Frequently asked Questions about Appointments

The Financial Services Guide sets out very important information including what areas 
Dixon Advisory can and cannot provide advice on; what fees you can expect to pay for 
our services, how our Advisors are remunerated; and what relationships, if any, we have 
with other parties. It also details the dispute resolution process that is available to you if 
you are unhappy with any aspect of our service. By law, it is our obligation to ensure you 
have read and understood the Financial Services Guide.

The Client Declaration on the last page of the Fact Finder is your undertaking that 
the information you provide to us to produce your Statement of Advice, is a true and 
correct representation of your financial situation. It indicates that you acknowledge you 
understand the nature and scope of the advice you will receive from Dixon Advisory and 
that the advice is limited to the information you have supplied and the situation for 
which you wish to receive advice. 

This means the advice we provide can only be based on information provided by 
you and where this information is incomplete, you are aware that you may be entering 
into a financial situation that is not appropriate for your needs. 

By signing the Client Declaration, you are also acknowledging you have read 
and understood the Financial Services Guide.

Before you meet with one of our Advisors, we ask you to complete some forms that will 
help us understand your current financial situation as well as your medium and long 
term financial goals. By completing these forms as comprehensively as possible, 
and providing other appropriate financial information, you will gain the greatest benefit 
from your appointment.

1. Complete the enclosed Dixon Advisory Fact Finder and Personal Details form.

2. Attach any additional information that will assist the Advisor. Depending on 
your situation, this may be include copies of:
          - recent pay slips
          - recent superannuation statements (if you are a member of defined  
            benefit superannuation scheme, it is important that you attach a 
            copy of your latest statement)
          - recent managed investment fund statements
          - listing of current share holdings, and
          - investment property schedules from your tax returns.

3. For Voluntary Redundancy appointments, please supply a voluntary redundancy 
estimate from your HR area and a benefit estimate from ComSuper for CSS and 
PSS members.

4. Complete the Information Release Form - third last part of the Fact Finder.

5. Read the enclosed Financial Services Guide.

6. Read and sign the Client Declaration on the last page of the Fact Finder.

7. Send the above information, at least seven days prior to your appointment, to 
Dixon Advisory by:
    MAIL      Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne appointments:
                  Dixon Advisory
                  GPO Box 1481
                  CANBERRA ACT 2601
    FAX       1300 883 159 for appointments in all locations.
    EMAIL    info@dixon.com.au for appointments in all locations

When we receive your information, we will call you to confirm your appointment and 
provide details about your appointment including time and office location. 

For phone consultations – please call the number provided by our Client Services Team 
five minutes after the time of your appointment. 

Are your Advisors experienced and qualified to give me advice?
Dixon Advisory employs Financial Advisors based on their experience and qualifications 
including their ability to explain complex issues in straight forward terms. All our 
Advisors provide advice in the same style instilled by Daryl Dixon over 20 years ago, to 
“only provide advice we follow ourselves”. 

Daryl Dixon and Alan Dixon develop and oversee the strategies that all our 
highly experienced Advisors provide. Combined with the expertise of our industry 
leading Technical Services department, Dixon Advisory has over 50 years of 
industry experience navigating the interactions between Australia’s complex taxation, 
social security and superannuation systems. With such extensive experience, the 
Dixon Advisory Team can pass on the benefits of that experience to you.


If I proceed with a full meeting with an Advisor and pay the quoted fee, what 
exactly do I get?
Prior to your meeting, the Advisor will review the information you have supplied and 
based on the goals you have identified within that information, come up with the 
most suitable strategies for your situation. 

In the meeting, the Advisor may need to clarify some of your details to ensure they have 
fully understood your situation. They may also need to ask you some questions to help 
them determine how suitable particular strategies may be. The Advisor will explain the 
strategies they are recommending, including why they are recommending them and the 
risks and benefits. You will be provided with a Statement of Advice in the weeks following 
your meeting that sets out this advice in detail.


What if I need more than one appointment to cover my financial situation?
Many people find the complexity of the taxation and superannuation system 
overwhelming and prefer ongoing assistance to help them maximise their financial 
situation. Ongoing assistance may also be required where work and family 
commitments restrict the time you have available to manage your own financial situation. 

Our Financial Advisors generally operate on an annual fee for service arrangement. The 
fee is individually agreed between yourself and the Advisor based on the complexities 
of your individual financial situation. 

Should your situation allow, our Advisors are able to provide personal financial advice 
on a limited basis in a one-off consultation. However complex issues such as aged care 
funding, borrowing inside super and transferring overseas super generally cannot 
be addressed under a one-off consultation. In these cases, we would recommend an 
annual fee for service 
arrangement.


Do I need to complete the whole Fact Finder as I don't feel some of the 
information requested applied to my situation?
The information requested in the Fact finder is required so our Advisors can assess 
the suitability of a range of strategies to help you maximise your personal financial 
situation. In March 2004, the Financial Services Reform Act demanded all 
financial institutions seek detailed personal financial information from clients before 
providing personal financial services and advice.

Providing the information prior to your meeting will allow our Advisors to 
conduct a productive meeting and have more time to explain strategies and 
discuss questions rather than spending time completing forms. 

Completing as much of the Fact Finder as you can will not only help our Advisors to 
gain an overall picture of your situation, it may also help you to identify areas you 
need extra help with. 
Remember: Any strategy or recommendation made by Dixon Advisory will be based 
on the information you have provided. Where this information is incomplete, you 
may be entering into a financial situation that is not appropriate for your needs.


I am already a client of Dixon Advisory and have completed a Fact Finder 
before. Why do I need to provide this information again as my situation has 
not changed much?
Any information you have provided to us in the last seven years will be held in our 
database. 

However, our Advisors can only provide advice based on the information you provide. If 
the information we hold does not fully and accurately represent your current situation 
and the adviceyou require, our ability to provide advice may be limited and we may 
not be able to provide the most suitable advice. 

Legally, we have an obligation to record what details, if any, have changed since your 
last meeting. If your meeting was less than two years ago, you may be able to complete 
the Dixon Advisory Review Fact Finder, which has a slightly reduced number of pages. 

While you may feel your situation hasn’t changed much, the smallest detail (which you 
may consider insignificant) may affect your financial situation. It is to your advantage to 
provide the requested information for your appointment. By detailing your current financial 
situation, the Advisor may find ways you can improve it.


Why must I provide a copy of my most recent superannuation statements?
Details from your most recent superannuation statements will help the Advisor in 
assessing your financial situation and the costs and benefits of your existing super 
fund. For defined benefit super funds such as CSS, PSS, SASS, SSS, ESSS and 
GSO, the statements are especially useful as the Advisors can then ensure 
you are fully maximising the options within these defined benefit funds. 
Sending this information in advance saves you time and money, and enhances 
the quality of the advice you receive.


Does Dixon Advisory require anything else of me?
Any documentation which you consider adds detail or context to 
your financial circumstances or assists your Advisor to be fully informed of your 
situation may be useful. Please provide copies of any supporting documents when 
returning your Fact Finder. 

Depending on your situation, this may include copies of: 
          - recent pay slips 
          - recent superannuation statements (if you are a member of defined 
            benefit superannuation scheme, 
            it is important that you attach a copy of your latest statement)
          - recent managed investment fund statements
          - listing of current share holdings, and
          - investment property schedules from your tax returns. 

It is also our legal obligation to ensure that you have read our Financial Services Guide, 
and you are asked to acknowledge this in the Client Declaration (last page of the 
Fact Finder).


How soon should I send my information to Dixon Advisory?
Our Advisors prefer to be well prepared for their appointments and for this reason; we 
ask that you return your information seven days before your appointment.


Why do I need to sign the Information Release form and what is this authorising 
you to do?
The Information Release form allows your Advisor to obtain information on your existing 
superannuation and/or managed funds. 

We require that you sign the Information Release form prior to your appointment. This 
helps the Advisor consider the appropriateness of the advice they present to 
you in the initial and any subsequent appointments. 

Signing the form enables Advisors to obtain information only about your account and 
investments, such as if any life insurance policies are held within your account. Under 
the information release authority, we are not able to make any changes to the account.


Is it safe to send my information to you via email?
Once your emailed information is received at our server, it is protected by a very secure 
and comprehensive firewall. Your information is also protected by our Privacy Policy to 
which the law demands we adhere. 

However, we can not guarantee the security of your personal information as it leaves your 
email account. You may wish to check your personal internet service provider and email 
account security provisions. 

If you prefer, you can return your Fact Finder and personal information via post or return 
the information
in person. If this is an issue, you may also wish to select the “Do not email” tick box on 
page 1 of the Personal Details form.


Will my information be treated confidentially?
All Dixon Advisory staff understand the sensitivity of your personal and private financial 
information. All staff are required to sign a confidentiality agreement before commencing 
employment with Dixon Advisory. This agreement protects you, even when such staff 
members leave our employ. Further information can be found in our Privacy Policy. A 
copy of this can be provided to you free of charge upon request.


Why are the fees variable, they seem to cover a range of advice?
This reflects the range of variations that occur in individuals’ and families’ 
financial situations. 

Dixon Advisory prides itself on a long-standing tradition of operating under a fee for service 
basis. To maintain this fair and transparent fee system, we need to tailor the fee to the 
complexities of each situation. 

There are no hidden fees or charges. We do not charge entry or exit fees and do not 
accept commissions above $165 per annum from managed fund providers, nor do 
we receive incentives based on the value of funds managed through us.