Unexpectedly finding a passion for financial planning has already changed the life of the winner of the inaugural FPA University Student of the Year Award. Natalie Cross now wants to find a way to help other young people in the pre-wealth building phase change their financial futures.
Cross says she hopes technology will make it cost-effective to target young people and give them the same leg-up that she now has in her own financial future.
“Technology may make it more cost-effective for these kinds of clients who don’t have the money to afford an adviser to help them out,” she says.
Cross (on the right in the picture, with FPA chair Neil Kendall) grew up in a hard-working family which didn’t always make the best financial decisions. The idea of helping them and others make better choices ignited a passion for the industry.
“Financial planning is great for myself personally, as before I didn’t have a concept for my own financial literacy and I started with almost nothing,” Cross says.
“I’ve learnt so much, and a lot of people my age don’t have that until many years later when they’ve built up wealth.”
Cross finished a double major in accounting and financial planning at Griffith University before starting in her current role with independent Brisbane firm Tupicoffs.
This year’s FPA awards were about Shaping Futures. Cross’s own future plans have changed several times over. She studied fashion design before moving into accounting and unexpectedly finding her true passion for financial planning – an industry she’d never heard of before.
“When I was at school I wanted to be a fashion designer, so I studied at TAFE, but I realised that while it was great as a hobby, it wasn’t as a career so I switched to accounting,” she says.
“From there I was lucky to find my passion for financial planning when I did an elective.”
Serious passion
An early award winner with a serious passion for the industry, Cross could easily put herself on the fast track, but wants to take it slowly to develop her career for the long term.
As a planner of the future she wants to be highly skilled and will focus on continuous learning with the CFP in her sights.
She wants to do her time as a paraplanner to properly learn the ropes and develop an in-depth understanding of the industry, allowing time to mature both professionally and personally.
“I think I have a lot more to develop before I sit in front of a client and give advice; there’s an important process of maturing both in professional and personal development.”
As a digital-savvy Gen Y, Natalie is keen to see how technology will shape the industry. She isn’t scared of new development, and believes breakthroughs will make her job easier.
“The industry is always changing and it’s hard to predict where it’s going to go,” she says
“Technology will be more important in the future, as it will make everything easier for advisers and clients to track their progress.
“As long as advisers keep their clients as their first priorities, the client will understand the value of the advice they are getting.”
