Hot Seat: Curtis Stewart

On respecting the regulators’ decisions

Q: Who or what inspired you to become a broker?
A: Broking isn't generally a career that comes to mind when you are growing up and coming through university. For me it was really thinking about the skills and experiences I'd learnt through the years and how I could use them to help people get better outcomes and make better decisions. In the finance world there are a number of different career options, but I love that in broking the client is the end user, so you're not just a middle man, you get to see your work come to fruition.

Q: How did Confidence Finance get into the MPA Top 100 list?
A: We focus on our strengths and doing what we are good at. Both Redom Syed, the other director, and I have a good background in financial markets from the regulatory perspective, as brokers and as investors ourselves. We look to bring that expertise to our clients to structure their finances in the most efficient way to achieve their objectives. Our clients appreciate that we aren't trying to advise them on everything under the sun; we focus on where we can add value.

Q: What go you excited for 2018?
A: We are looking forward to a very exciting year at Confidence Finance. We've released our e-book for investors on how to navigate the challenges of the lending market in 2018, so we are looking to spread the message to as many people as possible. Knowledge is power, so we hope that by providing this information we can help investors make more informed decisions and achieve better outcomes.

Q: With a background working in government and policy, what do you think of all the regulatory changes affecting brokers at the moment?
A: Ultimately, you have to view as a positive. We see the impacts of lending market changes on individual applications, which can be frustrating when situations that should be supported, such as young, single first home buyers, are made harder. That said, you have to respect that the regulators are looking across the whole market for potential issues to ensure long-term stability. It's good for the system as a whole that people are considering the big picture. 

Curtis Stewart
Director,
Confidence Finance