This may sound too good to be true, but Graeme insists that it isn’t, and anyone can do it. According to Graeme, gaining control of your personal finances is a skill, and it can be learned through training and discipline. It takes dedication, and much like having a trainer for personal fitness, it also requires accountability and hard work towards achieving goals. Graeme is CEO of Infinity Group Australia, and his team of personal trainer for “financial fitness” give one-on-one guidance to their clients, working toward the goals of paying off their mortgages and living debt free. It’s more than just setting up a monthly budget - though that is a major part of the plan - it is learning the value of each dollar, and how it can be used to build wealth for the future.

Graeme knows from personal experience the toll that financial stress can have on an individual, marriage, or family. He has over 20 years experience working in finance and real estate, but before starting his career, he came from humble beginnings in Wollongong on the NSW far South Coast, raised by his grandparents and a single mother. It was this upbringing that lead to his profound motivation to help people, and he set out to do that, with a career in finance at the age of 18. Graeme has since become an MBA Top 100 Broker in 2017 and 2018, a financial educator, motivational speaker, and acclaimed author of The Money Mentor: How to Pay Off Your Mortgage in as Little as 7 Years Without Becoming a Hermit that became an international bestselling book.

It was during his 10 years of working within the Big Four Australian banking system, Graeme saw first-hand how most modern financial institutions work with clients. He grew frustrated with the impersonal relationship and the one-size-fits-all packages for borrowing. He also noticed the lack of planning and knowledge clients receive when borrowing for homes and investments. This system, sadly, sets many borrowers up for failure, not for success. Clients all-too-often are set up with payments that are outside of their monthly income, and then end up using credit for purchases, layering on more debt and interest charges.

Most mortgage brokers become immune to these conversations and stories. After all, mortgage payments and debt are a fact of life, right? Not necessarily, says Graeme. He became increasingly driven to wanting to help everyday Australians to take control of their finances and become debt-free. He was inspired to start his own brokerage firm, and provide better and more personalised options for home buyers. Thus, he and his partner Rebecca Walker began Infinity Group Australia in 2013.

During his time with the banks, Graeme would listen to clients’ struggles, and there were many who purchased homes 6-8 years prior, but had still not reduced their principal and after re-financing were now paying more than their original loan. Reducing principal is one area that Graeme knew he had to do differently, and it is one of the main topics he covers in his MasterClasses. Debt will not decrease when payments are only paid on the interest of a loan. Now, one of the most frequent Graeme Holm reviews of Infinity Group Australia is the fact that clients are able to pay off more principal of the home loan balance in the first 90 days with Infinity than they do in the entire previous year prior with their former brokerage firm.

The first step in the Infinity Group process is getting to know the clients on a very personal level. This is vital because every individual borrower is different, so the finance managers at Infinity Group take their time with each client with a series of consultations. Graeme and his team work like personal trainers for finance. They want to know each client’s story, and understand the full picture of income and spending, financial struggles, and also their goals for the future. After this, the client and manager work together to create a personalised plan, a strict regimen that keeps clients within their monthly budgets.

The plans are set with goals that are achievable, which is key to keeping clients positive and motivated. Many Infinity Group clients notice results in as little as 30 days, staying within budgets, seeing clear changes in spending habits, and able to take large strides towards in paying off their debts.

The most important skill, and indeed the most difficult, that clients must master is cutting discretionary spending. By nature, humans want to spend the money that they earn. It’s an impulse that gives immediate satisfaction and feeling of reward. The Infinity Group trainers work side-by-side with their clients in meticulous detail, counting every single dollar and tracking where it goes. Every dollar earned has a purpose. Graeme’s students and Infinity Group clients are taught to know the value of each dollar, knowing that it can either go to simple temporary gratification, or towards building wealth for the future.

Graeme sees too often that clients are spending outside of their monthly income, and often it is for small purchases, which are easily paid for with the swipe of a credit card. They may seem insignificant, but, like leaks in a roof, they are destructive in the long run. Graeme encourages that clients never purchase anything on credit, saying “If you can’t pay cash, then you’re not buying it!”. He knows this is tough love, but it is one of the most significant changes that clients can make towards their futures.

Another aspect that Graeme knew he wanted to do differently when starting his own mortgage services firm was communication and availability. Most mortgage brokers may speak to their clients often at the beginning, to settle the deal, followed by only a few check-ins or phone calls later. Infinity Group trainers, by contrast, are almost always available to discuss progress and performance. They are standby to keep impulses and spending in check. Clients are also given 24/7 access to the latest, state-of-the-art budget management software such as My Prosperity that is a key Fintech platform. This program gives both trainer and client a very clear picture of their financial dashboard, with easy-to-read monthly statements and progress reports for account balances, earnings, spending, and taxes.

With thousands of client testimonials, Infinity Group has earned a stellar reputation and has become one of Australia’s fast-growing debt reduction and money management services. Infinity has earned multiple awards for customer service, and is among the ranks as one Australia’s top brokerage firms, winning The Adviser’s prestigious 2018 “New office of the year award. Graeme and Rebecca are transforming the cold, impersonal world of finance and the standard 30-year mortgage. Attendees of Graeme’s seminars and Infinity group clients report outstanding, heartwarming results and overwhelmingly positive reviews. It’s almost unbelievable, but 100% of clients report that they paid off more of their debt in the first three months with Infinity Group, than they had in the previous 12 months.

Infinity Group also reports an average of $50,000 of debt repayment annually per client, this is 5x times more than the average amount for Australian borrowers. It is also becoming more common that clients who had 30-year mortgages are able to pay them off in as little as seven to 10 years. Another outcome is that clients are touting the level of personalised customer service and care they receive with Infinity Group. They proudly say they feel “very comfortable”, or “like family,” with the one-on-one coaching and support they receive. Even better, others mention that financial burdens and stress are reduced, and that they are happier and healthier in their personal lives and marriages.

Graeme and Rebecca started Infinity Group with the goal to share his knowledge and educate everyday Australians about personal finance. Anyone can master the skills they need to become debt-free and build wealth for the future. It takes discipline, hard work and focus on short and long-term goals.

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