Paul Bolstad is the CEO and Co-founder of AGS Financial Group. Paul started his career in financial planning in 1997, driven by a genuine desire to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives — not just in the good times, but through the challenging ones too.
As CEO, Paul measures success by the wellbeing of everyone AGS serves: clients receiving exceptional advice and service, and a motivated team empowered to deliver it. He believes AGS’s greatest strength is its one-stop-shop model, underpinned by a deep commitment to understanding what clients want to achieve and supporting them in getting there.
Outside of work, Paul is a lifelong learner who enjoys audiobooks and biographies of successful people, always looking to incorporate their lessons and stay ahead of the curve. He loves the outdoors — hiking, running, and spending time with his family at the beach — and is passionate about travel and experiencing new cultures. In many ways, he lives the same philosophy he encourages in his clients: make the most of what life has to offer.
In the media
Independent coverage, podcasts and interviews. See the full press hub for all AGS media.
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AGS Financial Group's acquisition of Hartley Financial
The adviser trade press covered AGS Financial Group's full acquisition of Hartley Financial and Tax & Wealth, a deal combining offices across Sydney and Melbourne and expected to add around $2.6 million in group annual revenue. CEO Paul Bolstad said what drew AGS to Hartley was a shared integrated model of planning, tax, accounting and lending under one roof, and matching values focused on the client relationship rather than the single transaction. Co-founder and director Alex Berlee said the main gain was geographical presence in areas where AGS had contacts but no local office, alongside the need for qualified advisers in a market thinned by post-Royal Commission standards. Clients on both sides keep the same advisers, phone numbers and offices, with continuity the priority through the transition.
- Money Management AGS acquires Hartley Financial in competitive market
- Financial Newswire Integrated wealth firms consolidate interstate reach via acquisition
- International Business Times Australia Sydney Financial Firm AGS Group Acquires Hartley Financial Amid Aggressive Wealth Sector Competition
- Professional Planner AGS Financial expands into three new locations through acquisition
- Signalbase AGS Financial Group Acquires Hartley Financial
- MitchelLake AGS Financial Group M&A Activity: The Leadership Read
- MergerLoop AGS Financial Group / Hartley Financial Group (WA-85041) — ACCC merger review
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Meet the advisers pioneering the profession's AI adoption
Paul Bolstad (CEO, AGS Financial Group) is featured discussing AGS's ~$500k annual IT investment, in-house developers customising Salesforce to automate client meetings and document preparation, and how the ~80-person Sydney firm scales advanced AI/automation without the enterprise cost base.
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Financial Standard FS Advice journal white-paper case study featuring Paul Bolstad. PDF hosted on Financial Standard's Rainmaker media library.