Offshore financial planning support for Australian advice practices

Research and document preparation become a queue of their own. Once the SoA backlog grows, clients wait for advice that has already been agreed, and advisers spend evenings drafting instead of meeting new clients. A dedicated paraplanner gives that work an owner and moves it from strategy to a review-ready draft. Decide first whether you need technical paraplanning, implementation administration or client services, because each needs a different mix of experience and judgement.

Offshore financial planning work, stage by stage

Before the meeting. A client services officer books reviews, sends fact finds, collects super and insurance statements and organises file notes, so the adviser starts with a complete picture.

Research and modelling. A paraplanner compiles product information and comparisons for your adviser to check, and builds cash-flow, retirement and superannuation scenarios with the assumptions and tools your practice approves.

Drafting. The paraplanner prepares Statements of Advice and Records of Advice in your templates, from adviser instructions and file notes, ready for review.

Implementation. Once your team approves the advice, the client services officer works through application checklists, follows up product providers and insurers, and records progress in Xplan or AdviserLogic.

Ongoing service. Review packs, fee consent paperwork and annual review bookings, tracked so nothing lapses.

What stays with your authorised advisers

Advice stays onshore. Strategy, recommendations, the best interests duty, client sign-off and your licensee’s review sit with your advisers. The paraplanner drafts and models on instruction, and the client services officer prepares and follows up. Neither recommends products or discusses strategy with clients. Write those boundaries into the role brief. Tarino doesn’t give financial, legal or compliance advice.

How we screen paraplanners

Paraplanning is drafting work, so the practical assessment carries the most weight. For this role it could include drafting a section of an advice document from sample file notes, plus a short research summary, so you can read the work before you interview. For client services roles it could include a provider follow-up email and a file-organisation task. The search starts with 1,000+ candidates, and about 100 reach that practical stage. Around 20 make finalist review, and you meet 3–4, usually within about 2 weeks. See how each screening stage works. More than 95% of Tarino placements are still in the role at 6 months.

Your planning software, your licensee’s rules, your logins

Your hire works in your planning software and document storage under accounts you create. You set access levels, require multi-factor authentication and remove access when they leave. Client files stay in your systems, not an agency’s. You remain responsible for client information under the Privacy Act, including the rules on sending personal information overseas, and your licensee may add its own conditions. The offshore staff security checklist walks through access, MFA and offboarding.

Paying for capacity once, not every month

Managed agencies bill each month you keep the person. Staff Domain publishes A$1,099 per person per month, about A$13,188 a year, plus A$1,200 per hire (checked October 2026). Over three years, one paraplanner on that model costs about A$39,564 in fees on top of salary. With Tarino you pay a single recruitment fee per hire, nothing monthly, and your paraplanner keeps their full salary because you pay them directly. Run your own scenario in the offshore staff cost calculator, and read how to hire Filipino staff from Australia for the hiring options.

Not sure which role to hire first? Count the two queues: drafts waiting for review, and approved advice waiting to be implemented. Hire for the longer one.