Celebrating Excellence

Jessica Deamer Wines New Talent Award

In the realm of financial advice, recognizing emerging talent is not just a matter of acknowledging potential; it’s about celebrating the dedication, innovation, and commitment that these individuals bring to their craft. Today, we are thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to our very own Jessica Deamer for clinching the prestigious New Talent Award at the 2023 National ASTRUM Awards.

The New Talent Award stands as a beacon for excellence in the financial advisory sphere, spotlighting those individuals who have demonstrated exceptional prowess despite their relatively short tenure in the industry. This accolade underscores not just the potential but the tangible impact that young professionals like Jessica are making in their field.

Jessica’s journey to this achievement is a testament to her unwavering dedication, tireless work ethic, and passion for providing quality advice to her clients. In her impactful career, she has showcased a remarkable ability to navigate complex financial landscapes, offering insights and strategies that resonate with her clients’ needs and aspirations.

What truly sets Jessica apart is her unwavering commitment to excellence. Beyond just meeting the basic requirements of her role, she consistently goes above and beyond, leveraging her expertise to empower her clients and guide them towards financial success. Her approach is characterized by a rare blend of empathy, integrity, and astuteness, making her not just a financial adviser but a trusted partner in her clients’ financial journeys.

We at Crest are truly proud of Jessica’s achievement, and eagerly anticipate witnessing the continued success and contributions of Jessica and other emerging talents like her in the years to come.

Congratulations to Jessica Deamer for her nomination in the 2023 Women in Finance Awards!

We are extremely proud to announce that Jessica Deamer has once again been selected as a finalist in the Women in Finance Awards. These awards are designed to recognise the best and brightest women operating in the financial sector. They set a benchmark for excellence across Australia, consistently acknowledging the outstanding contributions women make to the finance industry and profession year after year.

Jessica’s ongoing recognition is a testament to all the hard work she has put in, not only over the past year but throughout her entire career, consistently delivering excellence to provide the best results for Crest Financial Services’ clients. Jessica was among the nine finalists for the ‘Regional Professional’ award. This is not the first time her name has been mentioned as a distinguished woman working in the industry. In 2022, she was a finalist in the ‘Financial Planner’ category.

To celebrate Jessica’s excellent achievement, our team went to Sydney to attend the awards night. This was a fantastic opportunity to recognise Jessica’s hard work and leadership and to interact with other professionals in the sector who are working to make a difference.

Jessica started at Crest in 2015 as a junior paraplanner and, over the past eight years, has developed into an outstanding financial adviser. She provides advice across a wide range of areas and has also developed specialist skills and experience in retirement advice, self-managed super funds (SMSF), aged care, and taxation. Her professionalism and hard work have opened up opportunities at Crest in leadership roles, and she is currently training future advisers and back-office staff, as well as recruiting new employees.

Congratulations again to Jessica for this well-deserved recognition, and everyone at Crest looks forward to her continued success.

Congratulations to Jessica Deamer for her nomination in the 2022 Women in Finance Awards

We are extremely proud to announce that our very own Jessica Deamer has been nominated for the ‘Financial Adviser of the Year’ in this year’s Women in Finance Awards. The Women in Finance Awards are designed to recognise the best and brightest women in the financial sector. The Women in Finance Awards are the benchmark for excellence around Australia, and year after year recognises the outstanding contribution women make to the finance profession, propelling the industry forward.

This is certainly a fitting acknowledgement of all of the hard work Jessica has put in, not only over the last year, but throughout her entire career as she has worked to provide the best results for the clients of Crest Financial Services. Jessica started at Crest in 2015 as a junior paraplanner and over the past 7 years has developed into an outstanding financial adviser.  She provides advice across a wide range of areas and also has developed specialist skills and experience in the areas of retirement advice, self-managed super funds (SMSF), aged care, and taxation.

The directors have made a special mention that they are proud of this recent acknowledgement and recognition that Jessica has received from her peers, clients, and the industry as a whole. They are also delighted that the nomination was submitted (unprompted) by a number of her clients, which is a further testimony to her dedication, hard work and professionalism.

The awards ceremony will be held at The Star in Sydney on the 3rd of November later this year. A group from the Crest Financial Services team will be attending the function to celebrate Jessica’s achievements and hopefully heading back up the M1 with a trophy!

Congratulations again to Jessica for this recognition and everyone at Crest looks forward to her continued success.

Congratulations Crest

Charter NSW/ACT Practice of the Year!

We are very excited to announce that Crest Financial Services has won Charter Financial Planning’s inaugural NSW/ACT Practice of the Year award!

The acknowledgement and recognition Crest Financial Services received from Charter is important to us and highlights the value and positive impact our financial planning advice has on the everyday lives of our clients.

The awards night, held last Friday at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth Hotel, recognises the high standards of financial planning advice that practices like Crest provide to clients throughout NSW and the ACT. The night included the presentation of awards for excellence and also honoured those who have provided many years of professional advice within the wider Charter community.

Advisers Paul Howden, Andrew Thomas, Rhys Higgins and Patrick Hancock attended the event. Andrew said a few words of thanks and made a special mention of the great effort made by the Crest team.

Crest Financial Services would also like to congratulate the NSW/ACT State Adviser of the Year, Trina Wood, of Green Associates in Canberra, and the NSW/ACT Value of Advice award winner, Michael Allen, of KeyStone Advice Partners in Wollongong.

As winners of the NSW/ACT award, Crest Financial Services is now in the running to win the National award, which will be announced in January 2018.

Congratulations Ruby!

On Thursday 27th July, Ruby Stevens from our accounting team was awarded a merit in the Management Accounting and Applied Finance module of her Chartered Accountants Program.

The event was hosted by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, to recognise outstanding achievements of candidates. The institute also congratulated new graduates of the program, which Ruby is looking forward to in November of next year. It was a lovely evening filled with canapes and drinks, as well as inspirational speakers.

The merit Ruby was awarded means she is in the Top 5% of candidates in Australia and New Zealand. She was the only candidate in attendance from the Newcastle/Hunter region, which is a significant achievement as all other recipients were from large firms in Sydney.

Ruby is being mentored by Keith Compton, who is part of the Crest Accounting team in East Maitland, while completing her program.

Ruby works between both our East Maitland and Newcastle offices, liaising with Crest advisers to provide services to Self-Managed Super Fund clients, as well as individuals and small business clients.

Completing the Chartered Accountants Program is allowing Ruby to broaden her professional knowledge and experience, building upon her University studies to create high quality and holistic services for our Crest clients.

Ruby can be contacted on (02) 4933 3466, or via email at [email protected]

Congratulations Andrew Thomas

National New Adviser of the Year 2016

We were extremely proud last year to announce that our own adviser Andrew Thomas took out the NSW/ACT New Adviser of the Year award for 2016 in Sydney. As a result Andrew was subsequently nominated as a finalist for the National Award.

At the National Advice Symposium in Melbourne this January, where over 2,000 delegates gathered to meet, learn and improve their skills, we were excited to witness Andrew receive the award for National New Adviser of the Year 2016. This award recognises the younger generation of advisers for the exceptional work they do in building value for our clients. We are pleased to see the emphasis we put into our training and development of our staff; such as Andrew who started with Crest over 5 years ago whilst he was graduating from University. Andrew has been recognised at a national level and acknowledges the hard work and effort he has put into his career and delivering advice to Crest clients. We are extremely proud of the work that Andrew has achieved and the value he has built for his clients, along with the entire team we have at Crest that work so hard to support our clients meet their goals. Congratulations Andrew.

Best of Luck to Andrew Thomas

Nominee for the National New Advisor of the Year Award

Crest Financial Services adviser Andrew Thomas, having recently received the State New Adviser of the Year award, is in the running to receive the National New Adviser of the Year award at the upcoming AMP Advice Summit in Melbourne.

This award recognises advisers whom in the first few years of their career, have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to their clients, community and profession.

On behalf of Crest – we wish Andrew the best of luck.

Crest Recognised at NSW Charter Awards Night

Several of the Crest team recently attended the 2016 NSW Charter Awards night. This evening highlights the excellent advice provided to financial planning clients throughout NSW. The night included various awards of excellence and also honoured those who have provided many years of professional planning advice within the wider Charter community.

It was great to see our very own Rhys Higgins nominated again as one of the 3 finalists for the NSW Value of Advice award, along with Stephen Cook (Smarter Financial – Port Macquarie) and Alex Naylor (Sydney Financial Planning – Sydney). Congratulations to Alex for taking out the award, and we look forward to him challenging the other state winners in Melbourne next year. We were also very proud when Crest’s Andrew Thomas was awarded the New Adviser of the Year for NSW. This is a great effort and is a testimony to his hard work and consistent focus on positive client outcomes. Crest would also like to extend their congratulations to Ray Albrighton of Announcer Group (Sydney) for taking out the State Adviser of the Year award. At Crest, we believe the acknowledgement and recognition of outstanding advice is important, as it highlights the value and positive impact that financial planning has on people’s lives everyday.

Rhys Higgins – Top 3 Finalists in the NSW Charter Value of Advice Awards 2015

Congratulations to Rhys Higgins from our office who was shortlisted for the NSW Charter Value of Advice Awards.

This recognises how advice from financial planners can transform peoples lives and the value and impact it has beyond just the financial.  There were some great entries, based on actual client situations, which showcased the great work advisers do every day to assist families.

While Rhys was not the overall winner, he was privileged to be one of the 3 finalists chosen for NSW (from a field of over 380 Charter Financial Planners).  Rhys and several of the Crest Financial Planning team enjoyed attending the annual awards evening, which was held at the Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour.

The evening also recognised years of service, where Crest’s own Mark Prior was singled out for his 35 years of excellent industry service.

The evening also heard from the Cancer Council of Australia about the success of the joint Pro-Bono advice program, which links planning firms (including Crest Financial Services) and the Cancer Council to provide a planning service to those affected by cancer, but who cannot afford advice.  The evening of celebration and recognition raised a further $5,000 which was donated to the Cancer Council of Australia.

All in all it was a great evening and Crest Financial Services looks forward to participating and supporting the Charter Value of Advice Awards in 2016.

Paul Howden – National Advisers Award Winner 2009

In 2009 Paul was honoured by AXA as the winner of its national annual Advisers award, the Gerald Lippman Perpetual Trophy. AXA Financial Advice Network General Manager Andrew Waddell, said the award considers a number of aspects of the Adviser’s contribution to the AXA Financial Advice Network.

“Each year we assess professional and practice development, feedback from colleagues and the contribution made by the individual to their local and wider community, as well as the industry. For these reasons, the award is the highest honour AXA Financial Advice Network can bestow on one of its Advisers,” he said.

Mr Waddell said Paul has continually exceeded all of these criteria.

Paul joined AXA 16 years ago as a paraplanner in one of AXA’s leading businesses in Newcastle, until becoming a salaried planner two years later.

He then branched out into his own business and built a strong referral network with other AXA Advisers. Three years later these Advisers joined forces to create Crest Financial Services and Paul has since become a major shareholder and managing director.

After commencing the new practice, Paul undertook a massive re-engineering program, he implemented a succession planning process and invested in the business to increase resources.

Crest Financial Services is now AXA’s largest practice in the Hunter Region, providing employment for 23 people in the Newcastle office.

While Paul is extremely busy with the practice, he also speaks at a number of peer sessions and industry seminars. He is an active member of the local Financial Planning Association, is an active participant in events and workshops and contributes heavily to a number of charity events including Ronald McDonald House, Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service and Newcastle’s Hunter Orthopaedic School.