Empire Financial Group

26/05/2026

What an incredible evening at our recent client event – Empire Royale.

We were thrilled to welcome around 100 clients, professional partners and friends of Empire for a night of great conversation, connection and community support.

One of the highlights of the evening was coming together to support Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation, and thanks to the generosity of everyone in the room, we are proud to have raised over $10,000 for an organisation doing such important work for children and families in need.

A sincere thank you to everyone who attended, donated and contributed to making the event such a success. We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of our clients and broader community, and events like these are a reminder of the strong relationships and shared values that sit at the heart of what we do.

We also want to thank everyone involved behind the scenes who helped bring the evening together.

We look forward to hosting more events like this in the future and continuing to create opportunities for connection, education and giving back to the community.

05/05/2026

Last Thursday afternoon we brought the team together for a valuable training session, led by Matthew Hughes from Capital Property Advisory . We also welcomed Natale Ricciardi from Tactical Legal Solutions and Marco Russo from Regency Partners.

The session provided a timely update on property markets both here in Perth and across the country, with some particularly interesting insights into Melbourne, which is increasingly being viewed as a market with strong growth potential over the short to medium term.

It’s always valuable to step back from the day to day and hear directly from specialists across property, legal and accounting especially in a market environment that continues to shift and present new opportunities.

Sessions like this play an important role in how we continue to refine our thinking and ensure we’re giving our clients well-rounded, informed advice.

If you’d like to better understand how these market trends could impact your strategy, feel free to reach out.

04/05/2026

Most people don’t know exactly when they’re ready to retire.

And that’s the problem.

It’s not just about hitting a number, it’s about knowing you can retire with confidence.

We see the same signs come up:
- Work starts to feel optional
- The question “could I retire now?” comes up more often
- The focus shifts from building wealth to actually using it

But here’s what matters most, retirement readiness isn’t just financial.

It’s about having the structure, income, and flexibility to support the life you want after work.

Because getting that wrong can be just as costly as retiring too late.

If you’re starting to ask the question, it’s probably time to answer it properly.

Read more: https://lnkd.in/g3KathK4

Or book a conversation with us to understand where you really stand and what your next move should be.

13/04/2026

Last week before we broke up for the Easter break, we held a team training session focusing on current developments in the lending space.

We were fortunate to have Julie Bishop from The Lending Collective join us to run a session on the current state of the lending environment. Julie shared valuable insights on recent lender policy changes, particularly around trust lending, along with a number of complex case scenarios that sparked some great discussion across the team.

It was great to also be joined by James Steedman from Steedman Stagg Lawyers. James and Julie made some interesting comments around the interplay between trust lending and the anti-avoidance rule targeting trust reimbursement agreements where a beneficiary is entitled to trust income!

In a landscape that continues to evolve, sessions like this are critical to ensuring we’re providing informed, up-to-date advice to our clients.

Thanks again to Julie and James for their time and insights.

30/03/2026

Our latest article in The West Australian written by our Managing Director Ray Pecotic was published today and it touches on a pattern we see time and time again.

When markets become uncertain, the instinct is often to get out and wait for the right time to re-enter.

On the surface, that feels sensible. In reality, it’s where many investors come unstuck.

Markets don’t wait. Some of the strongest rebounds occur while uncertainty is still present and missing those early stages can have a meaningful impact on long-term outcomes.

It’s rarely the event itself that does the damage to markets, it’s the reaction to it.

The article highlights the importance of maintaining discipline, staying invested and focusing on long-term portfolio structure rather than responding to short-term headlines. A timely reminder in the current environment.

Read the full article here - https://www.efg.net.au/blog/3866-2/.

24/03/2026

Private markets are capturing more of the world’s innovation than ever before.

In Episode 10 of Conversations on the Couch, Raymond Pecotic from Empire Financial Group sits down with Phillip Cummins, Senior Managing Director at StepStone Group, to discuss the evolving role of venture capital.

Key insights from the conversation included:
- How a small number of companies drive the majority of returns
- Why companies are staying private longer than ever before
- Where innovation is emerging beyond the AI headlines

For many investors, the biggest takeaway is simple:
- A large portion of today’s value creation is happening in private markets.

This discussion also explores how the StepStone Spring Fund fits within our new EmpireBLACK portfolio for our sophisticated investors seeking access to these opportunities.

Watch the full conversation below.

In the latest episode of Conversations on the Couch, our Managing Director Raymond Pecotic sat down with Phil Cummins, Senior Managing Director in the Ventur...

17/03/2026

Markets have weathered every storm.

Markets have faced war, pandemics and uncertainty. Yet history tells a consistent story of resilience.

Looking at 13 major geopolitical shocks since 1941 (including Pearl Harbour, 9/11 attacks, COVID 19 and more):
- 13 out of 13 markets eventually recovered
- Average 1-year return: +11.4%
- Median recovery time: just 69 days
- Positive returns after 1 year: 69% of the time
- Even in the worst case: -42.9% drawdown, recovery still followed

The takeaway isn’t that volatility doesn’t matter, it’s that time in the market matters more than timing the market.

Short-term shocks can feel significant in the moment. But long-term investors are consistently rewarded for staying disciplined, diversified, and focused on the bigger picture.

In times of uncertainty, perspective is your greatest asset.

Data Sources: Fama-French 3 Factors [Daily] - Kenneth French Data Library (CRSP universe, July 1926 –January 2026). SPY ETF daily prices from Morningstar for Operation Epic Fury (Feb–Mar 2026).

10/03/2026

Continuous and shared learning is a core part of how we deliver better outcomes for our clients.

Last week our team spent the afternoon deepening our understanding of alternative investments with an insightful training session led by Chris McAlpine and Chris West, CIMA®, GAICD from Context Capital.

Chris shared valuable perspectives on:
- Defining alternatives in today’s market
- The strategic role alternatives can play in portfolios
- How to effectively communicate alternatives to our clients

These sessions are also a great way to connect and share with our professional network, so it was also great to have Ichtus Breytenbach from Frontline Finance Services join us for the event.

A big thank you to the Context Capital team for the insights and discussion. Sessions like this ensure we continue challenging our thinking, expanding our knowledge and ultimately delivering stronger advice for our clients and partners.

09/03/2026

UK Pension Transfers. It’s not just a form. It’s a strategy.

We regularly speak with clients who have worked in the UK and accumulated pension benefits they’re unsure what to do with. In light of the changes announced last year many of our clients are asking:
- Should I transfer it?
- Can I bring it to Australia?
- Will I be taxed twice?

The answer is: it depends.

UK pension transfers are complex. They sit at the intersection of:
- UK pension law
- Australian superannuation rules
- Cross-border tax considerations
- Currency risk
- Long-term retirement strategy

And in many cases, the right outcome isn’t simply “move it” or “leave it”, it’s understanding how that UK pension fits into your broader wealth plan.

For Australians with UK pension entitlements (or advisors working with them), this is an area where specialist advice genuinely matters.

06/01/2026

Another year of phenomenal growth for our business and our team, celebrated with our traditional Secret Santa gifting and then a fantastic lunch at Besk. Empire would be nothing without our amazing people, so thank you all for your efforts this year and Merry Christmas to you, our clients and our partners. Looking forward to what 2026 brings!