FY 24/25 Wrap Up

As we wrap up FY24/25, we’re taking a moment to reflect on another dynamic year across the Maher Group. Each of our divisions has seen strong growth, welcomed new team members and clients, and achieved some notable milestones. Despite the ongoing challenges in the broader economic environment, we’ve remained focused on delivering high-quality, personalised service to help our clients succeed, grow and plan for the future.

BUSINESS SERVICES

It has been another busy and successful year for the Business Services team at the Maher Group. We have continued to grow with the addition of numerous new clients, from various industries, predominantly based in the St George and Sutherland Shires, but also all around Sydney. Our client growth has predominantly been  achieved through referral, which is a testament to the professional skill, client focus and service delivery of the Maher Group team. Throughout the year, our team has assisted clients with expanding operations across different states, the acquisition and sale of businesses, the transition of accounting software systems (including automation advancements), business advisory and the negotiation of payment arrangements with the ATO, on top of the ongoing compliance obligations of preparation of financial statements and lodgement of income tax returns and activity statements.

On our team front, it has been a year of transition for the business services division. We farewelled Julie Downie after nearly 25 years of incredible service at the Maher Group. While our team and clients were sad to see Julie leave, we wish her all the best in her retirement. We are excited to announce that 3 new team members have recently joined us, being Katie Michael and Jeremy Goodhew in our accounting and tax team and Kylie Wynne as a bookkeeper. They bring a diverse range of skills and experience to our team and we look forward to what they can bring to our clients and business. We also had Nicholas Moutevelis graduate from the University of Technology Sydney, with a Bachelor of Business degree majoring in Accounting and Finance. Nicholas has now commenced his Chartered Accountant programme and we wish him all the best with his ongoing studies. In challenging economic times, we look forward to continuing to support and advise our incredible clients.

ADVICE

We have had another record Financial Year at Maher Group Advice, which is a credit to the entire Maher Group network- including staff and our existing clients, who have all referred new business to us regularly. We have grown our Advice client family by 33 over the year, which is also a new record.

We helped successfully negotiate and manage 5 life insurance claims throughout this time too, which is another rewarding part of our business. We provide wealth protection for clients with families, those carrying debt, or looking to protect their incomes and/or their dependents in the event of an illness, disability, or even death.

Throughout the year we also helped 6 couples transition into the retirement phase of life. Another very rewarding part of our business, seeing clients realise their post-work aspirations and starting to enjoy their new-found freedom by travelling, volunteering, enjoying their hobbies or spending valuable time with family and friends. We look forward to another bumper year of action here at Maher Group Advice and can’t wait to help more new and existing clients on their journey towards financial freedom. 

FINANCE

It’s been a standout year for our Mortgage Broking division, with the team reaching several new milestones. Over FY24/25, we settled more than $63 million in loans—supporting clients across a range of needs including first home purchases, refinancing, SMSF lending, and commercial finance.

We were also proud to welcome Ronson to the team in August 2024. Ronson has brought a wealth of experience in personal loans and private lending, and his addition has further expanded our service offering and commercial lending capabilities.

This year, we had the privilege of helping 18 first home buyers step into the property market and 6 SMSF clients secure finance aligned with their retirement goals. The average loan size across our portfolio now sits at $755,000, and we’ve grown our total loan book to $226 million. We’re excited to carry this momentum into the new financial year and continue supporting clients at every stage of their property and investment journey.

AUDIT

Our Audit team had another strong year, expanding our footprint across licensed clubs, sporting organisations and charities. We completed first-year audits for Tradies, Forestville RSL, Wentworth Falls Country Club and provided ongoing consulting support to St George Leagues Club. We were also officially recognised as a ClubsNSW Industry Supporter. 

In the sporting space, we welcomed new clients including Wheelchair Rugby League Australia, Illawarra Basketball Association, and Corrimal SLSC. We also provided in-kind sponsorship to several local community groups including De La Salle JRLFC, Bonnet Bay Public School P&C Association and Illawarra Basketball Association. Finally in the charity space, we did a first year audit for ReLove.

Beyond our client work, four team members volunteered at the Elouera SLSC x Tradies Surf Awareness Clinic, supporting surf survival education for local kids. We also welcomed Zweli Khoza as our new Data Analyst, adding greater depth and insight to our audit offering.

We continue to be committed to providing the highest levels of customer service and value-add to our clients across the NFP sector, including licensed clubs, sporting organisations, charities, community groups and school P&Cs.  We’re proud to support the organisations that make a real difference in the community and look forward to continuing that work in FY25/26.

Thank you to our incredible clients, partners, and team members for making FY24/25 one of our strongest years yet. While economic conditions remain challenging, we’re entering the new financial year with strong momentum and a renewed focus on delivering value, guidance, and results across every area of the business. We look forward to continuing to support our clients’ goals in FY25/26 and beyond.