Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Accomplishments
Affiliations
Certification
Gardening, Reading, Movies, Walking, Soccer, Travel
Work Availability
Timeline
Paula Durrant

Paula Durrant

Huntington Beach,CA
Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.
Marie Curie

Summary

Proactive Trust Officer who prides themselves in being very client-centric. Experienced with trust documentation financial analysis, cash flow, budgeting, and forecasting. Enjoys helping individuals with the development and implementation of their personal financial plans. Focused on successful women in business and helping them with their trusts, estates, tax planning, and the delivery of strategic financial advice.

Overview

16
16
years of professional experience
3
3
Certification

Work History

Trust Officer

Austin Capital Trust Company
05.2018 - Current
  • Interview clients to determine current income, expenses, tax status, financial objectives, risk tolerance, and other information needed to develop their personalized trust plan.
  • Established and deepened more than 300 existing client relationships by reviewing and monitoring their trust planning.
  • Coached and advised 30 clients in trust plans and processes to achieve their goals for legacy, asset protection, and tax objectives.
  • Answering clients' questions about the purposes and details of their trust plans and strategies.
  • Developed recommendations specific to the client's financial situation on a variety of topics, like charitable gifting, gifting, and estate planning.
  • Met with clients to discuss assets, expenses, and long-term and short-term investment goals to devise personalized trust plans.
  • Partnered with attorneys and CPAs to provide specialized trust and estate planning support to clients from diverse populations often with unique needs.
  • Guide clients on the process of collecting important financial documentation for evaluation, using eMoney and MoneyGuidePro.
  • Keeping client financial plans optimized for current market trends and economic conditions.
  • Expanded customer base through referrals, strategic partnerships, and networking.
  • Reviewed historical records, current data, and information to identify and capitalize areas of client enhancement and client opportunities.
  • Quickly learned new skills and applied them to daily tasks, improving efficiency and productivity.
  • Demonstrated respect, friendliness and willingness to help wherever needed.

Vice President Client Support

Austin Capital Trust
05.2018 - Current
  • Identified opportunities to improve client onboarding, review, and closure processes by streamlining the flow and therefore increasing the overall productivity.
  • Hired and managed 5 employees to maximize productivity while training staff on best practices and protocols.
  • Established 3 major performance goals and provided guidance to reach those milestones.
  • Increased client retention by improving client experience, by returning queries within 24 hrs.
  • Increased product uptake by collaborating with RIA's, Attorneys, and CPA firms.
  • Decreased workflow by analyzing input data and improving processes.
  • Maximized opportunities by initiating a client review and reporting process to identify products applicable to target clients.
  • Improved client experience across all areas.
  • Helped lead the operational team in the creation, rollout, and management of 2 new product lines.

Owner, Superannuation Auditor, Tax Manager, CEO

Durrant's Accounting Services (DAS)
07.2007 - 04.2018
  • Prepared and reviewed 150 income tax returns, for businesses, trusts, and individuals in accordance with applicable tax laws.
  • Offered friendly and efficient service to customers, and handled challenging situations with ease.
  • Recommend successful retirement plans (superannuation) to help individuals and business owners plan for retirement.
  • Guided clients through compiling important financial histories and documentation for evaluation.
  • Cultivated and strengthened relationships with hundreds of new clients and educated clients on superannuation, tax, and accounting services and capabilities.
  • Assisted over 400 individuals and 60 business owners in making beneficial and strategic decisions regarding their personal and business wealth, to align the accumulation of their wealth with their goals and objectives.
  • Participated in interviews, performed observations, and evaluated pertinent information to supplement the audit of individuals' superannuation.
  • Developed an auditing program to address risks and evaluate regulatory requirements.
  • Planned and executed audit phases and data input into the audit software for analysis.
  • Gathered and analyzed financial data to determine where improvement could be made.
  • Produced and reviewed audit reports for submission to ASIC and advised clients on audit recommendations and improvements in their record keeping and internal controls of their superannuation funds.
  • Developed policies and procedures for effective practice management.
  • Oversaw accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting.
  • Provided supervision and management to a team of professional tax accountants and support personnel.
  • Addressed and remedied all client or team member issues.
  • Communicated closely with clients, ensuring their tax, accounting, and superannuation information was kept private.
  • Built productive relationships with accounting software producers, banks, and investment advisors to help expand our services offered, with loans, and audit insurance.
  • Managed partnerships and strategic business relationships by negotiating contract terms and handling conflicts.
  • Reviewed individual department performance and worked with leadership to improve processes, procedures, and practices.
  • Monitored the use of best practices at levels and implemented corrective actions to bring employees into compliance.
  • Prepared organization for forecasted demand levels through effective operational planning.
  • Coached and guided senior tax professionals to improve effectiveness and policy enforcement, resulting in improved 100% employee retention and 20% higher performance levels.
  • Met dynamic needs by keeping internal systems scalable and highly responsive.

Education

BBA - Major Accounting And Finance

Edith Cowan University , Australia
06.1998

Skills

  • eMoney and MoneyGuidePro
  • SalesForce CRM
  • RMD, Roth and IRA Cash Distributions
  • Investment Strategy
  • Estate Planning
  • Tax Planning
  • Trust Planning
  • Charitable Giving
  • Retirement Planning
  • Investment Planning
  • Support Services
  • Budget Preparation
  • Presenting virtual and face to face
  • Time Management
  • Google Docs, Sheets and Drive, Microsoft Office 365

Accomplishments

  • Achieved client satisfaction through effectively helping with complaint handling.
  • Supervised team of 3 staff members.
  • Documented and resolved worthless alternative asset allocations in client accounts which led to reduced custody costs for the company and the client.
  • Collaborated with team of 5 in the development of Digitalization of Client Onboarding.
  • Achieved successful audits by completing the collection of evidence with accuracy and efficiency.

Affiliations

  • Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards
  • Financial Planning Association of Orange County
  • Enrolled Agent
  • CPA Australia

Certification

  • CPA - Certified Public Accountant
  • IRS Enrolled Agent
  • Certified Financial Planner, CFP® - April 23-24
  • Series 65 exemption, CFP® - April 23-24

Gardening, Reading, Movies, Walking, Soccer, Travel

Improving my gardening abilities

Reading fictional and self development books

Good edge of your seat thrillers and romantic comedies at the movies

Enjoy walking my dog especially by the beach

Avid supporter of English Football

Enjoy travelling, especially experiencing different foods and ways of life

Work Availability

monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Timeline

Trust Officer - Austin Capital Trust Company
05.2018 - Current
Vice President Client Support - Austin Capital Trust
05.2018 - Current
Owner, Superannuation Auditor, Tax Manager, CEO - Durrant's Accounting Services (DAS)
07.2007 - 04.2018
Edith Cowan University - BBA, Major Accounting And Finance

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Paula Durrant