Top wealth management strategies for high net worth Australians

Most high net worth people I meet in tech don’t have a wealth problem. They have a coordination problem.

An accountant who sees them once a year. A broker who set up the mortgage. A super fund on autopilot. RSUs vesting into a brokerage account. Nobody looking at the whole picture.

I call it a lazy balance sheet. Millions on paper. No tax deductions. No leverage. No structure turning it into income.

I’ve built more than 300 retirement plans over 18 years. Here are the 7 wealth management strategies I use most with tech executives worth $2M+. This is general information only.

1. One plan, one person running it

Your shares, super, property, tax and insurance all affect each other. Decide on one in isolation and you usually pay for it somewhere else.

I act as your personal CFO. I build one plan and project manage your accountant, broker and solicitor so everyone works from it. How the Personal CFO service works.

2. A cash flow system for lumpy pay

Base salary, commission, bonus and RSUs all land at different times. Without a system, the lumps disappear into lifestyle.

Every client gets a set rule for every lump: tax first, then the home loan, then super, then investments. Spending comes from base salary. Cash flow management.

3. Diversify out of your company’s stock

It’s common for tech executives to have 30% to 70% of their net worth in one company. That’s a big bet on one share price and one employer at the same time.

One VP came to me with $3.8M in company shares. We sold down $2M across several years to manage the tax, and spread the rest. Read his case study.

4. Put idle equity to work

A $3M home with no debt feels safe. But it earns nothing and gives you no deductions.

A separate investment loan against part of that equity, invested in a diversified portfolio, can generally make the interest tax deductible. Debt recycling does the same with an existing home loan. 7 powerful ways to use debt to build wealth.

5. Build super for both partners

Super is the most tax effective place to hold wealth in Australia. From 60, a super pension is generally tax free, and each person can move up to $2M into one.

So I build both partners’ super, using concessional caps, after tax contributions and contribution splitting. 7 strategies to reduce tax and build wealth.

6. Hold new investments in the right structure

At $2M+, it often makes sense to stop investing everything in your own name. A family trust can give flexibility over who is taxed on the income. A company can cap the tax on retained earnings.

Structures have costs and rules, so your accountant and I decide together whether they suit you.

7. Model retirement income, then track it

Wealth management isn’t about beating the market this year. It’s about knowing when you can stop work, and what it will pay.

I model your retirement income across several scenarios. Then I track your net worth each year, so you can see it growing toward the asset base you need.

Protect it

At this level, the biggest risks are often not markets. They’re illness, divorce and a messy estate.

Review your insurance, your wills and your super nominations. A testamentary trust can help protect what passes to your kids. Generational wealth: how to build and protect family assets.

Who I do this for

My clients are tech executives and sales leaders, aged 40+, earning $400K+ with RSUs or big commissions. Most have at least $500K in super and $1M of equity in their home, and can save at least $4,000 a month above their minimum mortgage repayments.

If that’s you, a coordinated plan is usually worth more than any single investment decision.