OUR STORY

Financial Services has changed dramatically over the years and many new companies have evolved and just as many have fallen by the wayside. Having been around for nearly a decade, Axis is here to stay.
We would like you to hear from the Licensee, George Kalil, as to why Axis Financial Advisers was formed, as we feel it helps you understand our philosophy.

In the 1990's, after being a stockbroker for 10 years, I joined the Financial Planning division of a major Australian bank. Within the first few years, I achieved the status of being one of the top 10 advisers in the country. This success was built on quality advice and excellent service. However, even though I had access to an extensive recommended list of investments, I soon found out that my lack of support for "in-house" products had me at loggerheads with management.
After 4 years of dealing with these conflicting views, I decided to move on to a non-bank aligned dealer group, RetireInvest. I joined RetireInvest as it offered a franchise model, which in turn allowed a degree of autonomy, which was not available as an Authorised Representative of the bank. At RetireInvest, I achieved "Adviser of the Year" in 2004 and was part of the most successful franchise in the country.
One of the biggest issues I encountered working under the major banks, was their desire to have clients invest in "managed" rather than "direct" investments. Hence, buying clients Blue Chip shares to eliminate the extra layer of management and reduce the clients overall fees, was considered "inconsistent" with the banks objective of maximising profit. Interestingly, I was told by a rather honest compliance officer "reducing fees for a client constitutes a compliance risk in the eyes of the bank".
Therefore, it became increasingly evident that, if I wanted to be able to truly give impartial advice, without being influenced by a parent company to focus on maximising profit, I would have to obtain my own Australian Financial Services License. So in October 2006, I formed Axis Financial Advisers.

George Kalil
George Kalil Dip.FP
Licensee and Managing Director