A Distant Start
Our firms namesake first operated in South Africa during the late 1980's, sharing the same values as we strive for today - innovation; client service; and proactive, practical advice.
Grounded in innovation
The Year is 1986 and upon noticing a gap in the market, Muriel first starts Alarie as an accounting/bookkeeping consultancy focusing on assisting business owners transition from paper-based manual record keeping to computerised systems. This was a time before the widespread adoption of even Microsoft Windows or Excel, both of which had only seen their first release a few months prior.
End of the beginning
Over the next few years, Muriel expanded the service offering by setting up a payroll, accounting & bookkeeping bureau which assisted those business who were not yet ready to undertake their own computerised systems. Eventually, this first iteration of Alarie would be sold to a local KPMG office in 1989, with the Oliver family departing South Africa.
The Meeting Place for Success
Following the Oliver family moving to Australia in 1994, Muriel spent ten years working in larger firms before finally being in a position to break out on her own, creating the foundation of our current firm, albeit with a different name - Forum Accounting & Advisory, which carried the motto "Your Meeting Place for Success".
Quality over quantity
Forum started with the goal of providing clients with better service while providing proactive steps to add value wherever possible. From the start it was clear that in order to achieve this goal, we needed quality systems, and pursued quality assurance certification for continuing external validation. As a result, the firm achieved ISO9001 quality assurance certification in 2006, which we maintain to this day & continue to view as instrumental to our firms stability and growth.
More space, please!
Our first office had served us well, however was nearing capacity and the location in West Perth left something to be desired, while clients had constant issues finding parking. The solution was clear, we needed a new office, and would eventually move to our current location on the corner of Stirling & Newcastle Street.
A family matter
Alan joins the firm during our move to the new Perth office in late 2007, taking over the day to day running of the business. This frees up Muriel to focus more on technical aspects of client work.
Forum's Next Stage
Forum has grown into the new offices and over time identifies new opportunities, noting the difficulty that clients in more complex structures had when applying for & gaining finance.
Credit crunchers
Forum Planning & Advisory (now Alarie Wealth) applies
for, and is granted their own Australian Credit License (ACL). This
Licence allows us to provide clients with credit advice relating to loan
products such as Residential/Commercial Mortgages, Motor Vehicle
Finance, and Personal Loans.
The apple doesn't fall far
Matthew returns to Perth and joins the Forum, taking over responsibility for the financial planning & mortgage broking arm, with Muriel focusing primarily on accounting and tax technical oversight as the firm continues to grow organically.
Enter, Primarius
Its time for a change, 2015 starts with Forum Accounting & Advisory becoming Primarius and has a bit of a face-lift.
Greater independence
Forum, and subsequently Primarius, had always provided financial planning services under the umbrella of a large licensee, which of course had both advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately the option of being self-licensed became an obvious choice, and after a lengthy application process spearheaded by Matthew, the firm was granted an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL) under Alarie Pty Ltd.
Alarie Once More
After much deliberation, the decision was made to simplify our name & branding, positioning the firm for our next stage of growth. Returning to the Alarie name became a clear option due to its simplicity, and reaffirmation of our core values, being innovation; client service; and proactive, practical advice.
In addition, it reiterated the strength of our multi-licensed operating model by grouping it under the umbrella of a common name.