I met Mark Hedderman at the FAAA Congress in Perth, and it didn't take long to realise we were aligned. Beyond the Irish accent, Mark brings a deeply human view of financial advice – one shaped by family, his own experience, and a belief that money is the vehicle, not the destination.

In this week's episode of It's Never About Money, we explore why financial advice needs to move beyond numbers and net worth, and towards wellbeing, health, purpose and connection. Mark shares how his family's story – including his father's cancer diagnosis just months into retirement – reshaped how he thinks about success and legacy.

We talk about reimagining retirement as a time for unrealised dreams, not an end point, and how advisers can help improve health and life outcomes by asking better questions. Mark also explains how his firm is redesigning its advice model – reducing the focus on money and building in preventative health, social connection and family-wide conversations.

We finish with a powerful reminder of what great advice really looks like: someone who cares about you first, the money second – and who helps you live well, not just retire wealthy.

Because in the end, it's never just about money.

FIND OUT MORE:

https://hedderman.ie/

ABOUT IT'S NEVER ABOUT MONEY:

Joe Stephan is a Financial Planner with Stephan Independent Advisory, based in Melbourne, Australia: https://siadvisory.com.au/

It's Never About Money is powered by Stephan Independent Advisory: https://itsneveraboutmoney.com.au

It's Never About Money is a proud supporter of Cufa: https://www.cufa.org.au/