Why Smart Borrowers Look Beyond Rate Shopping

Finance strategist Rachael Howlett says AI is making rate comparisons a commodity — the brokers who survive will offer genuine financial strategy.

For most Australians, finding a mortgage broker starts with a simple question: "Can you get me a better rate?" It's a reasonable starting point. But according to one of Australia's leading finance strategists, borrowers who stop there are missing most of the value a great broker can offer — and in a market where technology is rapidly automating rate comparison, that limited view could soon leave you worse off.

Rachael Howlett, finance strategist and team leader at Infinity Group Australia, was named a 2026 5-Star Broker by Australian Broker. She argues that the broking profession is at a crossroads. "If a broker's entire value proposition is 'I can find you a home loan,' that's going to become increasingly difficult to differentiate," she told Australian Broker. In her view, artificial intelligence and technology are eroding the competitive edge of any broker whose primary offer is rate comparison alone.

Howlett's path into broking wasn't conventional. She began in events and operations management before a chance encounter with mentor Graeme Holm redirected her career into finance. She moved from personal banking into broker support, then broking itself, before progressing to finance strategist and team leader — a trajectory that she says gave her a clear view of what separates transactional broking from genuine financial advice.

Why Rate-Chasing Alone Is No Longer Enough

Howlett's concern isn't abstract. Rate aggregation technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated. A borrower who simply wants to know which lender is cheapest today can find that information quickly without speaking to anyone.

The brokers who will still matter in five years, in Howlett's view, are those who use technology to free up time for the work that can't be easily replicated: understanding a client's financial life, modelling long-term outcomes, and building a strategy rather than just processing a transaction. "The solution isn't to fight technology. It's to use it to remove the administrative work and give brokers more time to provide strategy and build relationships," she said.

This shift has practical implications for borrowers. A broker who asks only "which lender will approve you?" is solving for today. A broker asking "how does this decision affect where you want to be in five or ten years?" is solving for your future. According to Howlett, the best brokers today frame every lending decision in that longer context. "For me, the best brokers today aren't just asking, 'Which lender will approve this?' They're asking, 'How does this decision affect where this client wants to be in five or ten years?'" she said.

At Infinity Group Australia, where Howlett works, the business model is built around helping clients pay off their home loans in under 10 years. That's not a sales pitch — it's a structural approach to financial advice that treats a mortgage as a tool to be actively managed, not just a product to be written and forgotten.

What to Look for When Choosing a Broker

So how do you identify a broker who works this way? Howlett points to a few practical indicators.

The first is whether they ask questions beyond what's needed for serviceability. Any broker can verify your income and find a lender that will approve you. A strategy-focused broker wants to understand your goals — not just whether you can afford the repayments, but whether this loan structure moves you toward where you want to be financially. Do you want to pay off your home quickly? Are you planning to use equity to buy an investment property? Does your income vary and require flexible repayment options? These questions should come from your broker before you ever discuss a specific rate.

The second is how they engage with other professionals in your financial life. Howlett argues that brokers should work more closely with accountants and financial planners to build a team of experts around each client, particularly as circumstances grow more complex — especially around investment lending and long-term borrowing structures. If your broker operates in isolation from your tax adviser, you may be making mortgage decisions without a full picture.

The third is trust — sustained over time, not earned once at settlement. "People may initially come to you because they need finance, but they'll stay with you because they trust you, and trust is built through communication, education and doing what you said you were going to do," Howlett said. A broker who disappears after your loan settles and only re-emerges at review time isn't building this kind of relationship.

For borrowers in the market right now, this framing is worth internalising. Interest rates matter. You should absolutely compare the cheapest home loans before you commit. But the structure of your loan — how long it runs, whether it's fixed or variable, how offset and redraw work, whether it's interest-only or principal and interest — can have a larger long-term impact on your financial position than a few basis points of rate difference. Use our repayment calculator to model how different term lengths and repayment amounts compound over time.

For those refinancing, the same principle applies. Our refinance savings calculator can help you quantify what you might gain from switching — but a good broker will help you frame that saving within the context of your broader financial plan, not just today's rate sheet.

As Australian Broker reported, commoditisation is the biggest threat facing the broking industry — which means the brokers best positioned to survive are those already offering something technology can't replicate. For borrowers, that's actually good news: the brokers who thrive in this environment are the ones most likely to genuinely serve your interests.