meet Harriet

Harriet never thought much about her super - until she had to pay it herself. A conversation with a HESTA adviser opened her eyes to the power of personal advice, and she’s now spreading the word to everyone she knows.

I’ve always worked at the centre of technology and social change. I’m a co-founder of Kernl – we build software for disability and aged care providers and we’re currently working on an AI-powered platform to help providers operate more sustainably.

I first came across HESTA in my 20s when I was working for another company. I didn’t really know what super was, or why it mattered, but I signed up. Straight away I really liked the digital experience. It was simple, clean and easy to navigate.

Doing the basics

By my late 20s I figured I should combine my super.  It was easy to do, and once that was tidied up, super sort of faded into the background again.

Looking for guidance

Then, about three years ago, I started consulting and had to take charge of paying my own super. I’m not naturally a finance person; you could say it was a swirl of concepts that felt like they weren’t for me.

That’s what led me to call HESTA - just to find out how much I should be putting in. I spoke to a lovely guy called Mark McNamara who suggested I might benefit from personal advice through HESTA. He referred me to Noreen Gwena.
 

It gave me a glow

As a sole trader, in that moment personal advice was exactly the service I needed – and something I would have happily paid for. The fact that it was included in my membership gave me a glow. I tell all my friends about it now.

What struck me was that HESTA genuinely wanted to help. We didn’t start by talking numbers - we started by talking about what I wanted my life to look like. Noreen was kind, curious and led me to things I hadn’t considered – like beneficiaries and making sure my investment options were right for me.

The whole experience was delightful. And all it took was two phone calls, about 1.5 hours each. I then got a Statement of Advice document that set out my financial goals.
 

Making it work hard for you

It’s an absolute no-brainer. I’m in my mid-30s now, it’s a time when you take stock. You’re working so hard, often with little kids, and you’re in this mindset of “If you’re going to work hard, you want everything set up to work hard for you.” That’s exactly what this did for me.

My affairs are in order now

It gives me peace of mind. The best thing it’s done is free me from having to think about it for a while. When you’re building a fledgling tech business, you don’t need financial worries hanging over your head. My affairs are in order now, and that’s incredibly valuable.

I think about my finances in stages. Right now, we’re saving up to buy a home, so all our cash is going towards that. But once we’re past that — once we’ve got some space to breathe — I’ll definitely make personal contributions. And I’ll do a general health check on my super too.