Profile
"West Oak’s success has come from always putting our clients’ best interests first and always finding ways to improve and add more value to them"
Andrew mcquiston,
west oak family office, wellington-altus private wealth
Vega financial adviser Alexander McAlpine is optimistic about the future.
He says the last year was “a year like no other” but helping so many clients to buy property was very rewarding.
“There were a lot of financial challenges, thanks to COVID – and this is where we, as advisers, needed to go above and beyond for our clients.”
McAlpine is firmly fixed on his mission.
“[My] role as an adviser for Vega is to work in the best interest of the client and to get the best interest rate and mortgage structure,” he says.
Vega is a company on the up with an expanding presence in New Zealand. McAlpine brings his fluent French language skills to work, but French is just one of some 13 languages used in daily business at the Vega offices, he says.
Not that he has been spending much time at the office lately. One of the silver linings of the pandemic has been the shift to remote work.
“Our clients prefer now to do video calls rather than face-to-face contact, because it's easier for them – they can do it from the living room rather than having to go to a cafe or come to the office,” McAlpine says.
“Location is no longer really an issue.”
This means he doesn’t need to waste time in Auckland traffic and can easily cater to clients all over the country. He doesn’t even need to be in New Zealand to stay in touch.
McAlpine was able to take his work with him on a family-related trip to Colombia and the US at the end of 2021 and conduct meetings with clients in the Caribbean sunshine.
The upcoming year will be an interesting one for the industry, he says. With around 60% of mortgage holders having at least part of their mortgage coming off a fixed rate in the next five or six months and moving to a significantly higher rate, McAlpine says he is ready to step up for his clients.
“This is where, as mortgage advisers, we earn our stripes and negotiate a better deal with the banks but also talk about loan structure and, if [a client’s] situation has changed, about how we can kind of offset those increases.”
Coming from a banking career before moving into mortgages, McAlpine says one strategy he has employed more often in recent months is the use of offset loans for clients who have savings with the lending institution. Borrowers can save money by having the interest payment calculated only on the net balance of the loan, minus the amount in their savings account, while still having access to the savings for emergencies.
152 Fanshawe St, Auckland CBD 1010
02 9200 3711
alexander@vegalend.co.nz
www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-mcalpine-53142170
www.vegalend.co.nz
Alexander McAlpine
Mortgage Adviser
Vega Mortgages
Read on
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Milestones
2020–present
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
Deputy Principal at Australian Christian College - Southlands
Doctor of Education
2020–present
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2021
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Year 7 Community Leader and Leader for Learning Technologies and Platforms at Northern Beaches Christian School
Master of Business Administration, 2017–2019
2021
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2012
2015–2017
2017
2020
2021
Alexander McAlpine
Mortgage Adviser
Vega Mortgages
Read on
Special Report
Home
Bio
Milestones
Profile
Milestones
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
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2012
2015–2017
2017
2020
2021
Alexander McAlpine
Mortgage Adviser
Vega Mortgages
Read on
Special Report
Home
Bio
Milestones
2021
2020
2017
2015–2017
2012
2021
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
Launched his own business, Ascend Financial Services
2021
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2020
Human Resources Magazine | key media
Joined Vega Lending as mortgage adviser
2020
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2017
Human Resources Magazine | key media
Left banking to become mortgage adviser
2017
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2015–2017
Human Resources Magazine | key media
Mobile Mortgage Manager at BNZ
2015–2017
2009–2011
2012
human resources | key media
Started out in banking at BNZ
2012
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Milestones
“It's becoming very important, especially as the banks start tightening up,” he says.
Of course, for financial advisers there are issues that continue to cause headaches. These include ongoing repercussions from tweaks to the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act; changes to interest deductibility for investors; and, more recently, bank restrictions on lending to low-deposit investors.
McAlpine is not overly concerned.
“I'm always optimistic,” he says. “Change in the market has been happening and will continue to happen; it's just how you adapt.”
He says it’s important that people get the right advice that is current, because not all lenders react to such changes in the same way.
If clients are unable to get an approval now, McAlpine is happy to work with clients to help put them in a position to get a loan three, six or 12 months down the track.
Those who already have a loan can take comfort that banks have been stress-testing applications at very high levels for some time now.
“There's a big buffer even if rates do go up.”
Still, it’s essential to stay ahead of the game. “That’s why it’s important to speak to an adviser like myself, because we know what's happening, and we can help structure loans to mitigate those risks,” McAlpine says.
He says there will be no problems on the road ahead that can’t be overcome with the right advice.
“My personal goal is to keep providing exceptional service to my clients to help as many people as possible achieve their dream of buying their first home or investment property.”