A man of many hats

Matt Meehan might be known locally for his financial smarts and friendly smile, but there’s more than meets the eye to this pillar of the Armidale community.

When you meet Matt Meehan for the first time, you’ll come face-to-face with a switched-on financial planner and accountant with a sharply-pressed shirt and a great smile. He’s smart, he’s sincere and he seriously knows his stuff when it comes to supporting farming families with all their financial needs and succession planning. Ultimately, Matt’s business Lifesolver Financial exists to help agricultural people prepare for life. 

But there’s more to Matt than meets the eye. Scratch the surface and you’ll find a mixed-up combination of all things quirky and fun – a story that begins at the age of 18. 

“I grew up in Melbourne and loved listening to dance music. I’d go clubbing with my mates all the time and later on at university I was given the nickname Movin’, because I was always dancing,” he says.

“One of my mates even became a professional DJ, but I had bigger plans. I decided to go jackarooing.”

Not your average fork in the road, but one that ultimately steered Movin’ towards a life dedicated to serving the land, the people who call it home and the community that comes with it. He made the call and responded to an advertisement in Stock & Land – weeks later, he took the 20-hour bus ride to Bollon where he met his boss, Mr Tinkler. 

“The man was six foot six and covered head to toe in red dust,” says Matt.

“There was no hello, just a simple ‘put your gear in the quarters and come over for dinner, son’. We shook hands and that was it – I worked alongside him for 12 months, attempting to tame the wild 50,000 acres of country he called home. There were some tough days and plenty of nights when we didn’t speak at dinner. But there were good days too, days that ended with him saying to me, ‘Oh Matty, it’s been a big day today, we better make it a two-stubby night tonight’. 

Movin’ on up

In those 12 months with Mr Tinkler, Matt learned firsthand the challenges faced by agricultural families – and all his career decisions since have fuelled his mission to help arm them with the tools they need for life on the land. 

From his first accounting job at Armidale’s Cameron Kirk Rose to working in agribusiness audits in Sydney’s Ernst & Young, and back to regional life and Cameron Kirk Rose before side-stepping to Rabobank as a bank manager and financial planner – Matt was building a powerhouse of knowledge. But knew he could put it to better use.

“I saw that I could do so much more for them than just their tax – I knew that I could also support them with their financial planning, their succession planning and help them achieve intergenerational harmony for a secure, successful future,” says Matt.

So Matt, never one to stop Movin’, went out on his own in the year 2000. 

“The business was originally called Agbis and helped farmers with their cash flow. After four years, I took up an opportunity with Rabobank, then Invest Blue, before ultimately stepping out on my own again in 2011. That’s when I launched Agbis Financial Planning and Agbis Accounting – we rebranded as Lifesolver in 2018 and we’ve been growing ever since.”

The first of Lifesolver’s key offerings is called ‘Farm Business Success’, a program that starts with a vision meeting designed to get people talking about their problems, their pain points, their opportunities and strengths.

“It’s all about them and their future – not only are we here to give them what they want, we’re also here to deliver what they need,” says Matt, who never turns up to a client meeting without a loaf of Goldfish Bowl sourdough under his arm.

“The key thing for farming families is succession planning, so our program supports them in their quest for a smooth transition to a bigger future. It doesn’t happen overnight, but our team will walk them through it every step of the way.”

Lifesolver has also recently launched a second program called ‘Farm Family Office’, where the business acts as a trusted adviser and business coach to farming families.

“Farmers like being on the farm, but they’re also running big businesses and don’t have time to be in the office,” adds Matt. “So rather than employing someone to manage things like preparing business planning, cash flow budgets and finance reviews, we partner with them to ensure that side of the business is taken care of. 

“It’s about being so much more than a tax accountant – we’re here to help them grow their business, build the best team possible and support them as a family. Because ultimately all those things flow into stronger rural and regional communities. It’s not just about finances, it’s about your mindset and wellbeing, a sense of community and bringing people together.”

You can find matt meehan with his business cap on at:

Lifesolver Financial
160 Rusden Street, Armidale
lifesolver.com.au
@lifesolver

Photography: Mike Terry