Meet The Team: Scott Bridger

In the latest instalment of our Meet the Team series, we sat down with our newly appointed Account Manager in Sales, Scott Bridger, to find out his interests, pet peeves and top trends to look out for.

 

I’m a pretty normal guy to be honest (at least I think I am), I travel when I can, I run a lot I play and watch football and cricket, I attempt to surf and play drums and I’m learning to speak Mandarin. I’m from Queensland originally – I moved down to Melbourne 3 years ago. I and try to get out as much as I can to experience the bars and cafe culture everyone in Melbourne’s always talking about, and I spend most of my spare time with friends either at Edinburgh Gardens, the Fitzroy Pool or the Lord Newry (my local).

 

I’d say the top trend in the accounting and financial planning industry is the movement away from the preparation of tax returns/accounts and reporting investment returns to providing more holistic strategic advice (such as how to improve tax flow, reduce tax and generally run a business better) as well as what asset allocation is appropriate to a person or families risk profile. For financial planners, a move completely away from product based revenue to fees (not necessarily time based but value added) and from selling investments/insurance to strategic advice seems to be trending.

In my opinion, the most overrated trend is the thought that increased regulation will result in a better service to clients. Obviously in certain cases additional oversight is required, however it’s important to bear in mind this won’t necessarily improve outcomes for clients.

I have an extensive list of allergies ranging from severe to not so severe so I go through life trying not to make enemies, I would be pretty easy to kill.

  • Biggest pet peeve? Slow walkers and bad drivers, Melbourne has plenty of both.
  • Favourite sport? Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast. Great waves, good weather, and footwear is not required.
  • Favourite food?  Philly cheesesteaks!

I’m excited to see how the skills I’ve attained and developed over the years translate to dealing with partners in the financial planning and accounting industries, and possibly bring a different point of view due to my experience of having worked in different industries.