Brett Billington

As a Director and Financial Adviser at Up Wealth, Brett works with high-net-worth individuals, self-funded retirees, and small to medium business owners. He specialises in technical strategies for SMSFs, trusts, and financial modelling, helping clients build wealth, structure their affairs, and pass wealth on to the next generation.

This work is the best of both worlds for me. It blends capitalism and altruism. I get to use my brain, obsess over a problem until it's solved, and at the same time make a meaningful difference in someone's life. I get to be empathetic, solve hard problems, and not be emotional about it. That balance suits me.

The work I find most interesting sits at the intersection of complexity and care. Intergenerational clients with 20-plus entities. Money flowing everywhere. Different families with different priorities and objectives. The clients are overwhelmed, time-poor, successful in their own right, yet quietly buried. The role I play is to take that mess, add order, and give it meaning and purpose. The upside for wealth and for family life can be huge.

A big part of why I love this is the range. In a single day, I'm wearing the hat of an adviser, a tax thinker, a planner, a counsellor, sometimes a third-party witness to the drama of life. I get people to squeeze the most out of what they've built. Sometimes that's pushing them to enjoy it. Sometimes it's helping them keep building.

I'm also building a business with like-minded people, shaping the next generation of advisers to be the best in the business. Swimming in a dynamic environment, which is a polite word for chaos, is exactly where I want to be.

Outside work, I'm chasing fun and adventure with a pinch of risk. Trail running, surfing, hiking, fishing, and home improvements when I'm not with the kids. I coach my kids' soccer and hold a few board and business adviser roles on the side.