Your Finance GuideFind a vetted broker
YFG ApprovedVetted by our founder

Every broker we introduce is YFG Approved

That means over two hours one on one with our founder, references, reviews and accreditations checked, and a check-in with you after your first call. Here is the standard in full, so you can hold us to it.

Car, equipment or personal loan? Start here. Free, no obligation and no credit check at this step.

A broker talking a young couple through their options at their dining table
YFG ApprovedThe standard every broker meets

Six checks before a broker hears from you

A licence is the minimum, not the standard. Before a broker hears from you they pass six checks, and they have to keep passing them. It takes us hours per broker, and it’s meant to.

A broker answering questions across a desk in a long interview

Over two hours, one on one, before a broker hears from a single borrower.

  1. Two hours with the founder

    Andy spends over two hours with every broker: how they work, how they write loans and how they look after people. If they can’t show they know their profession, it ends there.

  2. References checked

    We speak to people who have worked with them, so we hear how they operate when nobody is selling.

  3. Reviews read

    We read what their clients say about them in public, the hard reviews as well as the good ones.

  4. Licence and accreditations

    Their Australian Credit Licence or credit representative number, looked up on ASIC’s register, membership of AFCA (the free complaints scheme) and their accreditations.

  5. Held to our rules

    Your enquiry goes to them alone, not to a list, and they call within one business day, already knowing your answers.

  6. Checked again after your call

    After your first call we ask you how it went. A broker who falls short loses their YFG approval.

Licensed brokers who meet our criteria pay Your Finance Guide a partnership fee to receive enquiries from this site. The fee is paid by the broker, not by you, and is not added to your loan. Paying the fee doesn’t buy approval: a broker who fails a check doesn’t get enquiries.

What happens when you enquire

Three steps, and you sign nothing until you’re sure.

  1. A couple reading through their loan papers at the kitchen bench
    Step 1

    Tell us what you need

    A few questions about the loan and your situation, then confirm your mobile number. No credit check at this step.

  2. A couple comparing their home loan on a laptop at the dining table
    Step 2

    One YFG Approved broker calls

    Within one business day, already knowing your answers. Your enquiry goes to one broker, not a list, so you get one call.

  3. A young couple sitting among moving boxes in their new home
    Step 3

    You decide, and we check in

    There is no obligation to go ahead. After your first call we ask how it went, and your answer decides who stays approved.

Andy McMaster, founder of Your Finance Guide

Why I built YFG Approved

I’ve spent more than a decade in the property industry, advising buyers and investors. Over that time I got tired of seeing people get ripped off: by lenders who let loyal customers drift onto worse rates, and by the people who were meant to be looking after them.

A home loan is make or break for a family trying to set themselves up. The right one gives you room to get ahead. The wrong one costs you for decades, and most people never find out.

I built Your Finance Guide to be a real benchmark in an industry that needs one. Before a broker hears from a single borrower, I spend over two hours with them, making sure they know their profession, know how to write loans and get people what they need. Then we check their references, their reviews and their accreditations.

It takes a lot of time. It’s meant to. If a broker doesn’t meet the standard, they don’t get your enquiry, and if they stop meeting it, they lose their place.

Andy McMasterFounder, Your Finance Guide

What we do, and what we don’t

  • We check brokers, we don’t lend

    Your Finance Guide is not a lender or a broker, and we don’t give credit advice. The broker you speak with is licensed to do that, and works out which loans suit you.

  • One broker, not a list

    Your answers go to one YFG Approved broker who works with loans like yours, not to a list of brokers or lenders.

  • How we are paid

    Licensed brokers who meet our criteria pay Your Finance Guide a partnership fee to receive enquiries from this site. The fee is paid by the broker, not by you, and is not added to your loan. Brokers are usually also paid a commission by the lender when a loan settles, so ask how they are paid. Read our Credit Guide.

Seven questions to ask any mortgage broker

Ours included. A good broker answers all seven without hesitating, and every YFG Approved broker expects to be asked.

  1. How many lenders are on your panel, and how many did you compare for me?

    Two or three is not a comparison.

  2. Why is this loan in my best interests? Can I have that in writing?

    By law a mortgage broker has to work that out. Asking for it is fair.

  3. How are you paid on this loan, and would another lender pay you differently?

    Commission is normal. Being told about it is the test.

  4. What is the comparison rate, and which fees make the difference?

  5. What does leaving my current lender cost: discharge fees, break costs or a cashback clawback?

  6. What happens to the rate when any honeymoon or fixed period ends?

  7. Does the new loan keep what I use, like an offset account or redraw?

Questions about YFG Approved

Who decides whether a broker is approved?

Andy McMaster, our founder, after spending over two hours with the broker and after we have checked their references, client reviews, accreditations and licence. Approval is looked at again whenever a borrower tells us something went wrong.

Can a broker pay to be approved?

No. Approved brokers pay a partnership fee to receive enquiries, but the fee comes after the checks, not instead of them. A broker who fails a check does not get enquiries, and one who falls short later loses their approval.

What happens if my broker falls short?

Tell us. A couple of business days after your enquiry we email to ask how it went, or you can reply to any email from us. If a broker did not call, did not explain your options or did not treat you well, Andy looks into it personally, and a broker who falls short loses their YFG approval.

Does YFG Approved cover car, business and personal loans too?

Yes. Every broker we introduce goes through the same standard, whatever the loan. Only mortgage brokers are bound by the legal best interests duty, so for other loans ask the broker to explain why the option they recommend suits you.

Does approval mean you recommend a particular loan?

No. Your Finance Guide does not give credit advice or recommend loans. YFG Approved is about the broker: who they are, how they work and how they treat people. The broker works out which loans suit you, and you decide whether to go ahead.

Check the broker before you check the rate

Answer a few questions and one YFG Approved broker calls within one business day. Free, and nothing to sign until you’re sure.

Are you a broker?

We only work with licensed brokers who pass the standard. If you want to be one of them, start with an application, and expect the two-hour conversation.

Apply to become YFG Approved

Your Finance Guide is a finance education publisher. We are not a credit provider, broker, or lender, we do not hold an Australian Credit Licence, and we do not provide credit assistance. When you request a quote, your enquiry goes to a licensed broker who meets our criteria and compares rates from a panel of Australian lenders. Full details, including the licence we work in conjunction with, are in our Credit Guide. Credit Guide

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