What Happens at a First Meeting with a Financial Adviser
_Written by Tim Fanning, Financial Adviser and Director, Fanning Gouldson Financial Planning, Toowoomba. Authorised Representative No. 001306363. Last updated 17 September 2026._
Most people take months to book a first meeting with a financial adviser. Not because they don't need advice — usually they can tell you exactly what's bothering them — but because they can't picture what the meeting involves, and it's easier to keep putting it off than walk into something you can't see the shape of.
So here's exactly what happens in a first meeting, start to finish. No mystery.
You don't need to bring anything
People assume they need to arrive with a folder of statements, a tidy budget and their super balance memorised. You don't.
If you've got your super statement handy, bring it. If you don't, we'll track it down later. The first meeting isn't an audit and nobody's going to pick apart your spending. I've never once sat across from someone and thought less of them for what their accounts looked like.
Most of the hour is you talking
I ask questions and listen. What's going on at the moment. What's prompted you to look into this now. What's worrying you, what you're hoping for, what you'd like life to look like in five or ten years.
That last question catches people off guard. They come in expecting to talk about money and end up talking about whether they can drop back to three days a week, how to help a kid into a house without wrecking their own retirement, or what happens now Mum can't stay in her home.
The numbers matter. But the numbers are always in service of something, and the something is the real conversation.
You'll get straight answers on the day
You won't leave with a formal plan — that comes later and takes proper work. But you will leave knowing more than you came in with.
Whether you're broadly on track. What the two or three things are that would make the biggest difference. Whether the thing that's been nagging at you is actually a problem, or whether you've been carrying it around for nothing.
Sometimes the honest answer is that you're doing fine and you don't need me. That's a perfectly good result, and I'd rather say it than manufacture a reason to keep talking.
What a first meeting costs
Nothing. There's no charge for the first meeting and no obligation at the end of it.
If it makes sense to go further, I'll explain exactly what that involves and what it costs before you decide anything — in plain numbers, in writing. You can read more about how much a financial adviser costs if you'd like the detail up front.
I'd rather you decide with complete information than feel nudged.
How long it takes and where we meet
About an hour, sometimes a little longer if there's a lot going on.
You can come to the office in Toowoomba, I can come to you, or we can do it over video — whichever suits. Plenty of people prefer a coffee somewhere neutral for the first one, and that's completely fine. I see clients right across Toowoomba, Highfields and the wider Darling Downs.
Common reasons people book a first meeting
There's no threshold you need to hit before this is worth doing. The people I sit down with are usually somewhere in one of these:
The thing most people say at the end
Some version of 'I should have done this ages ago.'
Not because anything dramatic happened in the room. Usually because the worry they'd been carrying for two years turned out to be answerable in an hour.
That's most of what this job is. Not clever investments or complicated strategies — just sitting down with someone, working out what's actually going on, and telling them the truth about it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the first meeting really free?
Yes. No charge and no obligation. Fees are only ever discussed after you know what's involved, and nothing proceeds until you've agreed to it in writing.
Do I need a minimum amount of money to see a financial adviser?
No. People come in at all stages — some are decades from retirement, some are already there. What matters is whether there's a decision in front of you worth getting right.
What should I bring to a first meeting with a financial adviser?
Nothing is required. A recent super statement is useful if it's easy to find, but we can work without it.
How long does it take to get advice after the first meeting?
If you decide to go ahead, a full plan usually takes a few weeks to prepare. You'll know the timeframe and the cost before anything starts.
Do you only see clients in Toowoomba?
I'm based in Toowoomba and see clients across Highfields and the Darling Downs, as well as by video anywhere in Australia.
If you've been thinking about it
You don't need a problem to justify the meeting, and you don't need to have your affairs in order first. Turning up with a vague sense that you should probably get this sorted is the most common reason people come in.
If that's you, book a free first meeting or call 0429 579 552 if you'd rather have a chat first.
General Advice Disclaimer
The information in this article and the links has been prepared for general information purposes only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not intended to provide commercial, financial, investment, accounting, tax or legal advice.
Fanning Gouldson Financial Planning Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative (No. 001322660) and Timothy James Fanning is an Authorised Representative (No. 001306363) of Spark Advisors Australia Pty Ltd ABN 34 122 486 935 AFSL 380552.
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