One of the biggest challenges facing advice firms is growing their businesses while maintaining the personalised service clients expect.
Focus Partners Australia addresses this through a 'boutique at scale' approach, combining tailored advice with the capabilities of a national business, spanning wealth management, accounting, lending and risk advisory. Serving high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, the team is focused on helping advisers spend less time navigating administrative complexity and more time delivering value to clients.
That focus led the firm to rethink how cash management and investment solutions work together, to deliver a more connected experience for advisers and clients as the business grows.
While the brand is relatively new in Australia, the business is made up of a collection of established firms which have been integrated over the last five years. These underlying businesses bring decades of experience, with many client relationships spanning generations.
“Most of those firms already had relationships with Macquarie before they joined Focus, so there is a very long-standing relationship between Macquarie and our business,” says Kristen Bell, President of Focus Partners Australia.
The firm is owned and supported by Focus Partners in the US, which shares this commitment to providing personalised tailored financial advice centred around the best interests of their clients.
Complexity into clarity
The firm's broader mission is to help clients “turn financial complexity into clarity” through integrated advice across wealth, accounting, tax, lending and risk.
Its long-standing relationship with Macquarie supports that goal, providing advisers greater visibility across clients’ cash flow, investments and day-to-day banking, making it easier to deliver the coordinated experience clients increasingly expect.
“One of the best things for a really great financial plan is good cash flow management,” says Private Wealth Adviser Christie Britten.
“Macquarie’s Cash Management Account (CMA) and Accelerator help us deliver high-touch boutique-style financial planning advice, giving clients peace of mind that their cash flows are being looked after.”
Whether a client is managing retirement income, selling a business, settling an investment property purchase or supporting adult children into their first home, ensuring they have control over their cash is critical.
“The benefit for our clients is they can have their investment portfolio, superannuation, cash management accounts and lending all consolidated within the one Macquarie banking app,” says Christie.
“It’s really wonderful for a client to be able to see everything in one spot.”
Christie says integrated visibility across investments and cash accounts also allows advisers to better understand a client's financial position and tailor strategies for short, medium and long-term goals.
“We can ensure their day-to-day needs, savings goals and any surplus cash flow are all managed seamlessly, without the client having to think about it.”
One of the best things for a really great financial plan is good cash flow management, Macquarie’s Cash Management Account (CMA) and Accelerator help us deliver high-touch boutique-style financial planning advice, giving clients peace of mind that their cash flows are being looked after.
Christie Britten
Private Wealth Adviser, Focus Partners Australia
Advice beyond the portfolio
Focus Partners Australia supports a diverse client base, including medical, consulting and legal professionals, business owners, retirees and multi-generational families with a common goal of delivering highly personalised advice backed by trusted, efficient systems.
Head of Wealth Advisory David Lane points out that Macquarie's integrated cash solutions help advisers maintain a customised, considered approach while supporting increasingly complex client needs.
“We effectively provide a family office service for many of our clients and run a lot of their day-to-day cash flow through the CMA and use the Cash Accelerator to maintain liquidity but at a higher interest rate.”
David has seen firsthand how critical that capability can be for ultra-high-net-worth clients, coordinating significant transactions and managing complex cash flows.
When technology gets out of the way
For Christie, one of the strongest benefits of Macquarie's integrated cash hub experience is the way it supports both advisers and clients without creating unnecessary friction.
Clients can view investments, banking and lending relationships within a single digital environment, while advisers benefit from integrated visibility that supports better conversations and faster decisions.
“You can just see the weight lifted off clients when you say, ‘We can absolutely help you with the settlement of your property’,” she says.
“When you’re moving around really large amounts of cash, making sure that money is protected can be a source of concern for clients. We can take that pressure off them.”
David agrees that security innovations have played an important role in supporting client peace of mind.
“The Authenticator app really makes a difference,” says David. “It gives us the confidence that there is an extra layer of security around our clients’ cash and banking.”
The ease and simplicity that Macquarie offers makes it a pleasure to deal with.
Kristen Bell
President, Focus Partners Australia
Built on relationships
While technology can help simplify administration, increase security and improve visibility, the team believes people remain at the centre of great advice.
“I don't think I've ever worked with a group of people who are so client-focused and who genuinely care like this team does,” says Kristen. “Together we are building a business that is growing from strength to strength.”
That people-first approach also underpins the team’s partnership with Macquarie. Beyond the technology itself, the ability to engage with Macquarie’s Business Development Managers to help solve client challenges is an important part of the relationship.
“The ease and simplicity that Macquarie offers makes it a pleasure to deal with,” says Kristen.
By combining personalised advice with integrated technology and trusted partnerships, Focus Partners Australia is demonstrating how firms can scale without losing the human connection.
Kristen sums it up this way: “If we put our clients and our people at the centre of everything we do, the rest takes care of itself.”