About Us

Everyone deserves their ideal retirement and a future to invest in.

I offer a one-on-one service for people who insist on a secure, professional and ethical plan for their finances to help make the world a better place.

My areas of speciality include planning for executive retirees, professional women and business owners who feel compelled to invest responsibly.

I bring 25 years of financial planning experience and social activism to the task. My goal is to develop a personalised financial plan for you as an individual, which will achieve your life goals.

Latest Speaking Opportunity: Adelaide Festival 2022

I sat down with fellow financial expert, Lewis Gurr-Stephen from Market Forces, to discuss the influence of those holding the financial purse-strings and share the potential impact of divesting from fossil fuels to fund a better future – watch now!

Paul Garner

Meet Paul

My name is Paul Garner and as a financial adviser I believe my role is to help you build a financial path forward, cope with change and have your back along the way.
I have a broad range of life experience, qualifications and access to a wide range of subject experts. Together they ensure I can innovate, guide, coach, teach and bring an international perspective to my ethical financial advice.

Meet James

In childhood James was the self-appointed household savings monitor thanks to a “Money Tree” hanging in the family kitchen (which was a plastic holder to stack 100 $1 coins).Since then, James has had a special interest in personal finance and planning. This led to a degree from the University of Adelaide in Finance (International) and a career in financial services that seeks to understand each client’s “why” and to tailor relevant solutions.  

Testimonials

Find out what other clients have to say about their experiences with Paul Garner and Novo Wealth. To view more client testimonials or to leave a review, please visit Paul Garner’s AdviserRatings.com.au Profile. “We have been really happy with Paul looking after our short and long term plans for a more secure future in retirement.

The Novo Wealth Philosophy

The older I get, the more I want to take responsibility for my part in reducing our impact on the Earth. I truly believe we can – but it’s up to “people power” to influence business leaders and politicians to make responsible decisions for the good of the planet and society. It starts with us – right now – and when enough individuals take action, the changes we need will follow.

Not a one size fits all

My point of difference is I will not take a “cookie cutter” approach to your ambitions. That means I won’t manipulate your concerns to steer you into easy, ready made investments, which may have hidden issues. For example, would you be surprised to find BHP in a socially responsible fund? That may be fine with your personal investing beliefs – but you deserve to be told these things.

How it works

As one of the organisers of South Australia’s Ethical Investment Week, I get to speak with thousands of ethical investors each year. It gives me a broad understanding of community expectation.

First I run through a defined process to understand your broad goals. Then I will outline various investment scenarios, to see which best suits your investment philosophy. We will talk about at your goals, one on one, and I hope that I will become your lifetime partner.

Novo Wealth uses ratings agencies to assess the performance of a company’s environmental, societal and governance scores. I can help you both with the right questions to ask, and the answers. For example, if you are considering one of the Big 4 banks and have concerns, I will outline issues such as bank salaries, gender diversity and institutions that lend to coal miners. Taking a positive approach, you may wish to examine areas such as the medical sector, which includes companies that are making a positive contribution to society. Other investors are clear that they wish to invest part of their financial resources in companies that allocate funds for research that will benefit humanity. All of this is possible.

Novo Wealth can set you up to invest in direct shares, funds, in fact the whole range of investments you would normally expect.

Start responsible investing today

It’s Personal

Ethical or responsible investing is about investing according to your own personal values. It is different for different people. Each person has a unique moral compass. The same is true for me.

This is close to my heart, I wanted to build a business around my passion and that’s why I want to become an authority in responsible investment. So rest assured you are dealing with me, and you will always be dealing with me.

Greenwashing

With the big end of town chasing ethical investors, I see my role as a guide to help investors avoid the pitfalls of “greenwashing”. This is where funds look good on the surface but contain investment options that many people would find unpalatable. Because I live life according to my values to make the world a better place, I have no hesitation in pointing out the shortfalls of these funds. Do they include firms with controversial labour policies? Is there a component of fossil fuel mining? Do any of the companies have links to tobacco, gambling or armaments?

What Do The Acronyms Mean?

You may come across a wide range of terms. Here are the most common:

  • Ethical Investment (EI)
  • Socially Responsible Investment (SRI)
  • Responsible Investment (RI)
  • Environmental, Social And Governance (ESG)