Our Team

Ben Kingsley is the Founding Director of Empower Wealth and Chair of Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA). A qualified Property Investment Advisor (QPIA), Ben holds a Real Estate Agency License (QLD), a Certificate IV in Mortgage Lending, a Diploma of Business and has become one of Australia’s leading experts in property investing for wealth creation.

Ben founded Empower Wealth in late 2007 after a successful career in Resort Tourism Sales and Marketing.

Passionate about personal wealth creation, yet frustrated by the lack of independent property advice and the quality and balance of information in the marketplace, Ben turned his attention to building a truly specialist advisory practice. Empower Wealth combines all the key areas of wealth creation professions including; Property Investing, Finance, Money and Wealth Planning, Risk Management, Superannuation, Shares, Managed Funds and Estate Planning.

Hand picking the very best and most qualified specialists, Empower Wealth has become one of Melbourne’s leading wealth advisory consultancies with a major point difference – everything is under one roof.

Ben’s ultimate goal for the business has always been very simple – provide clients and potential property investors with access to specialist advice and tools which will help them achieve superior investment returns and ultimately total financial independence.

His philosophy is that with a little effort, a commitment to building knowledge and a support network of qualified professionals, anyone can vastly improve their wealth outcomes, almost irrespective of what income they currently earn. This approach, coupled with experience building his own multimillion dollar portfolio, has seen Ben personally help hundreds of individuals and households invest into millions of dollars worth of residential property for either owner occupied or investment purposes.

In 2012, Ben was appointed to the Chair of Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA). PIPA is a not for profit association whose mandate is to increase the professionalism of those in the industry and to champion consumer protection from unscrupulous operators. PIPA is currently lobbying government to have the property investment industry regulated by ASIC. As the Chair of PIPA, Ben is at the forefront of the industry and is a contributor of content to the newly revised QPIA (Qualified Property Investment Adviser) certificate level course offered by PIPA.

20 years experience in property investing, finance and wealth creation, together with a comprehensive understanding of industry regulations, issues and trends, has positioned Ben as a genuine expert in property finance and money management.

Ben is a regular media contributor and keynote speaker and will be featuring in the upcoming Melbourne Home Buyers and Property Investor Shows.  He appears regularly as a panelist and commentator on Sky Business News ‘Your Money, Your Call’ and Melbourne Property TV.

Ben also writes for Money Magazine, Smart Property Investor and Your Investment Property Magazine. 

Enquiries

For information on having Ben Kingsley speak at your next event, or to arrange an interview, please contact us on 1300 123 842 or enquiries@empowerwealth.com.au

Cameron Morgan is a Director at Empower Wealth and has more than 12 years experience in property investing. Cameron holds a Bachelor of Science (Physiotherapy), Certificate 4 in Financial Services and a Diploma in Finance and Mortgage Broking Management. He is also an active member of the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA), the Credit Ombudsman Service (COSL) and a multi-award winner having recently been awarded as Mortgage Professional Australia (MPA) Top 100 Broker for the Year of 2012 and Elite Business Writer 2012 by The Adviser.

Cameron is a qualified Physiotherapist and managed his own successful Physiotherapy for more than ten years before turning his attention to wealth creation. Following a passion for property investing that saw him start his own portfolio more that a decade ago, Cameron joined the Empower Wealth team in 2008 as a contractor and quickly advanced to Director and Head of Finance.

In his role, Cameron creates tailored strategies which help Empower Wealth clients achieve their individual financial goals. This involves conducting a critical review of the client’s financial and personal situation followed by a number of recommendations around loan structuring and budget planning.

Cameron’s goal when working with clients is to educate and demonstrate how easy it can be to make their money work harder. Using simple steps together with a sophisticated wealth simulation tool, Cameron guides his clients through the planning phase and lets the numbers do the talking.

With a growing property portfolio, and being a business owner himself, Cameron knows exactly how fear can cause so many people to procrastinate and not actually get into investing. It’s Cameron’s experience that he draws upon to help his clients overcome the fear and take action.

Cameron’s vast experience in the business and property space has given him invaluable knowledge of the industry. He regularly contributes to media articles and was recently featured in Your Investment Property Magazine.

Bryce Holdaway is a director at Empower Wealth and Co-Host of Relocation Relocation Australia and Location Location Location Australia on Foxtel’s Lifestyle Channel. A qualified Buyers Agent and Financial Planner, Bryce holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting), Real Estate Agent License and Diploma in Financial Services (Financial Planning).

Bryce Holdaway’s appetite for property investing spans eighteen years starting when he first stumbled upon Jan Somers’ book -  ‘Building Wealth through Investment Property’ in 1994. Bryce was studying to be an Accountant at the time but was frustrated with the well-worn path of accounting and knew somehow he would make a career out of property investing. 

Fast forward a few years and Bryce is now one of Australia’s foremost property experts and commentators.

Joining Empower Wealth as a director in 2012, Bryce’s philosophy is that property investment is simple, but it’s not easy. In his role, Bryce works with first time investors through to experienced property portfolio builders who are seeking to create a life changing retirement lifestyle.

Bryce is also the co-host of Relocation Relocation Australia and Location Location Location Australia on the Lifestyle Channel giving him unprecedented access and knowledge of Australia’s property hotspots. 

Professionally, he holds an Accounting Degree, a Diploma in Financial Services as well as a Full Real Estate License and this unique collection of qualifications, along with almost a decade and a half of experience in the property industry, allows Bryce to relate well to all types of property buyers and investors. 

A regular keynote speaker on the property speaker’s circuit, including the Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane & Perth Property Expos as well as at regular professional events around the country, he prides himself on making complex property concepts simple and easy to understand.   He has contributed feature articles in Money Magazine and columns in Your Investment Property magazine, The Sunday Times along with interviews on the 7PM Project, 2GB and 2UE (Sydney), 3AW and MTR (Melbourne), 4BC (Brisbane) and 7HOFM (Tasmania).

Enquiries

For information on having Bryce Holdaway speak at your next event, or to arrange an interview, please contact us on 1300 123 842 or enquiries@empowerwealth.com.au

Michael Pope is the Money and Wealth Planner at Empower Wealth. Michael possesses a MBA, a Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning) and a Bachelor of Engineering and is an expert in the area of financial modeling software.

Michael has an engineering background, and spent over 20 years at Telstra working in the engineering and information technology fields.  During that time, he developed a number of analysis and forecasting tools on a variety of software platforms, starting out using the first ever PC spreadsheet program, VisiCalc, and progressing through MultiPlan and Smart Spreadsheet to every version of Excel for PCs.  It was here that he first started to develop his knowledge and interest in modelling and forecasting software, creating a suite of tools to forecast demand for data services.

On leaving Telstra in 2002, Michael embarked on a career as a private Share Trader, and spent five years as an educator in the field of buying and selling shares for profit.  His experience working with people as an educator led him to believe that there was a widespread need for more comprehensive education on financial matters, including money management and wealth creation.  He utilised his software knowledge in this area also, developing software for theoretical simulation of the performance of mechanical share trading systems.

In 2008, Michael started looking for ways to extend his role as an educator and began to investigate systems and tools which would clearly and simply show people where they were and how they were going financially, and which could then assist people to understand and manage their money more effectively, with the ultimate goal of giving people the strategies and tools to create more wealth and achieve financial independence. This led to a meeting with Ben Kingsley, where both realised the synergy of this work with the visions and goals of Empower Wealth.

Since joining Empower Wealth in 2009, Michael has spent much of the past 3 years developing and refining the software tools that underpin Empower Wealth’s Personal Wealth Management Program, including the Personal Financial Fact Find and Wealth Projection Simulator tools.

Michael’s role at Empower Wealth allows him to use his passion for analysis and education, to help clients understand their current financial position, take control of their money and achieve better financial outcomes.

Catherine Bakos is a director at Empower Wealth and has more than 17 years experience in property investing. Cate has a Bachelor Degree in Chemistry (Hons), Certificate 4 in Property Services (Real Estate), a Certificate 4 in Financial Services (Mortgage Broking). She is also a licensed real estate and a Qualified Property Investment Advisor accredited by Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA).

Commencing her love affair with property investing at the age of 21, Cate recognised after completing an honours degree in Chemistry that her passion for property, negotiation and people were going to supersede any possible career in science.

After a short stint in sales and marketing at Dulux, Cate transferred her skills from chemical sales to property sales and she has never looked back.

Eleven years later, and with a multimillion-dollar property portfolio of her own, Cate joined Empower Wealth as a director harnessing her strengths in property appraising, selection, property management and negotiating to create tailored property solutions for her clients.

Cate’s experience in finance and mortgage broking also holds her in good stead when it comes to understanding cashflows, lending policy and the specific implications of any investment property purchase.

Making property investing a reality for everyone through education has always been her point of difference and she prides herself on being able to genuinely understand people’s fears, barriers to action, motivation and ultimate goals.

From residential investments to commercial property, leveraged self managed superfund investments to interstate property, Cate is an expert at diverse and high yielding asset management. What she really loves though is negotiating. Her demure and friendly appearance belies a strong negotiator who always looks outside the square when it comes to thinking creatively.

Cate is a regular media contributor and was recently featured in Your Investment Property Magazine, Money Magazine and appears regularly on Sky Business News ‘Your Money, Your Call’, Melbourne Property TV and ‘Your Property Empire’ on Foxtel. 

Enquiries

To arrange an interview with Cate Bakos, please contact us on 1300 123 842 or enquiries@empowerwealth.com.au 

Michael Savy is a Financial Adviser at Empower Wealth and has more than 14 years’ experience in banking and financial planning industry. Michael holds a suite of qualifications including; a Bachelor of Commerce (Corporate Finance), Certified Financial Adviser (CFP) and is a SMSF Specialist Adviser with the Self Managed Super Fund Professionals’ Association of Australian (SPAA). Michael is also a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australia.

Acknowledging a passion for economics from as early as high school, Michael’s career goal was to become a Stockbroker. After a summer working in the industry while studying, Michael realised he much preferred the holistic and personalised nature of financial planning and this insight led him to a career at Empower Wealth.

Michael is the principal Financial Adviser at Empower Wealth and provides advice in a number of areas including financial assets such as shares and managed investments, superannuation and personal insurances.

Using his skills to provide guidance to his clients, Michael finds it extremely rewarding to witness their wealth creation strategies come to fruition in later years.

Michael is keen to continue building his own investment portfolio into the future.

Justin Berger is a Finance Advisor at Empower Wealth and has more than seven years experience in property investing. Justin holds an Advanced Diploma in Business (Marketing), a Certificate 4 in Financial Services (Finance/Mortgage Broking) and a Diploma in Finance and Mortgage Broking Management.

With a background in sales and marketing, Justin spent five years in the tourism industry working for a marketing firm based in North Queensland. Following his stint on the sunny coast, Justin took his next step into the world of beer, landing a role at a craft brewery in Richmond. Prior to this, Justin spent five years as a Rugby Union Development Officer coaching rugby throughout Melbourne and Victoria.

Justin’s interest in property and figures started as a hobby which saw him attend open for inspections even when he wasn’t in the market to buy. This passion, and a genuine belief that property would result in a financially sound future for him and his family, led him to Empower Wealth. He was a client at first, but it became clear that he was keen to get involved, so in 2010 he joined the Empower Wealth team as an Advisor.

Justin’s role within the business is to analyse a client’s financial situation and put a plan in place to help them achieve their goals through purchasing and investing in property. On a daily basis Justin reviews over 25 lenders to select the best loans that will maximise his client’s investment.

Justin considers listening to be the single most important aspect of his job. From there, he sees clear communication and analysis as well as an eye for detail as crucial.

Monique Ledden is a Finance Advisor at Empower Wealth and has more than 11 years in property investing. Monique holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) in Accounting, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance and a Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning and Finance/Mortgage Broking Management). She’s also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA), Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA), Chartered Secretaries Australia (CSA) and the Mortgage and Financial Association of Australia (MFAA). Monique is also a Victorian Real Estate Agent Representative.

From an early age Monique have had a love of numbers and during high school she became fascinated with balance sheets and profit and loss statements, at which point she decided to pursue a career in accounting. After graduating university with an accounting degree, she spent her first 7.5 years in an accounting policy role at Ernst & Young (and predecessor firm Arthur Andersen). Her role included researching the accounting treatment of proposed transactions, advising of ways to structure transactions to achieve the desired result and ensuring compliance with accounting standards.

Wanting further exposure to the commercial aspects of structuring transactions and implementing accounting policy, she worked at Telstra for 6 years prior to joining Empower Wealth. Her years at Telstra has seen her playing a variety of roles from Corporate Accounting to managing the training and development program for Telstra’s Finance team.

As a client of Empower Wealth for 6 years, the opportunity to join the Empower Wealth team presented itself in 2012. She had already obtained relevant property and investment qualifications for personal interest over the last few years and having already established a property portfolio of her own, the opportunity to join the Empower Wealth team was too good to pass up.

Her role as a finance advisor is to help source the most suitable home loan based on the client’s situation, taking into consideration both the client’s current situation, and the impact of any future plans that the client may have. As part of this process, an individual strategy is created to provide recommendations on loan structuring and educated on money management to help achieve their financial goals.

Bob Quadara is a Relationship Manager at Empower Wealth and has over 40 years experience in the financial planning and insurance industry.

Bob worked for a many years as a business owner before deciding on a career change. He entered the financial planning industry back in 1970 with one of Australia’s largest financial institutions now known as – AMP.

Bob joined the Empower Wealth team as a Relationship Manager in 2011 and provides dedicated support and services to a select number of clients.

Bob remains one of Empower Wealth’s most esteemed team members and continues to provide invaluable insights drawing on his extensive years of specialist industry experience.

Elizabeth Bing is a Paraplanner at Empower Wealth and has more than 16 years experience in wealth creation and property investing. Elizabeth has a Diploma of Financial Planning, Graduate Diploma in Finance and Investment, a Bachelor of Economics (Majoring in Banking and Finance) and full accreditation to deal in Derivatives Level One and Two.

Commencing her career as a Group Insurance Administrator for one of Australia’s larger insurance companies, Elizabeth decided the role wasn’t for her and moved into stock broking.  After cutting her teeth as a Dealer’s Assistant for a large American broking firm, Elizabeth moved on to work for one of the firm’s largest options trader.  This role included being a designated trading representative (putting option orders on the market).   

After several years, Elizabeth was offered an advisory role with another broker to service the needs of financial planners. With the advent of ‘online trading’ it quickly became apparent that a larger audience needed to be captured so she began specialising in ‘option trading’.  Whilst pregnant and experiencing the start of one of the nastiest bear markets, Elizabeth decided it was time to acquire other skills and obtained a Diploma in Financial Planning. 

Elizabeth joined Empower Wealth in 2012 as the Key Support Leader for the Money and Wealth Planner. Elizabeth helps determine appropriate strategies for clients and then ascertaining the most appropriate execution for these strategies.  Working in a small team, Elizabeth tasks include; pricing insurance, writing advice, filling out application forms and dealing with super fund providers.

Working at Empower Wealth has given Elizabeth exposure to the magic of compounding, how by choosing the right investment and letting ‘it do its thing over time’ makes investing seem simple. And, being able to learn about various asset classes by working with property, fixed interest and managed funds experts.

Outside of the office, Elizabeth is actively involved in a charity called the Gertrude Players.  The mission of the charity is to work for the relief of poverty through the promotion of art and culture.

Elizabeth draws on more than a decade and a half experience in wealth creation and property investing to offer insights and commentary on various topics and has been an expert columnist in the Sunday Herald Sun.

Cristina Rodriguez is the Office Manager at Empower Wealth and possesses more than a decade of experience in finance. Cristina holds a Bachelor Degree in Arts (English Language and Literature) and has worked at leading financial institutes both in Australia and overseas.

Born in Spain, Cristina spent the majority of her early career in England after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. With a special interest in finance, Cristina started her career at Lloyds TSB progressing rapidly from a Cashier to a Customer Service Manager.

Keen to explore more of the world, Cristina moved to Australia where she commenced a role at GE Money looking after the sales and compliance processes.

Cristina joined the Empower Wealth team in 2011 as Office Manager where she was responsible for processing loans from submission to settlement. This role has transformed into a leadership position with a strong operational focus and Cristina is now responsible for managing change, office procedures and processing daily accounts.

Empower Wealth has given Cristina a new passion for property. She has enjoyed the opportunity to utilise her experience in banking, compliance and customer service while developing a strong interest in investment.

Cristina is continually building on her property investment experience and is looking to start her own personal property portfolio this year.

Ivise Gan is a Business Support Officer at Empower Wealth and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Accounting and Finance and a Masters in Business Administration and Professional Accounting.

Ivise’s career in business administration commenced while she was studying her MBA and working part time at Deakin University in the customer service area. The role had a marketing skew giving Ivise experience in project co-ordination, visual art productions and high-level customer engagement. While she enjoyed the interaction, Ivise craved for an opportunity to practice research and data analysis.

Ivise’s intrigue towards the property market began when she took on a role as an External Auditor specialising in property development. She also published a journal on International Business Economics, which demonstrated how the market reflects economic factors. Having gained experience in the early stages of property (construction and development planning), Ivise was keen to explore the latter and much more interesting stage – property investment and wealth creation. This led her to Empower Wealth.

Working in a business support role for a Buyer’s Agent, Ivise puts her researching and coordinating skills to practice including; researching and updating residential property data, keeping up to date on infrastructure developments and migration movements, systemising process flows, updating client strategy reports and general administration support.

Drawing from her early experience in marketing, Ivise is also responsible for aspects of the CRM, company website and social media strategy.

Since starting at Empower Wealth, Ivise claims she has caught the ‘property bug’ and is keen to build a diverse-but-not-too-huge investment portfolio which will support her future lifestyle. 

Shelley is a Customer Service Officer at Empower Wealth and holds a Masters of International Finance, a Masters of Professional Accounting and is a CFA Level 1 candidate.

After studying Biomedical Science at university and completing one year of research, it became apparent that Shelley was not keen on exploring a long-term career in the field.

With a genuine interest in numbers and having journalised her cashflow and expenses for eight years (just for fun), Shelley acknowledged that this was her calling and signed up to complete a masters in Finance and Accounting.

With a new focus, Shelley took on work experience while completing her degree. A graduate role at Empower Wealth became available and this was her first official job in finance – she has never looked back!

One year on and Shelley is a full time and valued member of the Empower Wealth team. In her role as Customer Service Officer, Shelley supports the finance team with mortgage application preparation, submissions and follow-ups through to loan settlement. She also liaises with clients and banks to manage documentation, queries and approvals ensuring that all parties have an effortless and enjoyable experience.

Shelley considers communication, attention to detail and critical analysis as the most important aspects of her role and is continuing to learn more about property investment.

Amanda Lin is a Research and Finance Analyst Assistant at Empower Wealth and has a Commerce Degree from Melbourne University (Majoring in Actuarial Studies). Amanda is also an active member of the Actuarial Institute of Australia.

Passionate about property investing, Amanda has always seen the potential in Australian property markets believing that in terms of volatility and long-term return, investing in Australia is far better than a lot of other investment options.

This personal interest motivated Amanda to explore a career in property investment after graduating from her commerce degree.

In 2012, Amanda joined the Empower Wealth team where she supports the development and implementation of personal accounting products and services as well as assisting with financial assessments, research and client reporting analysis.

Keen to challenge and develop her skills, Amanda sees her role at Empower Wealth as a great way to broaden her knowledge and propel her into the property investing space.

With this in mind, a multi-million dollar property portfolio is on the cards for Amanda who is already looking at honing her skills and creating a future investment plan of her own.