Finance and footy

Sam Fimis redefines the public perception of financiers'. His is not a world of greed, nor is he about keeping information to himself. His passion is finance and educating the masses on how to use the stock market to your potential, to grow wealth through smart investments. His passion for educating people on stock broking and creating a portfolio to suit their needs was the driving force behind his latest book Premiership Portfolio. Sam spills the beans of finance; and does it using a footy analogy that speaks to everyone.
"One of the first questions I ask a client is 'how did your footy team go on the weekend'?" he explains to Neos Kosmos. This not only breaks the ice with the client, but engages them in conversation about their team, the players, the draft selection and the end of year review. The same principles can be applied when tackling the Australian share market. He uses football analogies to explain the concepts and the strategy and allows you to use them to succeed in the Australian sharemarket.
Sam isn't your average stock broker. A private client adviser with Paterson's Securities, Sam noticed that using analogies for clients was the way to go to break down the convoluted nature of the stock market. He first realised that using AFL analogies to demystify the world of finance was effective when a couple of prominent AFL players did their work placement with the firm. Sam noticed that he was breaking down barriers with his clients - many of whom didn't have a finance background - he knew he was on to something and set out to get it all down on paper. After seven months, Sam had the framework of the book Premiership Portfolio.
Unlike other finance books, Sam's is easy to understand and uses six simple steps to explain how to build a successful share portfolio. The six steps follow the timeline of an AFL season, beginning with identifying talented shares and conducting your very own 'ASX draft camp', to undertaking an end-of-year performance review of your operations and performance. He says if you can understand AFL you can understand the stock market.
"I essentially go through what feels like an AFL Season and people can use their footy knowledge to understand the market and become better investors," he says.
It was whilst studying at university that Sam immersed himself in finance books and said that even though he read pretty much everything available to him, he found they were difficult to understand. Using financial jargon, the material failed to give the readers a simplified approach to the market, something that he has remedied with his book. He says everyday Australians can use the easy to understand material and take advantage of the stock market.
"I really enjoy meeting new people and talking to people," says Sam about his passion of working in the finance industry, "and for me the biggest thing is making a difference to people's financial future.
"You treat somebody else's money like your own as people work really hard for their money, so for me it's trying to effect their financial future in a positive way, and educating people along the way as well."
And educating people he is, through his first book Premiership Portfolio. Since last month's launch, the feedback this humble stock broker has received has been promising. He's even been told by some of his clients that they are giving the book to their 18-year-old children to give them a head start in the elusive market. After all, it was a decision by a 19-year-old Sam to invest in some shares that lit the fire in the then young man's belly to pursue a career that would see him succeed in leaps and bounds.
"They need to know they are investing in a business," says Sam on the fundamental key points to investing.
"When you buy shares you become a part owner in a company so if the company does well you do well.
"You have to use due diligence so you have to understand what kind of company you are investing in, have to understand the numbers behind it and also identify the risks associated in investing in a company such as that. And have a risk management plan in place.
"Like football you have to always have your eye on the ball and make sure you have a plan if it goes the wrong way. You need to know before you make the investment what you are going to do and how you are going to handle that."
For more information on Premiership Portfolio and to purchase a copy, visit www.premiershipportfolio.com