Enabling financial success

Dianne Barlow
Dianne Barlow

Since establishing its first office in Auckland’s CBD in 2007, enableMe has helped more than 3000 clients achieve their financial goals and stay on track through the simple but powerful approach pioneered by founding director, Hannah McQueen.

Becoming mortgage-free is a flagship principle for enableMe and was indeed its genesis – though the service offered now covers financial support through all stages of life.

It all started when Hannah, as a successful young chartered accountant with a master’s degree in taxation, took on her first mortgage. Troubled by the prospect of it gobbling up a significant chunk of her and her husband’s financial future, she sought a way to repay it as quickly as possible, at the lowest possible cost, while still having flexibility to live the life they wanted.

After considerable research, Hannah worked with Dr. Jamie Sneddon in the Mathematics Department at the University of Auckland and developed a formula (now patented) which structures debt in a way that it is repaid as quickly as possible, at the lowest cost and with maximum flexibility.

Every client’s structure is unique as it is based on the specific cash surplus each client has – and that is the first piece of the puzzle: identifying and creating a cash surplus by reconstructing a detailed spending plan.

By partnering with an expert that can apply financial ‘smarts’ to any situation, financial goals can be reached with little or no change to our lifestyles.

EnableMe clients are teamed with their own financial consultant who examines their current financial situation, identifies areas where money is ‘leaking’ or being frittered and formulates a plan to create the all-important cash surplus.

The relationship between client and consultant is a lot like the one you have with a personal trainer at a gym – hence their moniker ‘financial personal trainers’.

When clients first engage with enableMe, their consultant will help identify which category they are currently in (‘sinking’, ‘floating’ or ‘flying’); which financial life stage they are moving through (‘starting out’, ‘building up’ or ‘sitting back’); and what their plans and goals are for the next two, five and 10 years.

A detailed plan is then prepared in consultation with the clients and the consultant works alongside them, just like a personal trainer, to keep their clients accountable and motivated every step of the way.

Bank accounts are re-organised and mortgages optimised and restructured by enableMe’s own in-house mortgage team. Plans are prepared to help clients change their money behaviour on a day-to-day basis and easy to follow to-do lists and instructions are provided to remove any hurdles that could get in the way of clients achieving financial success.

Face to face check-ins every three months for the first year help clients ensure they are sticking to their plan and allow consultants to closely monitor their clients’ progress.

The consultant is also available on phone and email to offer support and guidance every step of the way. And, because life can throw curveballs at any time and circumstances can quickly change, the plans often evolve and are updated as time goes on.

Whatever the starting point or financial goals, enableMe can help do things smarter to ensure you get ahead faster.

They will diagnose current situations and behaviour around money; they will also provide honest, independent and impartial advice.

Dianne Barlow is the Auckland South manager and owner; she is a qualified chartered accountant and registered financial adviser.

Dianne and her husband have been clients of enableMe and, having seen the results, she is very excited to be part of the company’s expansion into Manukau.

Her experience covers a vast range of business enterprises and while she has always enjoyed helping her clients with the challenges associated with successfully running a business, she is now looking forward to changing tack and helping individuals achieve their financial goals to get ahead faster.

To further assist businesses, founder of enableMe, Hannah McQueen, penned The Perfect Balance, and Business to Business has copies of this thought-provoking book up for grabs. Click on the competitions tab to be in to win; entries close February 20, 2015.