TM People
Meet Aaron Ralph...
Delivering papers as a kid delivered Aaron his first taste of the value of hard yakka – young Aaron earned himself a whopping $20 per fortnight for his fortitude. It may seem like pittance to current day Aaron, or you and I, but what that $20 gave young Aaron was opportunity and goals. Saving every dollar he earned until he could buy something valuable, to which he vaguely recalls was “probably a cow or something”, was an early and fruitful lesson in investment.
Just like Jack and his beans, Aaron’s first cow opened up a whole world of opportunity, upon finishing Yr12 – a feat which Aaron admits surprised even himself, he landed a sort of ‘internship’ as a stock agent. He continued on his path gaining experience in all facets of the industry, spending time in Queensland and NT working as a Jackaroo. Now, back in his home town of Heyfield, a successful stock agent, Aaron remembers those times mustering cattle all over the Top End fondly, but just as fondly remembers his interest in finance at school-age, and his seemingly polar dreams of working in finance!
Not so polar it seems, believe it or not, 95% of being a stock agent is understanding finance. “Stock is a commodity,” Aaron says, “and so much of the business is dependent on so many external factors – social, political, environmental – the economy of stock is ever-changing so I have to be on top of it.”
In fact, the company Aaron works for actually have their own finance arm, so he is actually ‘living the dream’. This experience in finance sees Aaron very familiar with seeking out the best deals for his own personal goals, and despite his own knowledge and expertise, he still handles his personal business with TMFG, and has done for 3 years.
“I throw something at Belinda, an idea, a proposal, some figures, and she responds immediately, always with an educated and comprehensive answer to whatever query I have, she even gives me homework sometimes which just strengthens my confidence in her decisions.”
If you want a job done properly, do it yourself – or find someone even better than yourself to do it. When it comes to finance, TMFG can humbly do your job a little bit better than you, but always, for you.
