Count has announced that Sydney-based advice practice Small & Gunn Pty Ltd (Small & Gunn) has joined the group as its newest Member firm.

The appointment continues the CountPlus-owned licensee’s targeted growth strategy. Since January this year, Count has added 50 new advisers to its national network.

Speaking about their reasons for joining Count, Small & Gunn Director John Small said the decision was made easier once they discovered that’s Count’s business model had similar values to their own.

“When we met with Count’s leadership team, they clearly explained the vision and purpose of the business – particularly with regards to running a transparent model which is free of institutional conflicts. The advice and professional standards model focuses on strategic advice that is in the best interest of the client. This resonated with our own values as a business, because we’ve always believed in delivering exceptional client outcomes rather than selling products.”

“It was also very clear that there’s an incredibly experienced head office team that properly understands high quality financial advice and how to effectively navigate the challenges of changing regulation and market volatility. Count has invested heavily in resources and technology that make the financial advice delivery process efficient and effective. Their compliance and professional standards team adopts a more pragmatic approach than some other licensees out there,” Small added.

Small also highlighted the expedited and seamless onboarding process which ensured his business was able to complete the end to end journey to join Count Financial in just six weeks.

“Changing licensees is a very stressful process for a small financial planning practice. There are so many things to think about and it can be so disruptive to the business, particularly with the added challenge of COVID-19. Our Business Manager, Thomas Small, worked tirelessly to ensure we could continue to operate effectively during the period of transition. Thomas found the Count team’s extensive knowledge of important licensee-related matters and empathetic attitude outstanding and a refreshing change from that which is typical in the industry. While there were challenges, the Count team took much of the stress out of the move for us.”

Small & Gunn have been an institution on Sydney’s lower north shore, providing financial services to the community for over 20 years via founders John Small and Cassandra Gunn. They have successfully developed a loyal and engaged client base due to their enduring ‘client-first’ approach. In joining Count, they were looking to partner with a licensee that is looking forward in a positive and strategic way to enhance the financial advice process.

Andrew Kennedy, Chief Advice Officer at Count said the appointment of Small & Gunn was a boost for the licensee which continues to target quality advice firms to join its network.

“John, Thomas, Cassandra and Jade have a very strong reputation and we’re delighted that they have come on board with Count. We look forward to having a successful long-term partnership with them and helping them to continue delivering quality advice at a time when Australians need it more than ever.”