Integro’s Jameson Johnston is set to become one of Australia’s youngest financial advisers, having just obtained his provisional AR status through the firm which he started with as a first-year university student. Read more about his journey below.
How did the Integro Private Wealth graduate program get you to where you are today & what sort of work have you been doing?
My experience has been unique, I started with Integro in my first year of university and have worked in a full-time capacity since, an opportunity that is not offered broadly in the industry and has propelled my career forward. After spending some time as a shared resource, I transitioned into working closely with Justin Gilmour and started to build relationships with his clients, which saw me take my technical skills and apply them to real client situations. The Integro graduate program approach prioritises establishing a technical grounding across all aspects of the advice process before you become client facing, this approach ensured the transition was smooth.
I have been involved in the entire advice process at various stages in my career. Whilst now I focus primarily on advice development and serve as a point of contact for clients, I have worked in the back office in both an administrative and technical support capacity, this work was critical for my overall development. “It is all client work” is a phrase that gets thrown around our office often (credit to Karen Cooke), and it emphasises the importance that every person plays in delivering the outcome for our clients, whether you are developing the advice, prefilling an application or presenting the advice, each component of the process is as critical as the other.
What are you most looking forward to as a financial adviser?
By virtue of working closely with Justin for a number of years and partially inheriting his approach to financial advice, I feel strongly about a holistic approach, becoming much more than a financial advisor to the client. I am privileged to enjoy all aspects of my role, so it is hard to pinpoint any one factor I look forward to most, but being part of the growth of wealth management in Australia excites me, and I can contribute to that growth by continuing to work closely with clients and helping navigate them through their financial journey’s as a trusted adviser.
What do you think you will be doing differently as an adviser, compared to someone who has been in the industry for 10 years or more?
This is an interesting question, the type of adviser coming up through the industry is in my mind very different to those have been practising for a number of years. I want to be part of the industry that sets the standard for the rest regarding both technical advice and client service, having a value proposition tied to the service you provide and relationship you hold with the client.
I believe the biggest change I will see in the in industry is the influence of artificial intelligence and how advisers can leverage that. I don’t fear losing my job to a language model by any means but instead see it allowing me to leverage my time to focus on developing client relationships and having a back-officed leverage by technology, with the end goal being a smoother experience for clients and the ability for advisers to move past capacity constraints and service more clients.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time? How will Integro help with that?
In 10 years’, time I want to be working with Integro as a Private Wealth Adviser. Integro is unique in the way that there is a clear path and benchmarks to hit for junior advisers to work towards partnership within the firm overtime, this is something that really motivates me.
Integro as a firm is growing Australia-wide, I see myself playing a role in building the Integro brand over-east and contributing to a national presence. The benefit of working at a growing firm like Integro is that opportunities to spend time travelling and giving advice across the country is very real. As a firm we are always growing, refining our craft, and looking for ways to reinforce our value proposition, I see my role as continuing to facilitate that progression through quality advice to new and existing clients.
Interested in a role as an adviser at Integro or within our graduate program?
Reach out to our team today for a confidential discussion at: [email protected]