SMSF Specialist Advisor™
CFP®
BSc (Mathematics)
The personal bit
Darren has an active interest in many sports and with two young boys, you won’t see him sitting idle. Between refereeing local football matches, teaching his boys to surf or lining up a birdie putt on the golf course, when he isn’t working, Darren is ‘on the go’. When the sun does go down he also has keen interest in cooking desserts (though doesn’t publicly admit this).
The work bit
Darren is the founder of Align Financial, a privately owned financial planning business based on the Northern Beaches, and is one of Australia’s only Financial Life Planners. Having spent more than 30,000 hours in the financial planning profession, Darren’s advice combines left-brain logic with right-brain understanding. He applies his expertise to each client, allowing them to spend their time doing the things that are important to them.
In 2016, Darren won the AFA (Association of Financial Advisers) Adviser of the Year, and joined the Most Trusted Advisers Group. The prestigious Adviser of the Year award recognises excellence in financial advice for advisers who sit at the very pinnacle of their profession. It entails a multi-stage screening process across a period of several months amongst the most elite. The award is to given every year to extraordinary and visionary advisers and practices where the AFA recognises qualities of leadership, innovation, customer-centricity and commitment to professional excellence.
AdviserRatings is a Google verified online ratings platform for financial advisers which helps consumers decide which financial adviser is right for them. The website allows consumers to find an adviser suitable for their needs based on their experience and areas of expertise, as well as allowing consumers to rate advisers. The aim is to make financial advice more affordable, more accessible and more accountable by fostering integrity, transparency and trust.
Darren has been awarded a Platinum Adviser, which is the highest rating tier on AdviserRatings. There are four rating tiers for every adviser on AdviserRatings: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum being the highest award. These tiers incorporate information from not only the consumer’s rating, but also from industry bodies and ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission). A financial adviser must score between 90-100% to receive the Platinum Adviser award.