20 SMSF-suitable retirement planning appointments in 60 days. Funnel already built below.

Length: ~2:00

Thanks for booking, and welcome. If you're here, you're weighing up whether a self-managed super fund belongs in your retirement, and you'd like a straight read on it without the usual sales pitch. That's exactly what this is for, and a quick word on what happens next will make the day itself run smoother.

The session itself is a conversation, and one of our advisers will sit down with you, look at where your super's at, what you're trying to build, and how hands-on you actually want to be, then give you a genuine read on whether a self-managed fund gets you to a better retirement or just a more complicated one. If it fits, we'll talk about the strategy we'd build around it. If it doesn't, you'll hear that too, plainly. Either way you come away knowing where you stand.

Over the next few days we'll also send you a couple of short emails. They just cover the questions people tend to have before the call, so none of it reads as a hard sell, and it means we can spend the session on your situation rather than the basics.

Speaking of which, there are a few short clips below this one. Each answers a question we get asked a lot, whether an SMSF is worth the effort, what it really costs, whether we're only here to sell you a fund. Have a watch of the ones that speak to you before we talk. The more you've seen, the deeper we can go on the day, because we won't be starting from scratch.

That's it for now. We're on a phone or video call, whichever suits you, and there's no cost and no obligation for that first conversation. Have a look through the clips, and we'll talk soon.

Category: Price & Cost Objections
Length: ~2:15

Let me put the straight answer on the table first. For a lot of people, yes, a self-managed fund would cost more than it's worth, and that's the read we give them.

A self-managed fund carries its own running costs. There's the admin to keep up, an audit each year, and the compliance work sitting behind all of it, and those costs don't shrink just because your balance is small. So the maths only starts to work once there's enough in the fund for the benefits to outweigh what it takes to run. As a rough marker, most people find the numbers only begin to stack up once they've got over $200,000 in super, and even then it comes down to your situation, not the balance on its own.

What you're actually paying for in that first session is worth understanding. You're paying to have the decision made properly once, up front, instead of finding out three years in that the structure never suited you. That's the expensive mistake, running a fund that was set up because setting up funds was somebody's job, and carrying the cost of it for years.

So the adviser you speak with will be straight with you about whether the numbers work for your situation before anyone talks setup. If a self-managed fund doesn't earn its keep for you, you'll hear that, and we'll talk about what does. Bring your rough super balance to the call and they can walk through it with you.

Category: Risk & Worst-Case Scenarios
Length: ~2:00

They can be, and that's the real starting point, not something we'll talk you out of worrying about.

When you run your own fund, you take on real responsibilities. You're across the investments, you're across the compliance, and you're keeping everything lined up with the ATO's rules so you're not exposed later. Some people genuinely enjoy that level of involvement and want the control that comes with it. Plenty of others don't, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Which is exactly why the first job in the session isn't setting a fund up, it's working out whether the extra control is worth the extra work for you specifically. A lot of the people we talk to are better off leaving their super where it sits and having us build a proper strategy around it, without them having to run anything. And when that's the case, we say so.

So if the responsibility side is what's giving you pause, that's a good reason to have the conversation, not a reason to avoid it. The adviser will talk through how much involvement a fund really asks of you, and whether that fits the retirement you're actually after. If it doesn't, there are other ways to get your super working harder that don't put the whole thing on your shoulders.

Category: Legitimacy & Credibility
Length: ~2:00

It's a reasonable thing to be wary of, because it does happen, so here's plainly how we're set up differently.

The whole reason we assess suitability before setup is that it lets us tell you a self-managed fund isn't right for you. We turn people away from setting one up regularly, because the advice answers to your situation, not to a product. There's no fund we're trying to move, no quota, no reason for us to push you toward something that doesn't fit.

Part of how that works is our licensing. We give personal financial advice as an authorised representative of GPS Wealth, which sits inside the Count group. So what you're getting is licensed personal advice, held to that standard, not a product pitch dressed up to look like advice.

The way it plays out on the call is simple. Our adviser looks at your actual numbers and your goals, and gives you their genuine read. Sometimes that read is yes, a self-managed fund suits you, and we'll talk through the strategy we'd build. Other times it's no, keep your super where it sits and let's make it work harder a different way. Both of those are wins for you, and both are answers we're just as willing to give.

Category: Success & Expectations
Length: ~1:50

This is one of the most common questions we get, and it deserves a straight number, so here's one.

Under roughly $200,000 in super, a self-managed fund usually doesn't earn its keep. The running costs are much the same whether the balance is large or small, so below that mark you're often paying for complexity without getting enough back to justify it. Above it, a fund can start to make sense, though even then it depends on your situation, not the balance alone.

So if you're sitting below that figure, we'll say so plainly rather than set one up anyway and let you find out the hard way. And if you're above it, that doesn't automatically mean a fund is right either. It means it's worth putting on the table and looking at properly.

Working that out for your circumstances is the point of the session. Our adviser will look at where your balance is, what you're trying to build, and whether a self-managed fund gets you there. If it's not worth it for you yet, you'll come away knowing that, and knowing what to do instead, which is worth having either way.

Category: Risk & Worst-Case Scenarios
Length: ~1:55

Then that's a good outcome, and I mean that. Finding out a self-managed fund doesn't suit you, before you've set one up and started paying to run it, saves some people years of managing the wrong thing.

Most people miss that the self-managed fund question is rarely just about the fund. It's really a way into the bigger picture, the way your super, your investments and your retirement income all fit together to pay for the life you're planning. The fund is only ever one possible piece of that. So even when the answer on the fund is no, the strategy underneath it still counts, and that's what we build with you.

If a fund isn't the right call, our adviser will talk through what is. That might mean keeping your super where it sits and building a proper strategy around it, or restructuring things a different way so your retirement income holds up. You don't leave the conversation empty-handed just because the answer on the fund was no.

That's the whole idea. You come in asking one question, and you leave with a clearer read on your whole retirement, whichever way the fund decision lands.

Category: Legitimacy & Credibility / Social Proof
Length: ~2:00

It's worth knowing who's behind the advice, and it should come from people who've done this a lot. Here's who they are.

Across our team there's more than 50 years of combined experience, and we've worked with over 500 clients on their super and retirement. This isn't a first rodeo for anyone you'll speak with. And as I mentioned earlier, we give personal financial advice as an authorised representative of GPS Wealth, inside the Count group, so it's licensed personal advice held to a proper standard.

The read that carries the most weight, though, is the one from people we've actually worked with. One of them wrote that Paul and the team at Evolve had delivered outstanding service and results across all their years working together. Another said Paul had guided them through their whole superannuation journey for many years. And a third simply said Paul and staff had made sure they got the best possible outcomes.

That's the kind of relationship we're after, the long-run one, not a one-off transaction. So when you get on the call, you're talking to a team that does this every day and intends to be around for the retirement you're planning, not just the setup. Have a look at the other clips, and we'll speak soon.

Subject: Your discovery session

Hi {first_name},

Your discovery session is booked, so this is a quick note on what it's for and how to get the most out of it.

The session is one conversation with a licensed adviser about whether a self-managed super fund actually suits your situation. No setup, no paperwork, no obligation to go ahead with anything. If an SMSF isn't the right call for you, we'll tell you, and we'll say why.

Before we speak, it helps to have a rough idea of a few things:

- Your current super balance, including any old accounts you've stopped thinking about
- Whether you're looking at this on your own or jointly with a partner
- What's making you consider an SMSF in the first place (more control, property, something else)

If you'd like a sense of how we work before the call, there's a short walk-through on the page you booked from. Worth a look, not essential.

Talk soon,
The team at Evolve Wealth Management

Subject: The work question

Hi {first_name},

One thing most people raise early is the admin. Running your own fund sounds like a second job, and for some people it genuinely isn't worth the effort.

We weigh it up like this. The trustee responsibilities are real: an SMSF has to meet ATO rules, lodge annually, and stay audited. What varies is how much of that lands on you. Most of the compliance and administration can sit with specialists, so your side is closer to making decisions and signing off than doing the bookkeeping.

Whether that trade is worth it depends on what you're trying to get out of it. If you want control over how your super is invested, the structure can earn its keep. If you mostly want your super left alone to grow, it often doesn't, and a simpler option is the better answer.

That's the sort of thing we work through on the call, against your actual balance and goals rather than a general rule.

The team at Evolve Wealth Management

Subject: How the review works

Hi {first_name},

To give you a feel for the session, this is the ground a suitability review usually covers.

We start with your retirement, before the fund. What you want your income to look like, when you'd like to stop working, and what you already have working towards that. Then we look at your current super and what it's doing well, where you'd want more say, and how much responsibility you're comfortable taking on.

Only after that do we get to the SMSF question itself. By then it tends to answer itself, because you can see whether the extra control is worth the extra structure for someone in your position.

Across the team here that's more than 50 years of combined experience and over 500 clients, so this isn't the first balance we've looked at that sits where yours does.

Prefer to watch how it works first? There's a walk-through on your booking page that covers the same ground.

The team at Evolve Wealth Management

Subject: When the numbers work

Hi {first_name},

A question worth sitting with before we speak: at what point does an SMSF actually pay for itself?

Broadly, there are three ways it can land.

At a smaller balance, the running costs of an SMSF eat into returns enough that a mainstream fund usually leaves you better off. The structure adds cost without adding much you'd use.

In the middle, it comes down to what you'd do with the control. If you'd genuinely use the fund to hold property or investments your current super can't, the flexibility can justify the running cost. If you wouldn't, it usually can't.

At a larger balance, the fixed costs of running the fund matter less as a share of what you hold, and the control tends to be worth more, so the case gets stronger.

The threshold we work to is around $200,000 in super before an SMSF is worth considering at all. Under that, the maths rarely stacks up, and we'll say so. Over it, whether it's right still depends on you, which is what the call is for.

The team at Evolve Wealth Management

Subject: A short checklist

Hi {first_name},

Something you can use whether or not you ever run an SMSF: a plain list of what a fund actually has to do each year, so the responsibility isn't a vague worry.

- Keep the fund compliant with the ATO's rules for self-managed super
- Lodge an annual return and have the fund independently audited
- Keep the investment strategy documented and reviewed
- Keep the fund's money and assets separate from your personal ones

Read that and one of two things happens. Either it looks manageable, in which case the control an SMSF gives you starts to look worth it. Or it looks like more than you want to take on, in which case you've saved yourself an expensive detour.

Bring whichever reaction you had to the call. Both are useful.

The team at Evolve Wealth Management

Subject: The sales question

Hi {first_name},

The doubt worth naming before we speak: how do you know we won't set you up with an SMSF regardless, because that's what suits us?

Look at how the session is built. It's a suitability review, and being told an SMSF isn't for you is one of its real outcomes. We turn people away from setting one up regularly, because for a lot of balances and goals a simpler option genuinely does the job better.

The advice comes under an Australian Financial Services Licence, which carries a legal duty to act in your best interest. That's the standard every recommendation has to meet, in writing.

If you Google around SMSFs you'll find plenty of stories of funds set up for people who never needed one, sold on the upside and never walked through the responsibility. That's the outcome the suitability step exists to prevent.

The team at Evolve Wealth Management

Subject: Why now

Hi {first_name},

If it feels like SMSFs are coming up more than they used to, you're reading the market right.

More Australians want a say in how their super is invested, particularly the ability to hold property or assets a mainstream fund won't. At the same time the advice sector has tightened considerably since the Hayne royal commission, with higher professional standards on who can give personal advice and how. So there's more interest in SMSFs and a smaller pool of advisers licensed to properly assess whether one suits you.

That's a good moment to get a clear read on your own situation rather than act on what worked for someone at the barbecue. What suits them tells you very little about what suits you.

Your call is the place to get that read, specific to your balance and what you want retirement to look like.

The team at Evolve Wealth Management

Subject: Before your call

Hi {first_name},

Your discovery session is close, so this is the short version of what to have ready.

- Your current super details, including any older accounts
- A rough sense of when you'd like to retire and what income you'd want
- Any specific plan behind the SMSF idea, like property, if you have one
- The questions you most want answered

You don't need to prepare beyond that. The session is a relaxed conversation, and there's no obligation to proceed with anything afterwards.

If anything's changed and the time no longer works, the booking page has the link to move it. Otherwise we'll see you then.

The team at Evolve Wealth Management

Structure: Contrarian Call-Out, Dismantle, Alternative Framework
CTA level: none
Subject A: who benefits when you set up an smsf
Subject B: the smsf question and who you asked
Preview: The person answering usually has a stake in the answer.

"Should I set up a self-managed super fund?"

We get this from people in their fifties and sixties most weeks, and it's a harder question to get a clean answer to than it looks. The reason has less to do with SMSFs and more to do with who you tend to ask.

An SMSF setup service earns its fee the moment the fund exists, so the answer that pays them is yes. An accountant who runs the fund gains ongoing admin work. Even a friend who's happy with theirs is really just telling you an SMSF suited their situation, which may look nothing like yours. None of them are steering you wrong on purpose. They're answering a question that happens to have a convenient answer for them.

We look at it another way. An SMSF is one way to hold your super, and it earns its keep for some people while costing others money for control they never use. The work is deciding which one you'd be, and that gets settled before any paperwork does. Our SMSF page has said it plainly for years: an SMSF isn't suitable for everyone.

So before you weigh the vehicle, get clear on where you're trying to go. What income do you want in retirement, what do you actually want a say over, and what would you happily never think about again. Answer those first and the question of whether an SMSF fits gets a lot easier to settle. We'll come back to it over the next few weeks, one piece at a time.

Structure: Concept, Framework, Takeaway
CTA level: none
Subject A: the balance an smsf needs to make sense
Subject B: why $200k keeps coming up with smsfs
Preview: Under a certain balance, the costs tend to outweigh the control.

An SMSF may be worth considering once you've got over $200,000 in superannuation. Below that, the running costs tend to eat into the very balance you're trying to grow.

That figure surprises people who've been told an SMSF is worth setting up as early as possible. It's worth understanding where it comes from, because it changes how you read any pitch to start one.

A self-managed fund carries fixed costs that a large industry or retail fund spreads across thousands of members. You wear them alone: an annual audit, the accounting and lodgement, plus the compliance work that keeps the fund inside ATO rules. On a smaller balance those fixed costs are a heavy percentage of what you hold. Grow the balance and they shrink to a rounding error, while the control and flexibility start to pay for themselves. Your balance is what tips that maths from a drag into an advantage.

So the takeaway is straightforward. Whether an SMSF can do more than your current fund isn't really the question, because it usually can. What counts is whether your balance is big enough that the extra cost buys you something worth having. Past roughly that threshold the structure can earn its keep. Under it, most people are paying for complexity they don't need yet, and a simpler fund does the same job for less.

Structure: Common Phrase, Reframe, Core Insight
CTA level: none
Subject A: "i'll sort my super out closer to retirement"
Subject B: the super decision that gets harder each year
Preview: Deferring this one feels careful. It usually costs more.

"I'll deal with my super properly closer to retirement."

If you've thought some version of that, you're in good company. Nearly everyone with a real balance has parked the bigger structural decisions for a quieter day. The catch is that those decisions don't sit still while you wait.

In the years just before you stop working, the structural choices carry the most weight and leave the least room to reverse. Whether your super moves into pension phase and when, how you draw it down, whether an SMSF would give you something your current fund can't: these compound over time. Sort the structure at fifty-five and the next decade works in your favour. Reach for it at sixty-four and some of the better options have already closed.

So the reframe is worth sitting with. "Closer to retirement" isn't the safer moment to decide, it's the more expensive one. The version of you with the most room to move is the one looking at this five or ten years out, not the one a few months from finishing up and trying to undo settings that have already locked in.

Deferring feels like the cautious choice. It's still a choice, and it's usually the costliest one on the table. Decide early, and decide once.

Structure: Misconception, Reframe, Teach, Embedded CTA, Keep Teaching
CTA level: embedded (soft)
Subject A: why we check suitability before setup
Subject B: the smsf step most services skip
Preview: Most SMSFs get set up before anyone checks they fit.

The common assumption is that getting an SMSF is a setup job: pick a provider, sign the forms, and you're running your own fund. That's how a lot of them come into being, and it's also why a fair number of people end up with a structure that never quite suited them.

The step that usually gets skipped is the one that should come first. Before a fund exists there's a real question to answer, and it's about you rather than the paperwork. Does your balance clear the point where an SMSF pays off. Do you actually want the control it gives, or would you rather not think about your super most of the year. Is there a specific reason you want your own fund, like holding property inside super, and does that reason hold up once you see the full cost. Setup services rarely ask, because the answer doesn't change what they sell.

We work the other way around. An adviser looks at your balance, your goals and your appetite for running a fund, and tells you whether an SMSF fits before a single form gets signed. Sometimes the answer is no, and we'll say so. If you've been circling the decision and want it looked at by someone with no fund to sell you, that's what the complimentary Discovery Session is for. It's free, there's no obligation, and you leave with a clearer view either way.

What that order changes is whose situation the answer is built around. When suitability comes first, the recommendation follows your goals and your balance instead of a service's need to set something up. Some of the people we talk to walk away without an SMSF and glad they asked. Others find it fits their situation well and set one up knowing exactly why. Both got an answer that was actually about them.

Structure: Client Story, Coaching Moment, Principles
CTA level: soft
Subject A: he was certain he needed an smsf
Subject B: the review that changed the question
Preview: Sometimes the right call is the fund you don't set up.

A client came to us a while back convinced he needed an SMSF before he retired. He'd read enough to feel like he was behind, a mate had set one up, and he wanted more control over where his super went. Early in the conversation we told him we might end up advising against it. He looked genuinely thrown.

We spent the meeting not on the fund but on what he was actually after: a reliable income from sixty, room to help his kids without knocking his own plan off course, and a super setup he didn't have to babysit. Only once those were clear did we look at structures. For his situation, tidying up a couple of old accounts and using his existing fund well did the job with far less for him to run, and an SMSF would have added cost and admin for control he didn't really want to use.

He left without the thing he came in for, and told us later it was some of the more useful advice he'd had in years. The lesson underneath it was about sequence more than super. He'd been shopping for a vehicle before he'd worked out the destination.

A few principles sit under that:

- Start with the retirement you want, then choose the structure to reach it. Work out the fund once your goals are clear.
- Control has a price. Sometimes it's well worth paying, and often it's paid for control that never gets used.
- The right advice is sometimes the recommendation not to do the thing you walked in wanting.

If you've been weighing up an SMSF and want it looked at by someone whose only job is to get your answer right, a Discovery Session is a free, no-obligation place to start. Worst case, you leave knowing the setup you've already got is the one to keep.

Structure: Concept, Framework, Takeaway
CTA level: soft
Subject A: five questions before you touch your super
Subject B: the checklist we run before any super change
Preview: Run these before anyone moves your super anywhere.

Before you set up an SMSF, roll over a fund, or change how your super is held, there are five questions worth sitting with. They're the same ones we work through in a first conversation, and you can make a start on your own.

- What income do I actually want in retirement, and from what age? Most structure decisions get simpler once that number is real rather than a guess.
- What do I genuinely want control over, and what would I happily hand off and never think about again? Control is the whole case for an SMSF, and only you can say how much of it you want.
- Whoever is recommending this change, do they earn anything different depending on what I choose? If they do, the advice can still be useful, as long as you read it knowing which way it leans.
- What does this cost me over ten or twenty years, not just this year? A percentage fee or an admin load looks small each year and large across a retirement.
- Does my balance clear the point where the extra cost of a fund actually pays off? For most people that's up around $200,000, and under it a simpler fund tends to win.

Answer all five clearly and you're in a strong spot to decide, and you might not need us at all. If two or three of them are fuzzy, that fuzziness is usually where the expensive mistakes live, and it's exactly what a first conversation sorts out.

A Discovery Session is free and carries no obligation. You bring the questions, we bring the experience, and you leave with a clearer view of whether anything needs to change before you retire. Across our team that's 50+ years of combined experience and 500+ clients we've worked through this same decision with.