Synopsis Lessons from a Conman

Lessons from a Conman
Synopsis

Based on a true story, Tracey and Will live on a sheep and cattle station in outback Australia with their 3 small children. They have basically everything anyone could ask for – a gorgeous family, a built in babysitter within 100 metres, their own home, ability to do as they choose and work when they choose as well as a fabulous off farm investment portfolio. The only thing they lack is self esteem and thereby what they perceive as freedom and happiness because they have no belief in themselves.

Despite being a qualified accountant Tracey feels their wealth is too large and that she is unable to mange it on her own. She is always looking for more - more love, more happiness, more freedom, more wealth and what she feels will bring security. All Will cares for is his families happiness, yet he lacks self confidence to make decisions so is happy to do what he believes makes Tracey happy. All they both want is to be happy and Tracey thinks the answer lies in wealth creation. That having enough money will solve everything.

Through their various fears and on the advice of friends, they seek to employ a financial mentor, whom they think will ensure their self worth, freedom, ultimate wealth and thereby happiness. Yes, call it greed! Ignoring all warnings – both from within themselves and others – they enlist the services of Chris, a supposed self made billionaire at the age of 30. They pay extortionate amounts to their newfound mentor who they believe will teach them everything they need to know and solve all their problems. Chris promises that all their dreams and desires will be realised as long as they do exactly as he advises. He can also provide everything required and they need not lift a finger – just concentrate on being better people and giving to others.

Chris advises them to sell all they had previously and to invest in his recommendations. Many of his ideas are based on personal development and the investment part he tells them is just the icing on the cake from becoming who you really are. Little do they know how much Chris is feathering his own cap. As things go wrong he leads them to believe it is all their fault due to their lack of personal development and that they just have to keep doing as he says to step up and be all they can be and the rest will follow. Through his eyes they feel immeasurably small, that all their failures once following his advice are their fault (not his) and that their achievements to date are insignificant.

Will and Tracey go on a wild ride lived only by the extremely wealthy and think they have truly made it despite seeing any evidence. They feel like they have entered Australian Idol or So You Think You Can Dance in that they are going to be the chosen ones to lead all others and show them the way to be all they can be.
Once they have done everything Chris has advised them to do and invested every hard earned cent, including their family inheritance, they one day awake to be told by trusted sources what a conman Chris really is. They employ the services of a solicitor to attempt to reclaim all they have paid Chris. So now they find themselves not only penniless but in extreme debt and their mentor hiding from them as best as he can. Eventually ASIC, the Fraud Squad and the ACCC become involved also as Chris has not only swindled them but hundreds of others as well.

The ensuing years and the struggles Tracey and Will go through are enormous for them. Not only have they endangered their own futures but that of their children’s – would they end up living in a car? They have invested everything they had as well as their children’s trust funds that they had started for them. Through indecision and trying to play the part of still being wealthy they then end up being many hundreds of thousands in debt. Trying to keep up appearances and hoping that what they have been able to hang onto will pay off and that no-one will realise their blunders is not only costly but exhausting as well. After trying to be honourable and repay their debts to the banks and others there is absolutely nothing at all left. They are shattered financially and emotionally and decide just to let it all go and be happy despite what is happening to them.

Read and feel the anguish that Tracey and Will go through and see how it is only a change in thoughts that changes their lives and lets them see all the good in the experience they have endured and what it is that changes their future. They always had everything they sought right under their noses!

The lessons they learnt and the years it took them to recover are immeasurable. Do not make the same mistakes yourselves. These conman are rampant throughout Australia – please learn from their mistakes – even if you think Tracey and Will are complete dimwits have a laugh at their escapades and advice – even if you only pick up one tip it could be a tip that saves you hundreds or maybe millions or could be the tip that makes you realise wealth is always right within your reach ... your own reach, not someone else’s ....