Chris Pomaroff plays a key role as a financial adviser at LDB Group, where he guides clients in managing their finances including retirement planning and investment.

While he’s known for eloquently building and maintaining relationships, you might be surprised to learn that he has a keen interest in sport – but not the ones you may expect!

Read on to learn more about Chris.

How did you find your way into financial planning?

I studied a Bachelor of Accounting and Finance at Monash University and worked part-time in a small two-partner accounting firm for a couple of years while I was doing my degree.

After that, I decided to make the switch to financial planning. That involved going back to school to study completing various diplomas, having more recently obtained the Certified Financial Planner® (CFP) designation.

Throughout this time, I worked my way up from a role as a client services manager all the way up to being an adviser and managing a portfolio of 120 clients at my previous firm. I was there for about 12 years.

Like a lot of people during COVID-19, I decided for personal and family reasons to find a new job opportunity closer to home and to seek more work-life balance. I joined LDB Group in May 2021, where I was brought on to take over a book of clients from a previous adviser who was retiring.

What does your role entail, day-to-day?

I like to be very hands-on in my role to provide clients with peace of mind and a high level of service. This often includes calling clients and booking them in for their reviews, meeting clients and talking them through their retirement plans and investments and often implementing a lot of the follow-up work from those meetings. I also onboard new clients, generate referrals and leads for the business, and help to formulate strategies for these clients.

I work with a lot of long-term clients. The clients I took over when I joined LDB Group had been with their former adviser for 20+ years or at least 10+ years, so you get to see them from the start of the process to the end. It’s very much about those long-term relationships.

What do you love about your job?

I enjoy helping people; that’s the best part of the job. In client meetings and chatting to them, you really get to know them. When you work with someone for more than 10 years, for example, seeing them enjoy their retirement and become relaxed with their money is really rewarding.

What are your interests and hobbies?

I used to enjoy playing golf a fair bit before having kids, but a lot of my focus is on family nowadays.

I also enjoy watching sport including Formula 1 and NFL (American football). I became interested in the NFL after watching it many years ago, picked a team and decided to follow them. I’ve taken an interest in it ever since. I did go to America a number of years ago and managed to see a live game over there which was great.

With Formula 1, I was interested in cars when I was younger. I went to the Formula 1 event when it was first hosted in Melbourne, and I’ve been every year since (except recently, thanks to COVID-19). It has become an annual catch-up with mates now.

What was your favourite holiday?

Pre-COVID, we did a lot of travel. For a local trip, we enjoy going to Noosa for a relaxing time away.

We used to go to Thailand quite a bit. It’s always nice to have an international holiday at the beach. We went with some friends initially and have returned a few times over the course of five years. One of my friends from that friendship group ended up getting married in Thailand as well, and we went for the wedding. I think we have been to Thailand about four times all up. So that destination has some great memories attached to it.

What’s your favourite book or film?

I recently saw the latest James Bond film, No Time to Die, which I thought was good. I always try to see those films when they come out.