Jane Slack-Smith

BACKGROUNDER: Jane Slack-Smith Jane has never been one to shy away from a challenge. As a mining engineer she was one of the first women to enter the male domain of underground coal mining, and went on to become an explosives expert, training others in Australia and overseas. Jane has been recognised several times over the years for her contribution to the industry; she was profiled in the ABC's Australian Story; was awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship; and has been named in the Who's Who of Australian Women every year since its inception. In fact, it was the challenges of her ‘former life' as a female mining engineer specialising in explosives that originally set her on the path of making something with the money she was earning. As Jane says, "Let's face it if you work hard for the money (picture labouring underground on nightshift for a year) you should make your money work for you". Eight investment properties later, a multimillion dollar international residential property portfolio has confirmed what she initially thought "Once your money works for you a whole new world of choices open to you." Not a bad result over 10 years! Why property over other forms over investment? Jane's view is that with shares you can't just walk into the boardroom and say, "hey how about a few minor changes, a lick of paint and we'll increase the value" but with property you can see a return for your investment immediately. Jane and her husband have recently completed their 7 th renovation. "It is hard work and quite challenging" she says, "but the benefits are tangible and time and again I have seen my money and efforts pay off". Five years ago Jane established her own mortgage broking company specialising in helping investors kick start their property portfolio. "I started Investors Choice Mortgages, not because writing loans was my goal, but because it allowed me to educate people about property. I was able to help ordinary people define their strategies, make more informed choices and to work with them through their long term plans. In 2010, Jane was awarded the title of Australian Mortgage Broker of the Year as polled by 21,000 property investors. Jane is passionate about continuous learning and development, she attends many seminars each year and believes you should never stop learning and improving. In turn, she generously passes on - to her clients and her website visitors - the tips and tricks she picks up. "Every day I know that property investment is helping people achieve their goals and I can't think of anything better than being part of that," she says. Jane's goal is to help ordinary Australians achieve financial freedom through investment in property. She does this by sharing her own experience and knowledge of low-risk property investing via education sessions and workshops. "I strongly believe that you don't have to be wealthy to gain the knowledge to make a difference to your situation". To this end, Jane has developed a practical 2 day workshop designed to help would-be investors navigate the property investment landscape, make better choices, and achieve their financial goals. Jane is available to speak at conferences and seminars on ‘property investment strategies' and ‘making a profit through renovation'. She is also happy to customise small group education sessions to your needs.