The case study of Mary the investor turned author

How this story started

Through a combination of inheritance and prudent decision making, our client Mary was generating a healthy income from a complex property portfolio concentrated around Sydney and Melbourne. The trouble was though that landlord events were anything but anticipated and the cashflow fluctuations were becoming increasingly unmanageable. At the same time, Mary was increasingly frustrated that a long held desire to become an author was being stymied by the seemingly never ending landlord hassles. Enter the financial controller!

Our role in setting Mary free to fly

By mutual agreement, it was determined that King & Whittle would become much more active in Mary’s finances, taking on the role of external financial finance officer (CFO). It was time to get on the front foot and more actively manage the property portfolio.

Happily, we already had a good understanding of Mary’s situation through attending to her annual income tax returns.

With input from Mary we compiled a detailed income and expenditure forecast, showing each month what was to be expected, taking into account each property. Mary came to appreciate that many seemingly “out of the blue” items were in fact highly predictable. She also came to realise that funds could be accumulated to meet such expenses, whilst maintaining a predictable personal income. The latter was achieved through using a robust forecasting tool, which enabled us to undertake appropriate contingency planning for vacancies, market reviews and changing government regulations.

With all of this safely in place, it was time for Mary to set off to the other side of the world!

Mary’s new life as an author

Now happily domiciled in the UK, Mary has thrown herself into the heavy research entailed in the factual writing that she relishes. It’s been an “author’s picnic”, with one well received book already published and another in the works.

Back in Australia, we continue to interact regularly with Mary, giving her status reports and seeking her input with respect to the upcoming events we are flagging to her attention. Predictability of income has enabled Mary to focus on her writing and explore the many delights that London has to offer.

What our CFO service has meant for Mary

I am glad that King & Whittle are so proactive - they are my eyes and ears in Australia. Their reports tell me how I am going financially. I’ve found them to be honest and proactive. With them on my team, I can get on and do my book projects from the other side of the world.