Our Super Stars ...
Summer 2008
Natalie Parker and Bree Hunter have excelled in their chosen fields and recently
received prestigious awards. Both are modest about their achievements but we at
MB+M are extremely proud of them.
M
Bree was flown to the Gold
Coast last month to receive
the VIC/TAS State Finalist
for the Australian
Paraplanner of the Year
award for 2008.
Natalie Parker
Pregnant with her
gorgeous daughter, Violet,
g
Natalie battled severe
morning sickness while
quietly working away at her
Financial Planning studies.
Last month Natalie topped
the country in these studies.
She was honoured to
S
rreceive two awards - the
2007 Regional and the
2007 National subject
2
prize for Financial
Planning Skills 1(157).
Both MB+M and our clients
are fortunate to have a
business advisory specialist
helping clients who also
has an in depth knowledge
h
of financial issues beyond
o
just the client’s business
operations.
Natalie has a high
appreciation of the need
ffor proper financial planning,
risk assessments etc, and
iis able to help clients
quickly assess their needs.
q
Whilst Natalie has a focus
on business advising, you
o
can be sure she will continue
to think outside the square.
The Paraplanner of the
Year Award is supported by
the Financial Planning
Bree Hunter
Association and was
created as a result of the
realisation that very little official recognition
exists for the paraplanning profession. As well
as providing paraplanners with a great
opportunity to gain career recognition, this
Award promotes the continuing enhancement of
professionalism in the financial planning
industry.
The Award encourages those professionals who
wish to make financial planning their career and
recognises the person who has proven through
the quality of their submission that they are truly
one of financial planning's leading practitioners.
Entrants are assessed on their financial
planning knowledge, professionalism,
understanding of the paraplanning industry and
their involvement in the industry.
The National Winner is selected by a judging
panel, taking into account the results from
the above. This year’s national winner was from
NSW.
Bree is a fully qualified Financial Adviser holding
the highest qualifications of Certified Financial
Bree works from our Melbourne
PlannerTM. B
office and is available to help clients with their
financial planning needs.
MB+M encourages team members to take on
extra studies and personal development to
further enhance their valuable skills. We are
tthrilled with these results as it validates what we
already know - we have a high calibre team at
MB+M.
M
Turn to Page 2 to find out more about
Natalie in our Team Profile!
N
ABN 60 925 056 863
www.mbmgroup.com.au
Shepparton Office
23 Nixon Street, Shepparton 3632
Telephone: 03-5821 9177 Fax: 03-5821 4055
mbmshepp@mbmgroup.com.au
Melbourne Office
9 Jasper Road, Moorabbin 3189
Telephone: 03-9557 7654 Fax: 03-9557 3579
mbmmelb@mbmgroup.com.au
Natalie Parker
Full name:
Natalie Jane Parker
Schools attended:
Bourchier Street Primary School, Goulburn Valley Grammar School,
Notre Dame College, LaTrobe University, Bundoora
You’ve spent many years
s
studying.
What have you
a
achieved?
Business Degree from LaTrobe University
Chartered Accountant
RAN One Business Consulting Program
Graduate Certificate in Financial Planning
Tell us about your daughter:
As you can see from her picture she’s a real cutie. Violet is
13 months old and is now getting into everything. Her favourite
past-time is walking around and climbing into the kitchen cupboards
to find new and interesting chew toys.
How long have you been
with MB+M?
I joined MB+M in December 1999.
What is your role at MB+M?
The official title is ‘Client Service Manager’ and my role is to mentor
and train other accountants but more importantly ensure our clients
receive exceptional customer service from MB+M.
The job can be very challenging at times but I have found spending
time with clients and helping them to improve their practices is very
rewarding.
What is your specialisation?
I specialise in taxation planning and business consulting.
This incorporates:
Developing tax minimisation strategies
Provide training on MYOB and QuickBooks files
Work with clients to maximise profit potential
Establish budgets and provide monthly analysis of budget
versus actual
•
•
•
•
And much more!!
Who has inspired you?
My grandfather – he went to war at 17 years of age (he had left
school before this time) came home with nothing and due to his
natural business skills (he was amazing with numbers) and his
ability to see opportunities in the market he become the largest
Catering company in the area (Bob Moss Catering) until his
retirement. His motto in life “Work hard but play even harder” and
he did this very well.
Do you play sport?
I’ve always loved sport but I’m finding it challenging to fit it in around Violet’s schedule.
However, I do make time to take my Boxer dog ‘Jasper’ jogging 3 times a week.
Do you like to read?
Yes, I really like to read Matthew Reilly books which is unusual for a girl. They are an
army action type genre.
When you’re not winning
a
awards
what else do you
l
like
to do?
Family means a lot to me. I love spending time with my husband, Troy and daughter,
Violet. I’m close to my family too, in particular, my sister who conveniently married my
husband’s brother. And who could forget Jasper the Boxer who is an important part of
our family.
Read all about it …
Did you know our website has more detailed articles on:
F
FBT
& Christmas Parties (how does the Tax Office view your office Christmas party?)
M
Minors’
2008/09 tax-free threshold (they’ve been increased!)
A
ATO
2008/09 Compliance Program (will your business be targeted?)
It’s worth checking out.
Profile
www.mbmgroup.com.au
Work Life Balance – getting it right
To manage your time and get your work-life balance right you have to
want to.
If you answer yes to more than 5 of these questions, chances are you
need to reconsider what or how you are doing, as your health, relationship
with your family and general well-being might be at risk:
Are you overweight?
Are you overweight because you do not have
the time to exercise?
Do
D you know more about your assistant’s
personal life than that of your partner?
Reception desk staff at more than 1 hotel greet
you by name when you arrive?
Do
D you work when you get home in the evening,
very often going to bed when your partner is
already asleep?
Even though you are at home, you are not really
E
present?
Do
D your kids misbehave when you are around
just to get your attention?
Do you drink more coffee than you think you
D
should every day or take supplements to keep
you "sharp"?
You
Y miss family birthdays either because you
forget or you are out of town?
Have you thought about what your funeral might
H
be like?
Tips to help you manage:
1
Never
start work without a list of actions for the day, which have been prioritised.
N
2
Limit
your day.
L
3
Do
D some group exercise or get a trainer. Make sure there is a commitment to train.
4
Focus
on your family when you are with them. Touch is extremely important to a child’s development.
F
Make your partner feel special.
5
Take
regular and proper holidays. Leave your Blackberry at home.
T
6
Go
G for a walk every lunch time, don’t eat at your desk.
7
Get
G technology that works for you, be it laptops, mobiles, handhelds etc.
8
Get
G a virtual assistant. Outsource the time wasting, mundane work.
9
Constantly
revisit your personal and your business objectives and goals to reassess where you are up to.
C
10
Never
consult your laptop or other technological device during a meal at home.
N
11
Read
non business books or magazines before you go to sleep.
R
12
Get
G 8 hours sleep per night .
your
And eat properly - y
health is the most important asset you have.
One American to another: "I had trouble
with a cheque I wrote last week"
Second American: "Did it bounce?"
First American: "No, but the bank did"
AFL Chief, Andrew Demetriou (centre) was the
key note speaker at the latest GV Brain event.
MB+M made a colourful impact on the evening.
M
www.mbmgroup.com.au
The Hartley family…
giving back to the community
To Tom and Margo Hartley, who started Hilton Manufacturing in
Dandenong 32 years ago, there is more to business than producing a
successful product and making a profit.
Hilton is recognised as the foremost component
manufacturer to the trucking industry, whose clients
include all the major Australian based manufacturers.
Last year Hilton had the honour of being inducted into
The Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame.
The business is now run by the couple’s son Todd,
and employs 190 on the team with the new Brisbane
office commencing operations in 2007.
Tom, who was named his Council’s Senior Citizen of
the Year in 2007, says “I have always believed that as
a company we have a corporate responsibility to put
something back into our local community, and helping
worthwhile charities is something Margo and I find very
fulfilling”. For the past four years Tom has been
convenor of the statewide raffle for the Scouting
movement which this year raised a record $413,000
which goes directly back to local scouting groups.
Over many years, Hilton Manufacturing has supported
little athletics, football and other sporting groups in the
area. Many of MB+M’s clients also provide similar
support to a huge range of groups. MB+M too, has a
long history of giving support to local groups both
financially and via professional expertise.
As well as building up a successful family-owned
business, the Hartleys have been active in their
community, particularly through their involvement in
Scouting and St. James Anglican Church in
Dandenong where Margo organizes many fundraising
functions for both local and overseas missions and
produces a Christmas Pageant ‘The Glory of
Christmas” which celebrated its 10th Anniversary last
year and attracts an audience of over 1200 people
each year.
In July this year, Margo, Tom and Todd organized a
“Winter Wonderland” Gala Charity Dinner Auction at
Sandown Racecourse which raised an incredible
$70,000 for charity. MB+M clients and team members
enjoyed attending the gala evening and were pleased
to make donations to the auction.
Hilton Manufacturing donated the cost of the venue,
entertainment, food and drinks for the evening
attended by 350 guests. The Hartleys were
overwhelmed by the generosity of the attendees.
The money raised will purchase a resuscitation cot
for Dandenong Hospital and contribute a significant
sum towards the work of the African Mercy Ship that
travels to African countries and provides medical
assistance and surgery to local people.
Margo heard about the wonderful work of the African
Mercy Ship through her connection with the Social
Welfare Officer at the Dandenong Hospital and
particularly wanted to help with the life saving work of
Todd, Margo
and Tom
Hartley
enjoying the
Winter
Wonderland
Gala Charity
Dinner
the Mercy Ship. “The Dandenong Hospital is also a
great cause and always desperately needs funds for
new equipment, so we were keen to direct some of
our funds to them” Tom said.
Latest news is that Tom and Margo have been invited
to join the Mercy Ship on its upcoming voyage to
Benin in Africa in 2009.
Tom and Margo would love to hear from anyone that
might be interested in helping support their
philanthropic endeavours. They can be contacted at
Hilton Manufacturing, telephone (03) 8791 9400.
Photo below:
Glenn Ridge (Master of Ceremonies), Joan Corfee (Mercy
Ship Organisation), Margo Hartley, Jane Poxon (Dandeong
Hospital), Todd Hartley and Peter Williams (Auctioneer).
www.mbmgroup.com.au
Case-in-point
(Summer edition)
Mike’s client came in to sign his tax returns and discussions moved
along predictable lines: “Let’s look at your trading results. Here’s your
profit. Here’s how much tax you have to pay.” And so forth.
Mike then suggested that he would like to run through a few extra
questions. Those questions focussed on the 7 areas of need that
MB+M have identified as being critical to all of our clients.
It turned out that Mike’s client:
Was keen to sell his business in the next couple of years;
Wasn’t too sure what the business was worth or what he should do
to prepare the business for sale;
Still had two kids being educated;
Had a will that was prepared when he and his now ex-wife, were
still married;
Was worried how his business would carry on and how his family
would pay the bills if he were to get sick or have an accident.
Mike and his client didn’t solve all of these issues on the spot. However,
they did work together to come up with some action plans and solutions
for everything. They touched base every week to keep things moving
until it was all dealt with.
Now the client is happy and enjoying peace of mind and even Mike’s
happy.
We find that the 7 Needs checklist is a great tool that helps us identify
what’s important in your business life. If you don’t hear from your MB+M
contact about the checklist, make sure you ask them about it.
Cash economy
under fire:
ATO directly
contacting taxpayers
As part of the Tax Office's drive to
rein in the cash economy, they are
sending out letters direct to
taxpayers who have high volumes
of cash transactions.
Recently, the ATO has sent out
44,000 letters to businesses in the
retail, construction and consumer
service industries.
The letters have also been
directed to businesses that have
reported a low or negative cash
flow which may indicate they are
under-reporting income.
As it is likely that some of these
businesses will be subject to
further review, the ATO is
encouraging their tax agents to
assist any clients identified under
this program.
Editor:
Competition
Back by popular demand, the MB+M Competition returns.
Answer the following question:
What was the best Christmas present you ever received?
We know it’s totally subjective but the answer we like the best
will receive a fantastic prize.
Phone Fran or Rita on 5821 9177 or email to
mbmshepp@mbmgroup.com.au before 30 January.
www.mbmgroup.com.au
Please contact your
MB+M Adviser if you
receive one of these
letters. We can help
you review your
circumstances.
The
Hot Goss
!
MB+M
Adrienne Hutchins
and Liam Gledhill were
married in October.
They now live in
Numurkah after
honeymooning in
Europe, UK & Malaysia.
Our hours over Christmas:
Closed from Midday 24th December
Reopening 8:30am Monday 5th January
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very romantic month as
Rebecca Brett and
Kieran Humphrey were
also married. They
enjoyed a Townsville
honeymoon and have
settled in Shepparton.
It’s official, the old man of MB+M has reached grandfather status.
Mike and Chris are more than happy to dote over James George Mason Hall.
Disclaimer:
These are great ideas not advice. If you want to take advantage of our expertise to make these ideas work for you,
please see your personal advisor at MB+M Business Solutions.
www.mbmgroup.com.au