I talk to Hannah Bush about entering the industry!
Hannah Bush currently works at National Australia Bank as a financial adviser. She provides personal financial planning advice to retail clients of the bank. Hannah studied Bachelor Commerce in Economics and Marketing at University of Wollongong and graduated in 2003. Hannah is also on the FPA's Young Planners committee!

What did you study and when did you graduate?
I had a keen interest in commerce and economics at high school. I studied a Bachelor Degree in Commerce majoring in Economics and Marketing at Wollongong University (chosen because of it’s location to the beach =) ) and Graduated in July 2004.


What drew you towards financial planning as a career? How did you get into the industry?
After I graduated I decided travelling was more my thing and spent 3 years in America working at ski resorts and travelling. Then I decided I was ready to do something with my life and came back to Australia. Had no idea what I was going to do, was talking to a family friend about my dilemma (who is also a planner) and he suggested I look into Planning. At first it was just a job, I had not made a conscious decision that this was going to be my career. As I learned what it was all about I decided yep, this is for me. The two biggest draw cards where first that I could instantly see the potential of the industry and that there were huge growth prospects. It is an exciting industry and changing all the time. When you are choosing an industry to work in for a length of time choose one that is growing! Change always opens up opportunities. Secondly, this is a finance career not really about finance. Yes, you advise on achieving financial goals but those financial goals are directly related to the client’s personal achievements. It’s very satisfying.


Were you always good with money?
No, I had to learn. I knew I liked money and it allowed me freedom to do the things I wanted to do. But beyond that I was very naive. I only though about today and not about tomorrow.


What types of graduate jobs are available for graduates entering the financial industry?
You can enter as a support staff member or assistant to a planner or team of planners. This means you can be working, learn the industry and study your DFS if you do want to become a practitioner. If you have your DFS or part of it you can enter as a junior planner, many organisations have an entry level role.

What advice would you give to graduates or students who are looking to enter the industry?
Stop looking and just do it! It’s very fulfilling, what you put into it is what you get out of it. You have to be good with people, not just good with money. This job is all about relationships. Relationships with your clients, referral partners, colleagues. When you are looking for your first job try and think about how you can progress with them. Do they offer good training, ability to do your ADFS, exposure to different clients and different strategies? I may be biased because I work for a large institution but you have to give yourself the best possible start.


Do you think graduates should be worried about entering the work force at present?
Absolutely not. Sure, we have had a rough period, but many organisations are still committed to the growth of wealth management and to most the global Financial Crisis has highlighted the need for good advice. As I said before, the industry has a long and prosperous life ahead of it.


How important is it to have graduates entering the workforce considering many planners will retire over the next five to ten years?
Obviously very important! For an industry to grow we need to have a strong and vibrant workforce. I think that many graduates will be surprised by their ability to stamp their mark in this industry.


Can you please tell me about the FPA’s Sydney Chapter Young Planner Committee i.e. what does the committee do?
Sure! It aims to provide benefits to its members and the younger members have different requirements and needs. The committee basically organises networking events. We have one about every 3 months where we invite a speaker to present on a topic that has been suggested by our members. Members that attend include planners, support staff, graduates, students and management such as Business Development Managers. We have drinks and canapés, listen to the speaker and most importantly, network! (with the aid of a wine or two).

How did you get involved and become a chair of the Young Planner Committee and why you decided to be a part of that?
The institution that I work for provides membership for the FPA. I didn’t really know at this point what that was and decided to go to one of the events. I met some other members and enjoyed myself enormously. The FPA sent out an email asking if anyone was interested in helping out with future events and I though it would be fun. I just wanted to get out there, meet as many people as I could and learn as much as I could.


Do you do any other extra curricular activities?
I do also chair an internal committee with my work called the Wealth Managers Forum. I started this up with the help of my General Manager because I felt that we needed some representation in the sense that many planners have some great ideas about how the business could work better and there was no way to get these ideas to the people that made the decisions.