The partnership behind Finwise Leadership.
Julie Matheson (CFP®) and Marie Richardson. A combined 75 years in the profession, an award-winning fee-for-service track record, and a fintech company built to help the next generation of Australian advisers do this work properly.
We are Finwise Leadership.
Julie and Marie bring together a rare blend of deep financial services experience and people-focused leadership. Between us we've built and led our own practices from the inside, and now we support firms from the outside as coaches and mentors.
Our work through Finwise centres on helping advisers grow sustainably, serve clients with excellence, and build businesses that truly reflect the value they deliver. At heart we're developers of people, known for equipping advisers and teams to step into stronger leadership, improve client outcomes, and create practices that are both commercially sound and purpose-driven.
In November 2025, Finwise became a fintech company, turning three decades of practice experience into software, systems and diagnostic tools that advisers can put to work the same week.
A community of advisers who support each other, grow together, and leave the profession stronger than they found it.
To help advisers grow sustainably, serve clients with excellence, and build businesses that reflect the true value of advice.
Mentoring, workshops, the Finwise Calculator, and diagnostic tools built from the four practices that shape a great advice business: pricing, structure, ethics and career path.
The mentor, the Board director, the Standard 7 evangelist.
Julie started in financial planning in 1987, back when "financial planner" wasn't a recognised title. She built her own AFSL business, ran it for years, and sold it. Along the way she sat 13 years on the Board of the Financial Planning Association (now the FAAA), through the Code of Ethics roll-out, through Royal Commission, through FASEA.
Today Julie leads Finwise's Professional Year mentoring, workshops on business structure and career direction, and the ethics work. She has reviewed more than 300 practices; most were underpricing by 20 to 40 percent.
- CFP® (Certified Financial Planner, global designation) · LRS® · GAICD
- 13 years FPA / FAAA Board Director
- FPA Distinguished Service Award holder
- 2024 Finalist, Mentor of the Year, Women in Wealth Awards
- Former AFSL business owner & operator
- 200th CFP in Australia
Former AFSL 234705 (Australian Financial Services Licensee)
Global Certified Financial Planner CFP®
13 years on the FPA / FAAA Board
Graduate member (GAICD)
Women in Wealth Awards 2024, Mentor of the Year Finalist
The pricing pioneer, the systems builder, the development coach.
Marie is the Head of Growth & Partnerships at Finwise Leadership with 40+ years of financial planning experience. She started her own practice in 1988 and, in 1990, became one of the first advisers in Australia to move to fee-for-service, when the model didn't yet exist. She then spent 30 years building the award-winning systems behind it.
She now co-presents the Finwise™ Pricing WISDOM Method and coaches practices on ethical, defensible pricing conversations and the development systems that produce adviser-ready graduates with their own client books.
- 40+ years in financial planning
- Started her own practice in 1988; introduced fee-for-service in 1990, among Australia's first, then built award-winning systems over 30 years
- Telstra Businesswoman of the Year, Finalist
- Asset Magazine Succession Planning Award, Winner
- University lecturer, FPA committee member, sought-after conference speaker
- Mentored hundreds of advisers who have gone on to succeed in their own right
- Co-presents the Finwise™ Pricing WISDOM Method
Licensee
State President | National Board Member | Est 2006
WA Committee Member
Founding Partner
Combined credentials.
Between us: a Board directorship, a national award, an AFSL exit, an award-winning fee-for-service practice, and 30 years of documented systems.
Certified Financial Planner (CFP®)
Global designation. Held continuously since the early years of the program in Australia.
13 years FPA / FAAA Board Director
Including GAICD. Through Code rollout, Royal Commission, and the modern shape of the profession.
FPA Distinguished Service Award
Recognising sustained contribution to the profession, awarded by the Financial Planning Association of Australia.
2024 Women in Wealth Awards, Finalist
Mentor of the Year category. National recognition for adviser mentoring work via Finwise Leadership.
First fee-for-service practice (1990)
Established one of Australia's first fee-for-service financial planning practices, when the model didn't yet exist.
Telstra Businesswoman of the Year, Finalist
Plus Asset Magazine Succession Planning Award winner. National recognition for the practice she built and ran.
University lecturer & FPA committee
Lectured at universities, presented across the profession, and served on FPA committees.
The Finwise™ Pricing WISDOM Method
Julie and Marie's co-created pricing system, helping advisers build transparent, compliant, itemised fee schedules for their clients.
How we got here.
Marie enters the financial planning profession
Late 1984 — the start of a career spanning more than 40 years across advice, pricing and adviser development.
Julie joins the financial planning profession
Before the title "financial planner" was regulated. Trained on the job.
Marie starts her own financial planning practice
Builds her own practice from the ground up, at a time when the industry still ran on commissions.
Marie introduces fee-for-service
Becomes one of the first advisers in Australia to move to a fee-for-service model, when it didn't yet exist and nobody had a template.
Julie builds and runs her AFSL business
Practice ownership, compliance, hiring, advice delivery, eventual exit.
Julie serves 13 years on the FPA / FAAA Board
Through Royal Commission, FASEA, the Code of Ethics roll-out, and the modern shape of the profession.
Julie: Mentor of the Year, Finalist
Women in Wealth Awards national finalist for adviser mentoring work.
Finwise Leadership becomes a fintech
The next chapter: turning decades of practice experience into software, systems, and diagnostic tools including the Finwise Calculator and the Revenue Leak Audit.
The causes we support.
Part of building a profession we're proud of is backing the community around it.
Telethon Adventurers · Pirate Ship Foundation
Supporting research into childhood cancer.
Breast Cancer Trials
Backing clinical trials research into breast cancer.
Australian Poetry
Supporting Australian poets and the national poetry body's programs.
Partners behind the platform.
Book a free 30-minute call with Julie or Marie.
Pick your topic, Professional Year, pricing, structure, ethics, and we'll match you with the right one of us. No script, no pressure. If we're not the right fit we'll tell you who is.
Pick a time