Louise Pearce Solicitor, Shop 3 Commercial Avenue 4874 Weipa, QLD, Australia

Do I need to get legal advice? Yes, if you have been charged with an offence then you should get legal advice. A lawyer can:... explain what your offence means give you information and advice help you decide if you should plead guilty or not guilty explain what your penalty might be explain what will happen in court. See more

Beware of investment Advisors It is very common for mining towns such as ours to be the target of investment advisors or "investment groups" hoping to get people to sign up to their deals. There is the perception out there that everyone that lives in a mining town is wealthy with heaps of disposable income to splash around. This is not the case at all and given the regular uncertainty in the mining industy we need to be more careful than ever how we invest our money. So what ...should we watch out for? 1. Free services Free services are never free - someone is always getting a cut somewhere. Any investment service that hides its fee should be avoided. And do not doubt there is a fee or a commission being paid somewhere - these are businesses not charities - nothing is for free. If you are asked to "sign up" or "purchase" something including insurance services you can bet that a commission is being paid. For some famlies it may be more economical to pay for an appointment with an accountant for some advice that is tailored to your individual needs - there is no such thing as one size fits all. 2. If it seems too good to be true it is Fantastic investment returns, guaranteed occupancy rates and low fees are a fabrication. There is no way to get rich quick without exceptionally high risk. The detail is all in the fine print. Make sure you check it. 3. Sign up now - wont last long The big push to get you to sign up should be another warning. Do not pay any deposit, or sign any document that you are uncertain about. The people from these companies don't live here. They don't have to push their trolley through Woollies with us each week. This means they vanish and are not here to answer questions or take any critcism if it is earned. 4. Everyone gets a cut These businesses make it so simple. You sign up for an investment property. They have the land mapped out, the builder lined up, the lawyer to do the transaction, the surveyor to do the depreciation schedule and the accountant to do your tax. Do not be mistaken that every one of these gets a cut - and the company arranging it gets a commission from each for signing you up - this is not independent advice!!! and it often costs you more than if you engaged each one yourself - remember you pay for convenience. You can check for unreputable companies using this link https://www.moneysmart.gov.au//companies-you-should-not-de Just because a company is not listed doesn't mean its good - it just means it possibly hasn't been caught yet. Further information can be found at: https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/investing If you have questions or need a proposed investment contract examined please call our office on 40698258.