Had a client come in for his annual review recently.
At first, it sounded like a pretty standard lending conversation. Rates, repayments, loan structure.
But after talking it through, it was obvious that wasn’t really the issue.
He’d been in a commission-based sales role for six years and was absolutely spent. High pressure, good income, but it was taking a toll. He was seriously thinking about stepping away.
Problem was, he had five properties and a decent amount of debt across them. So the minute he started thinking about earning less, the stress hit hard.
Not because he was reckless. Not because he’d done anything wrong.
He just didn’t have a clear enough picture of his finances to know what was actually possible.
And to be fair, that’s not unusual.
A lot of people are busy, earning well, building assets, and keeping everything moving. But when it comes time to make a big decision, they’re still working off gut feel more than real clarity.
So we took a step back.
I brought in a financial planner I trust and we went through the whole picture properly. Income, spending, liabilities, tax returns, bank statements, the lot.
Once he could see where everything stood, the next step was a lot easier.
We reworked the lending to give him some breathing room. Fixed rates, interest-only on the investment debt, and one property unencumbered so he had options there if he needed them.
Sell it. Hold it. Use the equity another way.
Up to him.
A few months later, he was in a completely different place. Same life, same assets, same responsibilities, but a lot less fear around what came next.
One thing he said stuck with me.
Hardly anyone in his world really knew how much pressure he’d been under. His mates weren’t in the same position financially, and he’d been carrying most of it himself.
I think that’s more common than people realise.
Sometimes the value of the work isn’t just in arranging the loan.
It’s helping someone get clear enough to make a big decision without panic getting in the way.