Member of the Month: Chris Vassallo

My name is Chris Vassallo. I’d like to share a bit about myself, my family, and my business and look forward to learning the same about you.

I live in Southwest Center City Philadelphia with my wife, our son, and our dog. I’m not a huge sports person but my son is showing strong interest, especially in baseball, so needless to say, I’m ramping that up!

The clients I and my firm, RTD Financial, help daily are people who want, need, and value professional advice when it comes to their financial planning and wealth strategies. When people first come to us, they’re usually panicked about the markets (a lot of that right now), stressed that they don’t know when they can confidently retire, confused about how to maximize the value of their efforts, feel they’re paying too much in taxes, have no idea if they’re invested properly, or really have no clarity of whether they’re on track toward whatever objectives for which they’re accumulating money.

Our clients tend to be in one of three categories:
1. Young families who are getting started and are in the accumulation phase.
2. Business owners and the self-employed.
3. People within 10-15 years of retirement or who are already retired.

At RTD Financial, our 4 primary differentiators are:
1. We are fiduciaries – we take a moral, ethical, and legal oath to always act in clients’ best interest.
2. Our fees are a fixed fee for service; this helps eliminate conflicts of interest.
3. We are so much more than just a money manager. We help clients develop, implement, and monitor plans, track their progress, and understand the impact of various changes and decisions.
4. We know how to listen. We take the time to learn about our clients’ lives’ before we learn about their money. Said another way, the questions we ask our clients and the counseling we provide – on matters that go far beyond the dollars and cents – brings tremendous value.

Clients partner with RTD to receive one, some, or all the following service categories:
1. Personal Wealth Management: We help families and individuals navigate financial decisions, developing an evolving plan focused on their unique needs and desires.
2. Employer Retirement Plan Solutions: We partner with business owners and executives to design and manage effective retirement programs.
3. Nonprofit Investment Management: We work closely with boards and finance committees to develop and maintain high-impact investment plans.
4. Trust Investment Management: We work closely with individual and corporate trustees to develop and maintain high-impact investment plans.

More about Chris:

What are you reading right now (or what is a go-to book you would recommend to others)? Right now, I’m reading Progressive Education in a Time of Existential Risk by Steve Nelson

What is a non-profit that you support? CHOP

What would people be surprised to learn about you?
Even though I’m a “planner” financially, I much prefer not having much of my day planned out when it comes to personal, family, or vacation time; I like to see where the current takes me.

What is the first place you’d recommend to someone that’s never been to our city?
Go get something to eat at Café Ida on 17th and Passyunk – best food and nicest people; Ida is so sweet!

Where did you spend December 31, 1999?
Playdrome Bowling Alley on Kings Highway in Cherry Hill, NJ. I remember my father had to work that night “in case all the computers crashed” (he had a career in data/IT).


Chris Vassallo
Vice President of Client Development, RTD Financial
215-557-3815
chris@rtdfinancial.com
www.rtdfinancial.com
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