when neighbours become good friends

Member Elaine happened upon HESTA just at the right time and place in her life. Here’s her story.

I’m originally from Jersey in the UK. In 2002 I met my husband Stephen at a Jersey pub. After we married we moved to Australia in 2005, settling in the northern suburbs of Brisbane.

I got to work managing my husband’s painting business. We grew it successfully, at one point employing eight full time painters. The business kept us busy for fifteen years until Stephen got cancer and we downsized the company dramatically.

I had never bothered signing up to a pension fund in Jersey as I knew I would receive an inheritance one day. I was a bit naïve about funds when we arrived in Australia and we were persuaded to join a fund without doing much research.

When life happens...
 

When my mother died in February 2021, I was fortunate to receive a significant inheritance. It’s funny, instead of feeling happy, I panicked. 

I didn’t want to put it in my super fund at the time as I’d stopped trusting them.

I made an appointment with an investment company in Brisbane. They put pressure on me to join and it didn’t feel right. My sister, who works as a Trust Manager, told me I needed to find a fund with lower fees.

A timely chat 
 

Around the same time, a lady named Linda Kingston moved in across the road from us. One day I invited her over for a cup of tea and we got chatting about her employer, HESTA. I explained about my inheritance coming and how I knew very little about superannuation and was really worried about my finances. Linda put us in touch with a HESTA Financial Planner, Daniel Callaghan.

Daniel was like a breath of fresh air. He understood how we were feeling and we really enjoyed the meeting with him. The investment plan we received was extremely well thought out and easy to understand. The paperwork was signed within the month and the weight lifted off my shoulders.

With Stephen’s health challenges, Daniel’s advice on keeping Stephen’s old super account running to continue to pay his insurance premiums was well thought out. Daniel has since continued to help me set up the accounts to get Stephen onto an income stream.

At the end of the day
 

For us, the greatest gift HESTA has given us is time. No more worrying about our financial affairs, instead we can enjoy life, spending time together and planning holidays.

With Stephen’s cancer battle, I don’t want to be worried about money at all; and thanks to Daniel and the HESTA team, now we don’t have to.