GREG POLGLASE - CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^®

As the middle child of a five-child family, with parents who both worked full-time as teachers, I learned to be independent from a very young age. I remember working for Crystal Cool Drinks when I was 12, doing door-to-door sales to earn the pocket money I needed to buy the latest Status Quo and Suzi Quatro records. (OK, I admit it, I also joined the ABBA fan club.)

Like most boys growing up in metro Perth, I spent my youth playing Australian rules football in the winter and cricket in the summer. I wasn’t great at school and the only subjects I really enjoyed were Phys Ed and Maths. (For some reason, I found Maths easy). By the time I reached Year 12, I was still very naive and had no clue about want I wanted to do. Lucky for me, my Dad got me a job with the Bank. I was saved!

There’s a saying: “You’re the same today as you’ll be in five years except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read”.

Lucky for me, I spent 17 years with NAB and met some truly wonderful people (including my wife). I had some great mentors early in my career to help me grow and mature into a professional person. I was able to work with clients of all different backgrounds and this provided me with valuable skills

In the prime of my banking career, I came across a book that I can recommend to anyone: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins. I guess it inspired an epiphany of sorts as it made me realise I wanted more – I wanted to make a difference. I left NAB to take up a new job inside an Accounting practice learning Financial Planning. I loved the financial planning role as it was an opportunity to use all my knowledge to help clients achieve their goals.

In 2003, Geoff Whitehorn and I formed Whitehorn Polglase Financial Advisers. We operated successfully for 15 years before Geoff sadly passed away after a battle with cancer. I continued with the business all the while knowing I needed to ensure our clients were supported well into the future. This saw us merge with HPH Solutions in February 2022.

The HPH team are very professional and have a ‘client-first’ approach – something that was a key for me to ensure that myself and my clients were part of a successful team.

My wife Janice and I have two wonderful boys who are making their own way in life. When I’m not looking after my clients, I’m a passionate Fremantle Dockers supporter. I also play a bit of golf, keep fit and love strumming the guitar. I keep practising so that I can be a rock star when I grow up!

—

Greg is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® professional (CFP^®) and has a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning.

Greg is a representative of TFG Australia Pty Ltd, AFS Licence No. 337755.