all fees need to come out of your everyday cashflow. Depending on your situation, we can look at options to have some fees paid from your investment or super balance instead, rather than out of pocket. Ongoing fees are charged monthly. We'll walk through what applies to you as part of your advice.
A portion of ongoing advice fees may be tax deductible, depending on your circumstances and the nature of the advice provided. It's not a blanket rule, so we'll walk through what applies to your specific situation as part of your advice, and you should confirm the detail with your accountant.
Yes. Insurers pay commission to cover the work involved in arranging a policy, underwriting, and supporting you through claims, rather than charging you a separate fee for this. Commission rates are capped at the same levels across insurers under industry-wide regulation, so there's no built-in incentive to favour one insurer over another. Our recommendations are based on what's in your best interest, not on which insurer pays more.
Any commission is included in what you pay for the product, not billed to you on top, and is disclosed in your Statement of Advice. Full details are in our Financial Services Guide.
We'll recommend the right tier for you in the first meeting, not before we understand what you actually need.
We're authorised to provide advice across:
If something falls outside our scope, we'll say so directly and point you to someone who can help.
Investment advice is one part of financial advice, specifically, recommendations about where your money is invested. Financial advice is the bigger picture: it looks at your investments alongside super, insurance, debt, cash flow, tax and your broader goals, and how all of those pieces work together. A good financial adviser will consider your investments in that wider context, not in isolation.
At least once a year, and whenever something significant changes, a new job, a pay rise, changing family circumstances, or market movements that shift your risk profile. Super is easy to set and forget, but fees, insurance inside your fund, and investment settings are worth checking regularly rather than leaving on autopilot for a decade.
We're based in Adelaide and provide financial advice to clients both in Adelaide and across Australia through virtual meetings. Most ongoing communication happens virtually so you're not stuck fitting your life around office hours, but we're also happy to meet in person if you're local. Wherever you are, the process is the same.
Because we intentionally keep our client base small, you're dealing directly with your adviser, not a call centre or a junior case manager. Response times will always be shared clearly as part of your engagement.
Yes. Life changes, and your advice arrangement should be able to move with it. There's no lock-in: you can step up, step down, or end the arrangement at any time, in line with the terms in your engagement letter.
Every financial adviser who can provide personal advice to retail clients in Australia must be listed on the Financial Advisers Register, a free public register run by ASIC (the Australian Securities and Investments Commission). It shows an adviser's name, their Authorised Representative number, who they're licensed through, their qualifications, and any disciplinary history.
You can search the register at moneysmart.gov.au/financial-advice/financial-advisers-register. Jessica's Authorised Representative number is 001317940, and Getson & Co Financial Planning Pty Ltd's Corporate Authorised Representative number is 001322036, both listed under Spark Advisors Australia Pty Ltd (AFSL 380552), so you can look us up directly.
Yes. Getson & Co Financial Planning Pty Ltd operates as a Corporate Authorised Representative of Spark Advisors Australia Pty Ltd (AFSL 380552). Full licensing details are set out in our Financial Services Guide, available on request or from this website.
Your information is handled in line with our Privacy Policy and the Australian Privacy Principles, and is only used to provide advice and meet our legal obligations. It's never sold or used for anything beyond that.
We'd want to know directly, first. Most concerns can be resolved with a conversation. If we can't resolve it between us, our complaints process, outlined in our Financial Services Guide, sets out the next steps, including access to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), an independent, free external dispute resolution service.
If you can't find what you're after here, get in touch directly, no call centres, no scripts.