Fast Summary:

Many Australians receive expert advice from brokers, planners, and accountants in isolation, leading to “fragmented” strategies that may hinder long-term wealth. This case study of Greta and Jason explores how a holistic, coordinated approach allowed a couple in their early 40s to transition from being “investment heavy” to 100% debt and mortgage-free, protecting their family home and unlocking future cashflow.

When it comes to holistic financial advice, there’s a dangerous gap between your broker, your planner and your accountant.

You may remember a few months ago when we shared Greta & Jason’s story, becoming mortgage and debt free in their early 40’s.

Today, we’re putting a different perspective on their story – from our lens – with a core focus on the fragmented financial advice model in our country, where finance and mortgage brokers broke, accountants account, and financial planners plan, but nobody is talking to each other. They all (mostly) stay in their own lane. We have a disconnected advice model in our country – by design – which means this approach could be hurting you because nobody is connecting the dots between advisors.

And when nobody’s connecting those dots? That’s when smart people with good advisors end up with backwards strategies that could cost them years – or decades.

Greta and Jason’s journey is the perfect example of how these gaps play out in real life…

When Greta and Jason came to us in March 2025, they thought they had it all figured out. They were early forties, building their property empire. They already had one investment property humming along nicely – positively geared, capital growth ticking away, and a fixed rate in the low 3’s on their owner-occupied loan. They had their finance broker, their financial planner, their accountant. All the right professionals. All the right boxes ticked.

They weren’t looking for someone to tell them what to do. They were looking for someone to help them do MORE of what they were already doing. More properties. More leverage. More wealth building. When I asked them a simple question – “How would you like to be mortgage free?” – they looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

“No,” Greta said firmly. “We don’t want to be mortgage free. We want investment properties. We want to GROW our wealth. We already have one investment. We want to keep going.”

Fair enough. That’s what everyone tells them to do, right? Use your equity. Leverage your position. Build your portfolio. It’s the Australian property investment playbook, chapter one. But sometimes the most important questions are the ones nobody thinks to ask.

What would happen in February 2026 when that beautiful fixed rate in the 3’s expired and their cashflow got absolutely crushed? Why did they have MORE debt on their owner-occupied home (which gave them zero tax benefit) and LESS debt on their investment property (which did)? When you stepped back from the individual pieces, did their strategy actually make sense as a whole?

The broker was focused on securing the best loan for the next property (as they should be). The planner was managing their super and investments (as they should be). The accountant was handling the tax return and compliance (as they should be).

Each professional was doing their job well within their area of expertise. But when everyone is working in their own lane, it’s easy for the big picture to get lost…

Here’s what makes these situations so tricky: the gaps aren’t visible when you’re sitting in any single advisor’s office. The broker sees competitive loan rates. The accountant sees compliant tax structures. The planner sees growing super balances. Each piece looks fine in isolation. It’s only when you step back and look at how those pieces fit together that you can spot the misalignment.

It took months to break through.

“Let’s just look at what selling could look like…”

“I’m not saying you should sell, but let’s run the numbers to gain clarity on what’s possible for you…”

“What if we mapped out both scenarios in detail?”

By June 2025, we sat down and did the deep work. We looked at their entire financial picture – not just the property, not just the cashflow, not just the tax position. Everything.

And here’s what we found. From a cashflow perspective, the owner-occupied loan was bleeding them dry every month with no tax benefit. From a lending perspective, they had their debt structure completely backwards for future growth. From an investment perspective, that fixed rate about to expire was going to choke them, and their capacity to borrow for the next property was going to evaporate. They were doing what everyone told them to do. And it was completely wrong for their situation!

We brought everyone together. Their finance broker. Their accountant. Their financial planner. Us. And we asked a different kind of question: “What’s the STRATEGY here?” Not what’s the next transaction. Not what loan, tax minimisation structure or investment product fits the moment. But what was the actual strategy for Greta and Jason’s life?

Option 1: Keep the investment property. Watch the fixed rate expire on home loan. Feel the cashflow squeeze. Try to borrow for the next property from a weakened position. Stay in debt for another 20+ years?

Or…

Option 2: Sell the investment property. Take the capital gains tax hit. Clear the owner-occupied loan completely. Become 100% debt and mortgage free in their early 40’s. Then rebuild their portfolio from a position of absolute strength with their family home completely protected?

With clarity, Greta and Jason chose Option 2.

We brought in an expert property sales agent and mapped out the entire sale strategy. The investment property sold, and they used the proceeds to clear their owner-occupied loan completely.

Today, Greta and Jason are 100% debt free and mortgage free in their early 40’s. Their family home is protected, their cashflow is unlocked and future investments can happen without dipping into any home equity. They have complete control and the clarity to make decisions about what comes next – whether that’s property, shares, super contributions, or just enjoying life without the weight of debt.

It’s important to note that their mortgage broker didn’t suggest selling because brokers secure loans. Their financial planner didn’t suggest selling because planners build wealth through super and investments. Their accountant didn’t suggest selling because accountants handle tax and compliance. These professionals each performed their roles expertly and professionally within their specific domains. And none of them did anything wrong.

Here’s what we’ve learned working with hundreds of families: Australia’s financial advice model is fragmented. Professionals operate brilliantly within their own lanes, but the system doesn’t naturally encourage coordination across all the lanes to ensure the overall strategy serves your life goals. Sadly, these gaps exist by design. And if you’re not actively looking for them, they’re remarkably easy to miss.

Greta and Jason’s story shows what becomes possible when you move beyond the standard transactional approach to financial advice and start looking for something more connected, holistic, and strategic. An approach that brings together all the pieces your individual advisors care about into a strategy that actually serves your life and ultimately works for you.

What does this mean for you? Well, next time you’re seeking financial advice, it’s worth asking:

• Is anyone looking at my complete financial picture?
• Are my professionals talking to each other – or working in isolation?
• Is anyone checking whether this all fits together in a way that makes sense for my life?

If you’re not sure, you might be getting excellent individual services without an overall strategy. You might be getting transactions without transformation.

You deserve someone who can coordinate the whole picture. Someone who asks the questions that span across disciplines. Someone who looks at your life goals – not just your next loan approval or tax return.

Greta and Jason didn’t know what was possible until someone showed them the complete picture. I wonder what might be possible for you?

Greta said it best:

“We commenced with YBM earlier this year after being frustrated living week to week despite two incomes, feeling lost with having a workable budget & no financial goals or savings. Trusting strangers with our finances was scary, not doing anything seemed worse so we took the plunge after a recommendation.”

“What we have achieved since, with your guidance & honest advice has not only set in stone better spending habits (good bye afterpay), relieved the end of week ‘no money strain’ while seeing savings actually happen. Your forward thinking advice, planning & financial mapping has got us to be 100% debt and mortgage free and has set our family onto a financial trajectory we did not ever actually consider possible. Our children will feel the benefits of this for generations to come.”

“Thank you Andrew and Alyssa, working with you has drastically changed our financial future for the better. You are trustworthy honest people who genuinely care about your clients. We are so excited for what working with you in 2026 will bring, and beyond!”

Solving Australia’s Fractured Financial Advice Model:
The Greta & Jason Case Study

The Problem: The Fragmented Advice Gap

The Australian financial services industry often operates in “silos,” which can result in misaligned strategies:

• The Mortgage Broker: Focuses on securing competitive loans and leveraging equity.
• The Accountant: Focuses on tax compliance and minimisation.
• The Financial Planner: Focuses on superannuation and investment products.
• The Result: Without a central coordinator, individual pieces look correct, but the “big picture” strategy may be backwards for the client’s actual life goals.

Case Study: Greta & Jason’s Financial Realignment

When Greta and Jason engaged Your Budget Mates in March 2025, they had “ticked all the boxes” but faced an imminent cashflow crisis.

Initial Position:

• Structure: Owned one investment property and had a high-debt, owner-occupied home loan on a low 3% fixed rate.
• The Risk: The fixed rate was due to expire in February 2026, which would have crushed their monthly cashflow.
• The Misalignment: They had high non-tax-deductible debt (home) and lower tax-deductible debt (investment)—the reverse of an optimal wealth-building structure.

The Strategic Pivot:
By running detailed financial mapping, Your Budget Mates identified that “standard” investment advice was hurting them. The team coordinated with their broker, accountant, and planner to evaluate a radical alternative.

• Choice A: Stay the course, face interest rate hikes, and struggle to borrow further from a weakened cashflow position.
• Choice B: Sell the investment property, clear the family home mortgage entirely, and rebuild a portfolio from a position of 100% debt-free strength.

The Outcome: 100% Debt-Free in Their 40s

By choosing the coordinated strategy, Greta and Jason achieved:

• Mortgage Freedom: Paid off their owner-occupied home in full.
• Cashflow Protection: Eliminated the “interest rate cliff” risk.
• Generational Impact: Secured their family home, allowing future investments to occur without risking their primary residence.

Client Review: Greta’s Perspective

“Your forward-thinking advice, planning, and financial mapping has got us to be 100% debt and mortgage-free and has set our family onto a financial trajectory we did not ever actually consider possible. Our children will feel the benefits of this for generations to come.”

Expert Guidance by: Andrew Mates, Strategic Money Coach at Your Budget Mates. Andrew specialises in connecting the dots between financial professionals to ensure a unified strategy for Australian families.