Produced By: Ensombl
In the world of professional services, few models embody synergy, client-centricity, and intergenerational legacy as effectively as a multi-discipline financial practice. When family ties, ethical principles, and client outcomes converge, the result can be a firm that stands the test of time while continually evolving to meet emerging challenges. This article profiles the journey of one such practice—helmed by Managing Director Jake Reus—shedding light on how it blends accounting, financial planning, mortgage broking, and business advisory services. Over thirty years, the practice has grown from a one-person operation to a substantial entity, reflecting its guiding values of professionalism, community-mindedness, and unwavering dedication to serving clients’ best interests.
Foundations in Family and Community
The story begins in 1993, when Bob Reus—Jake’s father—opened the doors to a fledgling accounting and tax firm in Sydney’s southern region, known as “the Shire.” Having worked in merchant banking prior to founding his own practice, Bob understood the nuances of finance from multiple angles. His emphasis on client trust, transparency, and robust advice soon attracted a loyal base of small-business owners, tradespeople, and families.
In those early days, Bob often saw that many clients required more than just transactional accounting or routine tax returns: they also needed guidance on personal wealth, superannuation, and sometimes debt structures. Recognizing this gap, Bob joined a financial planning licensee early on, ensuring he could offer financial advice in addition to standard tax services. Over time, he added mortgage broking so clients could benefit from tailored loan arrangements. The ultimate goal was—and remains—comprehensive advice delivered in one place, freeing clients to focus on their lives and businesses instead of juggling multiple providers.
Born and raised in the Shire, Jake grew up watching his father balance the demands of a burgeoning business. Although accounting had initially been suggested to him, Jake found the rote style of early TAFE courses uninspiring. Yet he discovered a spark when he joined the practice in an administrative role, helping with essential tasks like documentation and data entry. Through this hands-on exposure, he came to appreciate the art and science of finance. Soon, he embarked on formal studies, starting with a diploma and eventually completing a master’s degree in financial planning.
The Evolution Into Multi-Discipline
From the mid-1990s onward, the firm’s portfolio of services grew. Mortgage broking was integrated to complement the accounting and tax side, and the financial planning arm steadily matured. By 2016, the business had expanded sufficiently to warrant a larger office—a stylish, open-plan space that blends industrial chic with collaborative functionality. The interior design, while modern, is anchored by a sense of warmth and camaraderie, reflecting the firm’s close-knit culture.
Today, the practice offers four core areas of service: accounting and tax, business advisory, financial planning, and mortgage broking. To uphold high ethical standards across these disciplines, the firm constantly updates its processes in light of changing legislation, industry regulations, and licensing requirements. Rather than viewing compliance as a burden, Jake and his team see it as an opportunity to refine procedures and safeguard client interests. By ensuring that the moral obligation to act in the client’s best interest informs every piece of advice, the practice adheres to both legal and personal standards of integrity.
Leadership and Succession
For many family enterprises, succession can be fraught with emotional complexities. In this case, however, the transition from father to son was relatively organic. Bob’s intention had always been to reduce his workload gradually, dropping one day of work each year as he approached semi-retirement. Unfortunately, health challenges interfered with his original plan. Diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Bob was forced to retire temporarily. Thanks to advanced treatments—and the generosity of an international bone marrow donor—he recovered and eventually returned on a part-time basis. By then, many of his client relationships had been reallocated to other advisors, and Bob shifted into a mentoring and strategic role, offering decades of wisdom without the pressures of day-to-day client service.
Jake officially stepped into the Managing Director role, where he focuses not only on operational efficiency but also on cultivating a strong culture and ethical framework. He routinely consults with Bob to glean insights from the latter’s broad background in merchant banking, financial planning, and accounting. This mentorship underscores the importance of experience-sharing between generations, ensuring continuity of vision while also embracing fresh perspectives.
The Team: Structure and Ethos
A multi-discipline practice relies on a cohesive team, where each professional’s expertise dovetails with another’s. Currently, the firm is organized into pods or silos, each led by an Authorized Representative (financial planner). Supporting each lead advisor is an associate advisor or paraplanner, along with administrative support. One advisor also holds accreditation in mortgage broking.
On the accounting side, the company has Certified Practising Accountants (CPAs) who focus on tax compliance, small-business consulting, and strategic advisory. Although the volume of compliance and transactional work has decreased in recent years—due in part to technological advances and the automation of basic functions—this shift has enabled the accountants to concentrate on higher-level advisory services. From a holistic perspective, business clients, retirees, and emerging entrepreneurs all benefit from having consistent professionals that understand both their operational and personal wealth contexts.
The firm’s Practice Manager, Lisa, embodies this emphasis on diligence, professionalism, and people skills. Originally from a travel industry background, she now orchestrates day-to-day operations, ensuring smooth workflows, coordinating staff scheduling, and maintaining a positive atmosphere. Lisa’s role is pivotal for adherence to internal compliance benchmarks. She is often the first to flag areas where additional training may be needed or where procedural adjustments can further enhance client service.
Balancing Autonomy and Accountability
One of the most distinguishing features of this firm’s culture is its approach to autonomy. Team members are encouraged to determine how and when they work, particularly if they are juggling personal responsibilities or seeking a certain work-life balance. The firm offers flexible hours and a hybrid model of remote work. However, to sustain team cohesion, Tuesday is set as a mandatory in-office day for all full-time staff. On that day, internal meetings, collaborative sessions, and client visits overlap, creating an energetic atmosphere that fosters direct communication.
Such flexibility does not come at the expense of accountability. Each team has regular “huddles” or short weekly meetings to discuss client cases, deadlines, and any outstanding tasks. Advisors track both immediate deliverables—such as lodging documents or finalizing statements of advice—and longer-term objectives, like strategic planning and portfolio reviews. The firm endeavors to respond to all client inquiries within a set timeframe. Even if a question cannot be answered immediately, clients receive acknowledgment and an approximate resolution date. This transparent communication is a cornerstone of ethical practice, building trust and reinforcing the idea that client well-being is paramount.
Fostering the Next Generation of Advisors
Despite the firm’s strong internal culture, the broader industry’s talent shortage remains a challenge. With fewer new entrants pursuing financial planning degrees—partly due to stringent licensing requirements and the Professional Year (PY) framework—smaller practices bear a disproportionate share of the training burden. The PY structure, while designed to assure quality, often requires significant resources from practices that may not have the capacity of larger institutions.
Nevertheless, Jake’s firm continues to invest in mentoring new advisers. A compelling example is his own children: his son, Harrison, supports the firm remotely as he travels, offering administrative and data-entry services that free up time for client-facing staff. Jake’s daughter, meanwhile, is exploring marketing and design responsibilities while undertaking basic financial administration. These roles are not imposed but offered to foster real-world experience, enabling the next generation to develop critical skills and discover whether they possess genuine passion for the work.
To mitigate some of the resourcing and compliance pressures, the firm outsources certain administrative and paraplanning tasks. Certified professionals in Ho Chi Minh City and India assist with data entry, bookkeeping, and basic statement preparation, alleviating the seasonal peak pressures, especially during the end of financial year or tax lodgment deadlines. By maintaining rigorous oversight and consistent communication, the practice integrates these offshore efforts without compromising quality or confidentiality.
Client-Centric Service and Intergenerational Planning
The comprehensive approach is especially beneficial for clients seeking a continuum of services as they navigate life stages, inheritance, or business expansion. By offering accounting, financial planning, and mortgage broking under the one roof, the firm helps families move seamlessly from wealth accumulation to retirement income strategies, often transitioning assets to the next generation. The advisors also prioritize educating clients on both monetary and non-monetary benefits—such as financial confidence, tax efficiency, or peace of mind—thereby demonstrating tangible value for fees paid.
A key example of intergenerational service involves children of existing clients. The firm recognizes that younger families or those new to the workforce might hesitate to pay the same fees as their parents. Rather than exclude them, the business offers a subsidized rate for these “next generation” clients, allowing them to set up strong financial habits early on. This forward-thinking approach not only nurtures loyalty but also aligns with ethical principles, ensuring accessible advice to those who might otherwise miss out.
Profit-Sharing and Team Motivation
Another innovative structure is the firm’s profit-sharing arrangement, which replaced a more informal system of holiday bonuses. Developed over ten months of careful planning, the new model links individual and team performance to shared financial outcomes. If the financial planning or accounting division meets certain profitability thresholds, a designated percentage of those profits is allocated to the staff in that division. Crucially, distribution within each division is weighted by hours worked rather than purely by salary or title, fostering a sense that everyone’s contribution—whether administrative or senior-level—matters.
This arrangement underscores a fair and transparent culture. It provides a powerful incentive for team members to refer clients to other parts of the business, ensuring that no silo grows at the expense of another. It also ensures staff members remain ethically aligned with client needs, rather than focusing solely on individual metrics. After all, recommending an in-house mortgage solution or a strategic tax revision is mutually beneficial if it legitimately supports the client’s goals.
Continuous Improvement Through Coaching and Process Design
To scale effectively while preserving quality, the firm brought in a business coach in 2015. Supported by a partial subsidy from the licensee then in place, the coaching process zeroed in on procedural efficiencies, client engagement, and how best to illustrate value in each client interaction. Over three years, the coaching reinforced that building robust internal processes is not simply an operational priority but an ethical one. When staff understand “why” they are doing each step—rather than simply “how”—they can better tailor advice and remain transparent with clients, particularly when explaining fees or potential trade-offs in strategy.
These systematic improvements also help the firm manage compliance obligations effectively. Each advisor understands the importance of maintaining detailed documentation, conforming to annual opt-in requirements, and consistently meeting best-interest duties. Regular internal audits ensure alignment with current regulations, and any emerging issues are addressed in team meetings. By integrating accountability into day-to-day routines, the firm avoids the pitfall of last-minute scrambles to rectify lapses.
Philanthropy and Community Engagement
Ethical practice often extends beyond the boundaries of the office. The team’s longstanding commitment to a cancer research charity exemplifies how professional activities can dovetail with broader social responsibilities. Inspired by the personal experiences of Bob, who underwent an innovative bone marrow transplant, the firm channels much of its philanthropic energy toward Cure Cancer, an organization funding early-career researchers targeting various forms of the disease. Over the years, staff have organized charity barbecues and participated in sporting events to raise funds.
Sports also serve as a pillar for fostering community spirit. Jake, who once coached basketball for the local Sharks youth team, continues to share his passion beyond work. While basketball and community coaching may not directly relate to tax returns or portfolio rebalancing, they reflect the firm’s ethos: family, teamwork, resilience, and giving back to the people around you.
Vision for the Future: Regulatory Shifts and Increased Access
Looking ahead, Jake is hopeful that the legislative environment will evolve to allow more individuals to enter the financial planning profession. The current shortage of advisors, coupled with the increasing demand arising from major wealth transfers, has driven up fees and placed immense strain on smaller practices. Many in the industry hope to see a more streamlined pathway that recognizes related degrees or professional experience, thus making it simpler for talented individuals to qualify.
In the meantime, the firm is preparing for a model that might include fewer total advisors but more support staff. These advisors will each manage larger client portfolios, assisted by paraplanners, mortgage brokers, and accountants who coordinate on specific tasks. The result, ideally, will be an affordable, high-quality service that leverages technology to expedite routine processes without sacrificing the personal touch.
Core Values: Professionalism and Ethics in Action
From day one, professionalism and ethics have been integral to Bob and Jake’s practice. Operating within multiple regulatory frameworks—spanning accounting, financial planning, and mortgage broking—requires a deep commitment to transparency, continuing education, and consistent compliance. Yet the heart of the practice’s ethical framework remains its people-first philosophy. The staff strive to understand each client’s aspirations, aligning their advice with those personal goals rather than pushing products. This fosters long-term relationships across generations, creating enduring trust.
Professionalism also manifests in a refusal to compromise on quality. Although the firm fully embraces modern solutions, it invests the time to examine which tools truly benefit the client. Whether choosing a tax software that integrates more seamlessly with financial planning or refining the research process to evaluate a new investment product, decisions flow from a client-focused perspective. This aligns with the fundamental code of ethics that underscores transparency, accountability, and integrity.
Maintaining a Positive Culture
Finally, the culture of the practice is neither accidental nor incidental. It is cultivated through structured support, continuous feedback, and open dialogue. The firm’s quarterly catch-ups with each employee create a safe space to discuss challenges, professional growth, and overall job satisfaction. Many staff members have stayed for over a decade, even two decades, reflecting an environment where people feel heard and valued.
Occasional social outings—like visits to a local brewery or team-building exercises in “escape rooms”—are more than just casual get-togethers; they reinforce camaraderie, essential for any team that must collaborate deeply across different financial disciplines. This sense of connectedness also helps employees handle the inevitable pressures of meeting deadlines and adapting to new regulations.
Conclusion
By integrating accounting, financial planning, mortgage broking, and business advisory services under one banner, this family-founded firm demonstrates what it means to embody professional ethics in daily operations. Led by Managing Director Jake Reus, the team has cultivated an atmosphere of trust, respect, and personal growth. Clients benefit not only from streamlined service but also from a group of experts whose collaborations are anchored in sincerity and transparency.
The model’s strengths are manifold: succession is handled in a way that preserves institutional wisdom while fostering new talent; clients can lean on a well-rounded range of services; and a culture of autonomy and accountability ensures employee satisfaction. Despite challenges—such as recruiting the next generation of advisors or navigating complex technology integrations—the practice remains steadfast in its commitment to client welfare. In a rapidly evolving financial services industry, this multi-discipline approach stands as a compelling, ethically grounded example of how to serve the public with both professionalism and heart.
Accreditation Points Allocation:
0.10 Technical Competence
0.10 Client Care and Practice
0.10 Professionalism and Ethics
0.30 Total CPD Points