Let’s play a little guessing game. There are three statements about SurePlan’s Gareth Dormon, and one is NOT true.
- He has sailed the high seas on luxury cruise ships, auctioning art
- He is a financial advisor
- He trained as a chef in the UK and Europe
If you picked #2, then you are right on the money. Gareth has cooked, sailed, and sold his way around the world, but he stresses that he is not a financial advisor.
As SurePlan’s Client Development Manager, Gareth will likely be the first person you will meet after you call or contact the company when it’s time to put your financial future under the spotlight. One of his main roles in the business is completing an Initial Overview with you before one of SurePlan’s senior advisers takes over and drills down to the nuts and bolts of your financial plan. His other key role is coaching SurePlan clients to manage their finances better and keeping them accountable to their goals.
Gareth’s diverse and storied background has its benefits. It would be rare not to find some common ground when you jump online with him to talk about finances and how SurePlan can help.
“People are often confused by what we do. Is it mortgage broking or insurance, or is it about investment, managing your money, or preparing for the future? The answer is that we are all these things. We incorporate it all into a financial plan to give you some clear direction,” says Gareth.
After your initial contact with the business, the first team member you will meet is Gareth, most likely at 6pm or 8pm one evening. Like restaurant sittings, Gareth’s evenings are booked ahead, meeting potential SurePlan customers in their homes via an online meeting.
“Evening appointments are essential for many of our clients, as they all have busy lives. I get a good feel for people, and they can relax at home.”
He is a natural conversationalist around almost everybody; he has had a lot of practice at it.
Out at Sea
In 2009, on the same day that President Obama was inaugurated, Gareth joined luxury cruise ship Journey out of Fort Lauderdale to auction art.
While Obama was embarking on his eight-year tenure as US President, Gareth was getting his own initiation into the world of art in the humidity and heat of the Caribbean.
“I’d done art history at school, but apart from that, I didn’t know much about modern art,” he laughs.
As he was only allowed to sell art on days when the ship was at sea, the rest of the time was spent sightseeing around various ports in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. Then, there was fine dining and meeting passengers and crew members before hopping off one luxury liner and moving to the next.
The Virgin Islands one month, Dubrovnik in Croatia or St Petersburg, Russia the next. Go to a map of all the glamorous Northern Hemisphere cruising ports, and chances are that Gareth has been there. Antigua in the Caribbean, so that you know, is his favourite.
His art history knowledge didn’t count for much in the end. “I found out [buyers] weren’t all that interested in the art itself but more about whether it matched their carpets or soft furnishings!” he says. “It was a lot of fun.”
So, the question begs: Why would you give it up? Was it seasickness, too many games of shuffleboard with the grey nomads or just an aversion to the Erté Art Nouveau he had to sell constantly?
The past, present and the future
None of the above. In the end, it was the lure of New Zealand.
Gareth grew up in Henley-on-Thames, UK. As a kid, he thought his destiny was to become an architect because all his favourite cousins had taken up the profession, and he wanted to be like them.
Fate stepped in when Gareth was 17, having just started down the path of studying architecture.
One night with friends on an English country road, Gareth was involved in a horrific car accident that could easily have paralysed him. It took six months for him to recover and get his life back on track, and he discovered a silver lining during that time. He realised he was not excited about becoming an architect, so he changed direction and trained as a chef.
You work long hours in hospitality, which might explain why Gareth is unfazed working days and evenings. It is important to note here that he doesn’t do Fridays or weekends – that’s time exclusively saved for his family.
He still loves to cook for family and friends; find him @cheffygee on Instagram!
You’ve got to do things right.
Having spent several years here in the 1990s, the beauty of New Zealand brought him back, but the promise of an exciting new business proved to be the catalyst for his finding his passion. An old friend and SurePlan’s Managing Director, John Schell, had decided Auckland needed financial advice done well, and in 2011, the company was conceived.
Gareth was a key team member from the outset. “While other companies offered financial advice, they weren’t doing it particularly well. John convinced me to join him. I really enjoy it. I love what we can do for people,” he says.
If you book an appointment with Gareth, prepare for the first question he will ask once everyone has been introduced.
“Why am I here? It’s always the first thing to discover,” he says.
“Then comes the easy (but hard) questions like: When do you plan to retire? What income would you like to retire with?”
They are simple questions, but as you read this and ponder how you would answer them, you may find they are more complex than they first appear.
Most of us tend to avoid thinking about it. Gareth has become accustomed to the unique Kiwi mindset of future planning or the ‘she’ll be right’ attitude many people adopt when facing a problem.
If there is one thing that Gareth has taken out of meeting hundreds of SurePlan clients over the years, you will not be all right if you think a government pension or a Lotto windfall will pave your retirement street with gold.
An ever-increasing trend for Aucklanders is that more and more of us want to get out of Dodge. In the years he has worked in client development, Gareth has seen an upward trend of clients citing the need to find a cheaper home, have more food in their supermarket trolley, and ultimately look for a better lifestyle outside New Zealand’s biggest city.
Because one day, what you want out of life suddenly changes.
One minute, you’re Chef G, cooking up a storm until all hours of the morning, and the next, your passion turns into a job, which becomes a lifestyle you decide isn’t exactly what you wanted.
That was Gareth, the chef, who started out wanting to be an architect, turned his talents to hospitality, and then sold art to affluent cruise passengers. The latest chapter in his life now comes from a different sort of working office – the living rooms of SurePlan clients every evening. So, give them a call, book a meeting, and grab a coffee.
Gareth will be online to help you start your financial planning journey.
