Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Grande.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Christopher. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I fell into the financial planning field by accident. I had expected to go into research or something else more institutional. But as it happens, while working at the student employment office of Tufts University my senior year, an alum walked in looking to hire.
He convinced me to check out his retail financial services firm and I’ve been in the field since then. I moved with the vanguard of my industry by migrating to a fee based model from a prior commission’s model in 2001. And further moved in the fiduciary direction by establishing my own Registered Investment Advisor firm in 2010.
My original motivation came from my grandfather who awoke my interest in investing in my teen years by gifting me a few shares of stocks he owned such as Exxon and AT&T. He also helped me get started in mutual funds. This launched my “worship” of the mutual fund manager as the coolest person and job alive. Despite that I still stayed retail and researched funds and fund managers endlessly.
I realized I enjoyed educating and helping others make smart choices about their money and later evolved to helping people actualize their personal values through their financial decisions. Meaning if someone makes financial decisions that lead them away from what they value most, they will likely feel incongruent and unfulfilled inside. But by making smart choices and choosing to work toward values, we will achieve that inner happiness and peace that people end up saying they want (usually after chasing the wrong things).
Nowadays I run my firm focusing on what I enjoy about the field – doing interesting and comprehensive financial planning and helping people who want to improve their life. I do this by offering basically two services models – 1. My CEO Family Office model where clients basically delegate all of their financial affairs to us as we act as their financial CEO so they can focus on what’s important to them and 2. A consulting model where we will provide advice to anyone on a consulting basis to help them actualize their values as best they can,
My goals going forward include professionally, continuing this work, along with building up 2 side ventures. And personally, spending even more time with my family through travel and our usual extended visits to California.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
When I first started as an independent in 2001, I had to give up most of my prior clients. I had little revenue and funded my business with credit cards. Thankfully, the cost to transfer to a new 0% card was much smaller then!
I’ve also had a couple of existential type business challenges, where I changed my service model completely. It was tough to move from what was previously an easy model (in my industry the gather assets and collect fees model) to a much more rigorous comprehensive planning model. Putting together a trusted team has been a long process.
Walnut Hill Advisors – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our company now provides a “financial CEO” model of service. We work with clients who fit the profile of a delegator. Our clients are typically intelligent people who have the brains to do their own financial management but find it cheaper and more valuable to delegate that to us.
As we say, true wealth is discretionary time. Our clients have the same 168 hours a week as anyone else, no matter how much they earn. And they want to spend that time on what’s important.
We handle their financial life behind the scenes and report to them 2-3 times per year, Our team has 2 CPAs, 2 attorneys, a liability insurance expert, a health/Medicare insurance expert, 2 realtors, 2 mortgage/loan experts, a retirement community expert (for mom and dad), a personal organization expert, a planning team and investment experts. Our clients don’t want to know all the details. They want results and to know they are making smart choices.
I relate our experience to the time I was looking for a good workout. I could’ve research every magazine and book on fitness. But instead I asked my friend Mike who was the head trainer at my university and he gave me the football team’s workout, then the hockey team’s workout. Shortcut – I didn’t need to know why I was doing each move, and didn’t have time to figure this all out. I just wanted to be fit and strong. Mike was my fitness CEO.
I’m a big fan of the 80/20 principle. And so are my clients.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Discretionary time – if I have the time to actualize my values then I am doing the right things. If I have the freedom on the first of the month to review what I want to do and accomplish, and if I have the time and can make the time to do it, then I am happy.
If I want to add yoga to my routine, and the class I like is at 11AM on Tuesday, I make it happen. My time is mine. If I want to work on being less selfish, I can spend the time reading materials to get my head right and change my routines and work protocols to be more generous.
Being able to do what’s most important at the time it needs to be done is success.
Pricing:
- Financial CEO model “all in” flat fee is $24,000 per year for 2017
- Our planning consult engagements can range from $300-2,000 depending on complexity
Contact Info:
- Address: Christopher Grande, MSIM, RMA®
Walnut Hill Advisors, LLC
90 concord ave 3rd floor
Belmont, MA 02478 - Website: https://www.planwithchris.com/
- Phone: 888-278-9433
- Email: chris@walnuthilladvisorsllc.com
- Other: http://www.walnuthilladvisorsllc.com/
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