Electricians, plumbers, builders, carpenters and every trade in between
Financial advice for tradies too busy to check the numbers.
You earn good money. The question is whether you are making the most of it. Whether you work for someone else, run your own crew or are wondering if it is time to go out on your own, you run the work and we look after the money, so every big decision is made with the full picture. On the Gold Coast, in Melbourne and Australia-wide.
The real problem
Most tradies we meet are earning well and flying blind. Early starts, long days and quotes at night leave no time to ask whether the money is working as hard as you are. Your accountant tells you what happened last year. Nobody is planning the next ten.
12%
Super Guarantee an employer pays on your wage. Go out on your own and it becomes your job.
$0
Super Guarantee a sole trader is paid on their own income. Unless you put it in, nobody does.
5 yrs
How far back unused concessional cap can be carried forward, if your super balance is under $500,000
$20k
Instant asset write-off limit per asset for small businesses, permanent from 01/07/2026
Sound familiar?
The money side of the trade nobody taught you.
The pressure looks different depending on whether you work for someone else or run your own show. Plenty of our clients have done both.
If you work for someone else
Good money, not much to show for it
Overtime, allowances and a solid hourly rate. Yet the account looks the same at the end of each month, and you are not sure where it went.
Should I go out on my own?
Your boss charges you out at three times what you are paid. Going out on your own can make sense, but your super, leave, tools, ute and insurance all become your bill. Run the numbers first.
Super sitting in a default fund
Every job change used to start a new account. Old balances, duplicate fees and insurance you have never read, spread across funds you have forgotten about.
The first home or the next one
Buying, upgrading or adding an investment property. Each one locks in debt for decades, so it needs to fit the plan, not just the bank’s maximum.
If you run your own business
Busy is not the same as profitable
Booked out for months, materials paid up front, invoices paid late and BAS every quarter. The business turns over well, but how much of it is really yours?
Super was always next year
Your apprentices’ super is paid with every pay run. Yours may not have been paid at all. Personal contributions can usually be claimed as a tax deduction, and unused cap from earlier years may still be there.
Your body is the business
A bad back, a shoulder or a fall off a ladder and the income stops the same day. If you can’t work, what pays the mortgage and the finance on the ute?
What happens when you stop?
Slowing down, selling, or handing over to an apprentice or a son or daughter. Each needs a different plan, and the earlier it starts the more options you have.
Looking forward, not back
You run the business. We’ll look after the money.
We are not accountants. Your accountant looks back: last year’s return, the BAS, what you owe. We look forward: what you are building, what the next big decision should be, and when you can afford to stop.
Most tradies make money decisions on the run, between jobs, on a mate’s advice. What is usually missing is one person looking at the whole picture: the income, the super, the debt, the business and the family, and asking what it is all for. We work with your accountant, not instead of them, so the tax and the plan line up. If you don’t have one, Altiora Advisory can step in. If you own the business, our advice for business owners goes deeper on growth, succession and sale.
How we help
Smart decisions, made in the right order. One plan.
You call us first. We map where you are, talk to your accountant and give you one plan you can actually follow.
See the full picture
What comes in, where it goes, what you owe and what you own, including super you may have forgotten about. On one page.
Make the big calls
Going out on your own, putting on staff, buying a home or an investment, or moving to a company. We run the numbers before you commit.
Make the money work
Super catch-up, paying down the right debt first, investing outside the business and protecting your income if you can’t work.
Plan for the future
When you can slow down, what the business might be worth, and how to stop on your terms. Reviewed every year with your accountant.
Wealth Effect Group
Looking forward: the wealth plan
- Cash flow, debt and savings plan
- Should I go out on my own? The numbers, side by side
- Super consolidation, contributions and catch-up
- Income protection, life and TPD cover
- Investing outside super and the business
- Retirement, succession and sale
Your accountant
Looking back: tax and compliance
- Tax returns and BAS
- ABN, company or trust set-up
- Deductions, the ute, tools and write-offs
- Payroll and super for your crew
- Personal services income rules
- ATO correspondence
Keep your own accountant and we will work with them. If you need one, our referral partner Altiora Advisory, a separate business, can help.
What you get
Five things you will finally have in writing.
Your money on one page
Income, spending, debt, super and assets, so you know exactly where you stand.
A straight answer on going out alone
What you would need to earn to come out ahead, once super, leave and running costs are counted.
A super plan
Old accounts rolled together, contributions set, and catch-up years used where you are eligible.
A protection check
What happens to the family and the mortgage if you can’t work, and whether your cover matches.
One yearly check-in
Your accountant does the tax before 30 June, then we review the plan. Same plan, every year.
Personal advice is provided in writing in a Statement of Advice, with the fee agreed up front. Tax advice comes from your registered tax agent.
Illustrative example
Going out on your own. What do you need to earn to stand still?
A simple illustration, not a real client. An employed electrician earns a $110,000 wage and is thinking about going out on their own. Here is what the new business has to replace before it pays for a single tool.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Current wage | $110,000 |
| Plus super the employer pays (12%) | $13,200 |
| Package to replace | $123,200 |
| Weeks left to bill after 4 weeks’ holiday | 48 |
| Needed per working week ($123,200 ÷ 48) | $2,567 |
That $2,567 a week is just to match the old job. The ute, tools, insurance, phone, software, accountant and the hours spent quoting and chasing invoices all come on top. Going out on your own can still be the right move, and for many tradies it is. The point is to make the call with the real numbers, and to set up super and income protection from day one.
Illustrative example only. Not based on a real client. Uses simplified arithmetic, ignores sick leave, public holidays, tax and business costs, and is not a guarantee of any outcome.
Who it’s for
Built for tradies who are busy being tradies.
A good fit if you
- Are an electrician, plumber, builder, carpenter or any other trade
- Earn good money but aren’t sure you are making the most of it
- Are weighing up going out on your own, or have just done it
- Run your own business and have put little into your own super
- Want someone planning ahead while your accountant handles the tax
Probably not for you if you
- Only want a tax return or BAS done (that is your accountant’s job)
- Want vehicle or equipment finance arranged on this call
- Are looking for a get-rich-quick scheme
Questions we hear
Quick answers.
Are you accountants?
No. We are financial advisers. Your accountant does the tax returns, BAS and compliance, which is mostly about last year. We plan forward: what to do with what you earn, the big decisions and the long term. We work with your existing accountant, or our referral partner Altiora Advisory if you need one.
Should I go out on my own?
Maybe. It can lift what you earn and build something you can sell one day. It also moves super, leave, insurance and running costs onto you, and income can be lumpy at the start. We compare the two paths side by side so you can decide with real numbers.
I’m a sole trader. Do I have to pay myself super?
No. The Super Guarantee applies to employees, not to a sole trader’s own income. That is why so many self-employed tradies end up behind. Personal contributions are voluntary, and they can usually be claimed as a tax deduction if you lodge a notice of intent with your fund in time.
I’ve hardly put anything into super for years. Is it too late?
Often not. If your total super balance was under $500,000 at the previous 30 June, you may be able to use unused concessional cap from up to five earlier years. That can suit a big year. The rules are strict, so check before you contribute.
Do I need income protection if I have cover in my super?
Maybe. Cover inside super can be cheaper but often has limits on how long it pays and how it treats trade work. We look at what you already have before recommending anything.
What does it cost?
The first 15-minute call is free. If we go further, we agree any fee in writing before work starts, and personal advice is provided in a Statement of Advice.
Start here
Book a 15-minute call.
Tell us whether you work for someone else or run your own business, and what is on your mind. We will tell you honestly whether we can help, and what the next step would be.
- Free, by phone or Teams, early mornings by arrangement
- Employed tradies, sole traders and trade business owners
- We work alongside your accountant
- Licensed through Boston Reed Pty Ltd (AFSL 225738)
Life after the tools
You’ve built plenty for other people. Build something for you.
Fifteen minutes is enough to find out where you stand and what to do first.
General advice only. This page does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs, so consider whether it is appropriate for you and read our Financial Services Guide and any relevant PDS and TMD before acting. Tax and superannuation rules change often. Information is current as at 24/10/2026 and is a general summary, not tax advice. The illustrative example is not based on a real client, uses simplified arithmetic and is not a guarantee of any outcome. Wealth Effect Group (CAR 424768) and Andre Dirckze (AR 395157) are Authorised Representatives of Boston Reed Pty Ltd, ABN 89 091 004 885, AFSL 225738. Wealth Effect Group does not provide accounting or tax agent services. Where we refer you to Altiora Advisory, a separate business, we may receive a referral fee. See our important information.