Véurr Financial Planning is a Canberra-based financial advisory firm. Our head office is in Deakin, walking distance from Deakin shops, and we see clients in person there, in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Goulburn and surrounds, or remotely.
I’m Maciej Stanek AFP® (ASIC Authorised Representative No. 000449178). My colleague Imran Amjad (ASIC No. 000321135) and I are the advisers you’d be working with directly. We specialise in financial advice for Australian public servants — members of CSS, PSS, and PSSap — and for serving and former Defence Force members across DFRDB, MSBS, and ADF Super. We also advise on redundancy financial decisions, retirement planning, the proposed Division 296 super tax, and broader wealth strategy.
Véurr operates as a Corporate Authorised Representative (No. 1307015) of Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd (AFSL 229892). Both Imran and I are listed on ASIC’s Moneysmart Financial Advisers Register — you can verify either of us there before we ever speak.
The Initial Meeting is complimentary — about 45-60 minutes, with no obligation. By the end of it you’ll have a clear sense of whether we’re the right adviser for your situation.
Who we are, and who we work with
Véurr was set up because we saw a specific gap in the Canberra advice market: the schemes most public servants and Defence Force members are in — CSS, PSS, PSSap, DFRDB, MSBS — have rules that are genuinely complex, and most generalist financial advisers don’t work with them often enough to be fluent in the decisions. The result is that members end up either making big decisions without proper modelling, or paying for advice that misses scheme-specific nuance.
I’ve been advising Australian households for over 2 decades, and over that time the largest single concentration of decisions I’ve worked through has been with Commonwealth public servants and Defence Force members. The 54-11 question for CSS members. The pension-versus-commutation trade-off for DFRDB. The PSSap salary-sacrifice optimisation question. The MSBS member-component decisions during service. These are decisions that, made well, change retirement outcomes by years of comfortable living. Made poorly, they’re not always recoverable.
Imran joined Véurr because his depth on the Defence side complements the public-servant work. Between us, you’re not getting a generalist with a scheme summary sheet — you’re getting two practitioners who advise on these schemes nearly every week. ASIC verifies both of us as Authorised Representatives. Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd is our licensee — an independent AFSL holder, not owned by a product manufacturer, which matters when you want advice that recommends what’s right for you, not what pays the licensee.
Read more about Maciej and Imran
What we actually advise on
We’re explicit about the niches we’re strongest in, because we’d rather refer you elsewhere than take on advice we’re not specialist in.
Public servant superannuation — CSS, PSS, PSSap. These three schemes coexist within the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC) framework, and members of each face different decisions. For CSS members approaching age 54 and 11 months, the involuntary-retirement pathway and the lifetime pension calculation are usually the conversation. For PSS members, the defined-benefit calculation and the lump-sum-versus-pension trade-off at separation are central. For PSSap members, salary-sacrifice strategy within contribution caps and asset-allocation choices inside the scheme tend to dominate. Scheme rules sit with CSC; we advise on what to do once those rules apply to your situation. Read our detailed public-servant guide
Defence Force schemes — DFRDB, MSBS, ADF Super. Defence Force members sit across three different super systems depending on when they joined. DFRDB members (pre-1991 entrants) face commutation decisions at separation that have long-tail consequences. MSBS members (1991-2016) balance employer-funded and member-component decisions during service. ADF Super members (post-2016) work within an accumulation structure with its own contribution dynamics. We also advise on the financial-planning implications of Invalidity Benefit classifications and how Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) entitlements — including the Special Rate (TPI) — interact with super and tax. CSC owns the eligibility rules; DVA owns the entitlement decisions. We advise on what to do once those determinations are made. Our DFRDB and MSBS guide
Redundancy financial advice. With the 2026 APS workforce review currently in progress, this is a high-volume conversation for us. Whether you’re considering a voluntary offer or facing an involuntary process, the financial decisions go well beyond “should I take it” — there are ETP tax categories, super timing, leave-payout treatment, and the question of how to structure the next 12 months of income. We work through the specific numbers, not the general advice you’ll find in employer briefing packs. Our redundancy advice guide
Division 296 super tax planning. The proposed additional 15% tax on super earnings attributable to balances above a high threshold has moved through legislation and amendment. For clients potentially in scope, the planning conversation now is whether — and when — to adjust contribution strategy, asset allocation within super, or structural settings. Current rule detail sits with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and Treasury; we work with the live state of the legislation, not the version from six months ago. Our Division 296 explainer
Retirement planning. For both defined-benefit and accumulation members, retirement is a sequence of decisions: pension election timing, asset allocation in drawdown, Centrelink interaction, and the long-tail tax treatment of different income streams. Our retirement planning guide
Investment and broader wealth strategy. For households outside the public-servant or Defence-force niches, we advise on long-term wealth strategy — asset allocation, tax-effective structuring, goal-aligned portfolio review. Strategic advice on your situation, not product-of-the-week recommendations.
We also advise on personal risk insurance where these intersect with the broader plan, and we coordinate with specialist providers where the situation warrants it.
Who our clients typically are
The pattern of who walks through the door has been remarkably consistent.
Commonwealth public servants approaching key decision points. A CSS member close to 54 and 11 months trying to decide whether to take involuntary retirement under the early-access provisions. A PSS member at separation working through the lump-sum-versus-pension calculation. A PSSap member in mid-career optimising contribution strategy against the contribution caps. The trigger is usually a specific scheme-rule moment, not a generic “I should see an adviser” thought.
Serving and former Defence Force members at career inflection points. DFRDB members considering commutation at separation. MSBS members reviewing employer- and member-component balances. ADF Super members working through transition-to-civilian strategy. Veterans navigating DVA entitlements and how they interact with super and tax. The conversation is almost never just about super — it’s about what the next decade looks like in income, location, and lifestyle.
APS workers facing redundancy decisions. With the 28,000-job workforce review underway, this cohort has grown sharply. The decisions span tax treatment of ETPs, super contribution timing, leave payouts, and post-employment income strategy. Most people come to us because they’ve been given a 7-14 day decision window from their department and need a clear model of what each option actually means.
High-balance super holders working through Division 296 planning. Households with super balances at or approaching the proposed threshold. The conversation is about whether the current trajectory is right given the proposed tax, and what — if anything — to do now versus once detail firms up.
Households outside the public-servant or Defence niche working through retirement strategy, SMSF questions, or broader wealth planning. We work with these clients too, in addition to the public-servant and Defence-force specialisation.
How we work — your first meeting and beyond
The advice process is the same regardless of which niche you sit in. Five steps, no surprises.
Step 1 — Initial Meeting (complimentary, 45-60 minutes). This is a conversation, not a sales meeting. You tell us what’s on your mind. We tell you what we’d typically look at for someone in your situation. By the end of it, you’ll know what advice would actually involve, roughly what it would cost, and whether we’re the right adviser to deliver it. There’s no obligation to proceed.
Step 2 — Engagement decision. Both sides decide. If we’re not the right fit — for example, if your situation is outside our specialist areas — we’ll say so and refer you elsewhere where we can. If we are the right fit, we send you an engagement document covering scope, fees, and timelines.
Step 3 — Discovery and strategy development. We gather what we need to advise properly — your scheme statements, payslips, tax positions, existing investments, insurance arrangements. Then we model the specific decisions in front of you. For CSS or DFRDB members this often involves running multiple scheme-mechanic scenarios. For redundancy clients it’s modelling tax-and-income outcomes across acceptance options.
Step 4 — Statement of Advice (SoA). Once the modelling and strategy work is complete, we prepare a written Statement of Advice — the regulated document that sets out our recommendations and the reasoning behind them. We walk through it together so you fully understand each recommendation before any decisions are made.
Step 5 — Implementation and ongoing review. For clients who continue with us, we coordinate the implementation of the SoA and meet annually (more often if circumstances change) to review the plan against where you actually are. This isn’t an automatic ongoing-fee arrangement — it’s a deliberate decision both sides make.
How specialist advice differs from a generalist Canberra adviser
This isn’t a knock on generalist firms — they serve a legitimate market. But for the specific decisions we work on, generalist advice often misses things that matter.
The difference shows up in three places.
Scheme-rule fluency. When we advise a CSS member on the 54-11 pathway, we’re working from current CSC rule detail, not a summary that may be two updates old. When we advise an MSBS member on member-component decisions, we know which decisions are reversible and which aren’t. This kind of depth comes from doing the work weekly, not annually.
Licensee independence. Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd is a privately-owned, non-institutional AFSL — not part of a bank, super fund, or investment-platform group. Lifespan is one of Australia’s largest privately-owned licensees and has been operating since 1994. This means the strategic advice you receive isn’t shaped by an institutional product manufacturer’s commercial interest. The questions we ask are about your situation, not about whether something fits a particular product menu.
Direct adviser relationship. When you engage Véurr, the adviser you meet at the Initial Meeting is the adviser who’ll do the work. We’re a small practice — that’s deliberate. We’re not handing your file to a junior paraplanner you’ve never met.
A useful question to ask any prospective adviser: “How often do you work with CSS / PSS / PSSap / DFRDB / MSBS members?” If the answer is vague, the depth probably isn’t there.
Questions to ask before engaging any adviser
Common questions we hear from prospective clients
A summary of the questions we field most often in Initial Meetings.
How do I know if you’re the right adviser for me? If your financial situation involves CSS, PSS, PSSap, DFRDB, MSBS, ADF Super, an APS redundancy decision, or Division 296 super tax planning, we’re likely a strong fit. For broader retirement and investment strategy questions, we’re also a good fit but not uniquely positioned. For specialist areas we don’t cover deeply, we’ll refer you to someone better placed.
How long does the financial advice process take? From Initial Meeting to SoA delivery is typically three to six weeks, depending on the complexity of your situation and how quickly we can gather the information needed. Urgent decisions (e.g. a redundancy offer with a short decision window) can be expedited where it’s responsible to do so.
Are you AFSL-licensed? Yes. Véurr is a Corporate Authorised Representative (No. 1307015) of Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd (AFSL 229892). Both Maciej (ASIC 000449178) and Imran (ASIC 000321135) are individually listed on ASIC’s Moneysmart Financial Advisers Register.
Do you work with people outside Canberra? Yes. We see clients in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Goulburn and surrounds by arrangement, and many clients work with us entirely remotely. The Initial Meeting can be in person at our Deakin office or via a video call.
How do you charge for advice? Fees are quoted at the engagement stage, after the Initial Meeting, once we understand the scope of the work you’re asking us to do. We charge for the strategy work, the SoA, and any ongoing review arrangements separately — there’s no hidden product commission structure. We talk through fees clearly before any engagement is signed.
What’s the difference between a financial adviser and a financial planner? In Australian regulatory terms the labels are largely interchangeable — both apply to advisers authorised under an AFSL. What matters more than the label is whether the adviser is specialist in your situation and whether their licensee structure aligns with the advice you need.
How do I verify your credentials independently? ASIC’s Moneysmart Financial Advisers Register at moneysmart.gov.au lists both of us with our authorised-representative numbers, our authorising AFSL (Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd), and our compliance history. The Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) Find-a-Planner directory also lists both of us as members in good standing. We strongly recommend you check us — and any adviser you’re considering — on both registers before engaging. It takes a minute.
What if I just want general information, not personal advice? We publish detailed guides on each of our specialist areas on our website. These are general information, not personal advice. If you’d like to discuss your specific situation, that’s what the Initial Meeting is for.
Verify our credentials independently
We’re easy to verify. The federal government maintains the Moneysmart Financial Advisers Register at moneysmart.gov.au as the authoritative source on who’s authorised to provide financial advice in Australia and what their compliance history is.
- Maciej Stanek — ASIC Authorised Representative No. 000449178. Verifiable at the Moneysmart Financial Advisers Register and the FAAA Find-a-Planner directory.
- Imran Amjad — ASIC Authorised Representative No. 000321135. Verifiable at the Moneysmart Financial Advisers Register and the FAAA Find-a-Planner directory.
- Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd — Australian Financial Services Licence No. 229892. Verifiable on ASIC’s AFSL public register.
- Véurr Financial Planning Pty Ltd — Corporate Authorised Representative No. 1307015 of Lifespan Financial Planning. ABN 16 635 751 423.
Before you engage any adviser — us included — we suggest checking the Moneysmart register yourself. It takes about a minute.
Book your complimentary Initial Meeting
Our head office is at Suite 30, 2 King Street, Deakin ACT 2600. We see clients in person there, in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Goulburn and surrounds by arrangement, or remotely.
The Initial Meeting is complimentary and runs about 45-60 minutes. You’ll come away with a clear view of whether financial advice would help your situation, what it would involve, and whether Véurr is the right firm to deliver it. No obligation, no follow-up sales call.
Véurr Financial Planning Pty Ltd (ABN 16 635 751 423) is a Corporate Authorised Representative (No. 1307015) of Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd (ABN 23 065 921 735, AFSL 229892). The information on this page is general in nature and has not been prepared with regard to any individual’s objectives, financial situation, or needs. Before acting on any general information, consider its appropriateness having regard to your own objectives, financial situation, and needs, and obtain the relevant Product Disclosure Statement before making any decision about a financial product.
