David Saynor - a smiling man with light skin, short light brown hair, wearing a dark suit jacket and white checkered shirt, sitting outdoors with a blurred green background.

David Saynor

Managing Director & Principal Adviser
BBus(FinPlan) SSA JP

QUALIFICATIONS AND CREDENTIALS

  • Bachelor Business (Financial Planning)

  • SMSF Association Specialist Adviser (SSA)

  • Justice of the Peace

I joined Atkinson’s back in 2003, aged 23, fresh from a year-long backpacking trip around the world.

For the next two decades, I had the privilege of being mentored by Steve Atkinson, who not only taught me the IQ and EQ of financial advice but also sparked a lifelong appreciation for good food and an excellent Shiraz.

I worked my way through the ranks from paraplanner to adviser, stepping into a leadership role in 2017 and taking the reins when Steve retired in 2023.

What’s always drawn me to this work is the people side — the conversations, the problem-solving, the satisfaction of helping someone turn a financial puzzle into something that finally makes sense.

Most people walk through our doors with a weight, a worry, or something they can’t figure out themselves. Our role is to work through the Rubik’s Cube of their situation — unravelling the complexity until everything clicks into place.

“The real reward is seeing the ripple effects of our advice.”

The real reward is seeing the ripple effects of our advice. One family we work with sold their business with a capital gain of over $1 million.  We were able to eliminate that tax bill through super strategies and tax-effective asset structuring. The impact flowed through three generations - funding grandkids’ school fees, long-postponed renovations, and a sense of financial comfort that changed their family’s future.

Outside the office, life’s busy in the best possible way. My wife, Kait, and our three kids, Harry, Lewis and Maeve, are my world. Both Kait and I come from close-knit families, so the grandparents play a big part in our lives.

Weekends are a blur of junior sport, family catch-ups, and the occasional round of golf. I’m a proud Hawks supporter (it builds resilience), love my cricket - I've travelled to England to watch the Aussie team play. I also keep an eye on the NBA and NFL.

For footy fans, I once came second overall in SuperCoach. Missed the $50k by 70 points.

Up close and personal with David.

  • I'm bending the rules slightly -I have two people.

    Kobe Bryant, comes across as the most driven individual of modern sporting times.

    Brian Cox (Physicist) - I am fascinated by space, space travel and whether humans will ever achieve an ability to expand beyond our solar system. Brian is one of the leading experts in this discussion and field.

  • "Things are never as bad or as good as they seem"

    This is a well-known saying often attributed to Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos, and also used by marketing professor and author Scott Galloway. It suggests that our perception of events can be distorted and that time and distance often provide a more balanced perspective on both positive and negative situations.

  • The Sportsman in me says Kobe Bryant; Mamba Mentality

    The Sci-Fi nerd in me says; The Three Body Problem trilogy

  • We are the Champions by Queen.

  • Cannot go past New York, New York.