Deborah J. Whiting Honored as an Expert in Accounting and Business Management

    SUBIACO, AUSTRALIA, January 29, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Deborah J. Whiting, FCA, Managing Director of Utopia CA Pty Ltd and Utopia Financial Services Pty Ltd, was recently named a VIP member of Worldwide Branding. This special distinction honors individuals who have shown exceptional commitment to achieving personal and professional success.

Ms. Whiting has 34 years of professional experience, with 10 years as a managing director of Utopia CA Pty Ltd and Utopia Financial Services Pty Ltd. Over the years, she has established herself as an expert in accounting, taxation, SMSFs, financial services and mortgages. On a daily basis, she is responsible for operating two practices that specialize in SMSFs and provide accounting, strategic tax and business advice. She is also responsible for managing a financial planning firm that provides strategic financial planning, mortgage broking and risk securities. Ms. Whiting feels that the highlights of her career have been becoming a chartered accountant, opening her first business in partnership, and starting her own practice all over again in 2003.

Ms. Whiting believes that to be good at anything, you have to be skilled and be committed to ongoing professional development, beyond what is required by your professional associations. Professionals also need to do their own research and obtain reference material from many and unusual sources. She feels that travel is essential to keep one's view of the world balanced. She states: "You have to have self-belief and confidence in what you are doing and have solid reasons behind the advice you provide. That doesn't mean you are arrogant or that you don't listen to others, or that you will not change your mind when presented with new, better evidence, but you have to do your own research and form a sound thesis for the course of action you are undertaking and have the courage to see it through. Following the pack is easier, but it does not produce innovation or the best outcome for you or your clients in the long run. You have to be prepared to take calculated risks and be prepared to be a 'rooster one day and a feather duster the next' and you need to challenge the status quo."

Ms. Whiting believes in tolerance, but she does not believe injustice should be tolerated, accepted or supported at any time. She references the quote "Evil prospers when good men do nothing," and adds, "If you have the power to make a positive change in your area of expertise, you should make the effort to pick one good cause and work for change at least once in your lifetime. Everyone is busy, but once you commit to a special project, you will find the time."

Ms. Whiting enjoys volunteering. She spent three years working on turning around the finances of her field hockey club. Some tough decisions had to be made that were not understood by everyone, and she took some flack for a while, however, the club is now very successful, and has a new fit out, state-of-the-art lighting, and a new turf. A new board of directors has continued the practices she established, which means the changes will be sustainable for future generations. She currently coaches "Under Nines" in hockey. Ms. Whiting notes, "They have so much fun, and they learn very quickly. The improvement in their skills over a season is always great to watch." Ms. Whiting has been involved with financial planning since 1983. She initially specialized in superannuation. In the early 1980s, she ran the super division of Ernst and Young. This breadth of experience gave her the perfect foundation on which to establish Utopia in 2003, creating a unique business model around her dual accounting and financial planning skills.

Ms. Whiting founded the firm in 2003, and the name Utopia was inspired by her wonderful days as a university undergraduate at St. Thomas More College. Thomas More, the "man for all seasons," has been her inspiration; he showed ultimate courage, intellect and integrity under the most pressured of situations and ultimately died for his convictions. The Utopia model seeks to set help clients set investment targets and, using a lot of skill and a non-conflicted remuneration strategy, help clients achieve their financial goals based on astute investments achieving sustainable returns through the cycles of the market. Ms. Whiting is separated by her diverse technical skills in complementary areas of finance, which allow her to solve complex problems for clients in more innovative ways than would be possible if she had single accounting, tax or financial planning skills. She has the ability to see the big picture and break large problems down to manageable problems. She is never complacent about her success or the firm's success, nor does she try to do the same one year as she did the year before. She believes that you have to continue growing a business or it will die.

Looking back, Ms. Whiting attributes her success to drive, tenacity and an independent business model. She is not owned by any financial institution, so client recommendations are based on an independent, non-conflicted assessment of their needs. She became involved in her profession because she had a desire to specialize in tax and investment from age 15.

Ms. Whiting received an advanced diploma in mortgage broking in 2001, and she earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia in 1980. In 2009, she became a mortgage broker. She is a CA Financial Planning Specialist, a tax agent, a chartered accountant, a Certified Practicing Accountant, and a Chartered Tax Adviser. She also maintains affiliations with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, CPA Australia, the Tax Institute, NTAA and AIOFP. From 2003-2005, she was honored with the Master Class Top 10 Adviser in Australia Award. The next step in her ongoing development is to complete an Executive MBA by 2016. She feels that the additional management skills will assist her in expanding the Utopia model outside of Western Australia.

For more information about Utopia Financial Services Pty Ltd, visit http://www.utopiafs.com.au.

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