Planner Profile: Tony Mount

Tony Mount, 49, set up his own consultancy in Nelson 12 years ago after working in financial services in the UK, USA and New Zealand. He holds a BSc in Economics and was a member of the IAFP from 1988 to 1995.

Mount now runs Independent Financial Consultants and The Investment Centre with one full-time and one part-time administrator, operates his own in-house investment management system (developed in 1988 and upgraded annually) and has around 300 clients. He says his firm was the first to develop and offer client contracts and currently has more than $40 million of client funds covered by these.

On a personal level, the importance of risk management and estate planning was sheeted home to him three years ago when friends were killed in a car accident. Mount not only acted as trustee and executor, but he and his wife became guardians of their friends' daughter, now eight, bringing her up with their own two boys. Mount says he found the whole experience a steep learning curve.

"However, in many ways, it's been a rewarding experience. I see a lot of people who just haven't thought about anything happening to them or about who would look after their children."