Philip Cioppa: Priest Turned Financial Advisor Grows with Arbol Financial Strategies
Norwalk, CT – November 17, 2011 – As an LPL Financial Advisor and co-founder of Arbol Financial Strategies, Cioppa believes it’s all about the team approach and individualization when it comes to making wise financial decisions.
“Arbol means tree in Spanish and we see the tree as a foundation in someone’s life. The branches are your team helping you reach the top of the tree which are your goals,” he says. “The client in our opinion is always the CEO; the accountant, the advisor, and the lawyer around the table with them is part of the team.”
Founded just this year, Arbol Financial Strategies is a full financial services firm based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with additional offices in Connecticut and Manhattan.
It could be said that Cioppa works religiously to get the best for his clients, but that is closer to the truth than one might think. While he credits his top notch five-month training at Smith Barney for laying his foundational knowledge in the financial industry, it’s his past life as a Roman Catholic priest that he feels prepared him best. He was ordained in 1983 when he was 25 years old and spent 18 and a half years as Father Phil.
“Being a pastor helped me in creating empathy and having that with my clients. It allows me care and compassion, the desire to do the best for them no matter what. I think my priestly formation certainly laid a great foundation to be a great financial advisor,” he says.
Cioppa believes that the best financial outcomes come from long-term relationships with his clients, and as an independent financial firm, Arbol Financial Strategies allows him and his partner to have those invaluable one-on-one interactions.
It keeps him very busy but he still finds time to travel and spend time with his family which for him is what it all comes down to for him and his clients.
“I always knew I wanted to have a family. My great nephew is a reason for living. I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced the depth of love, outside of the love for my wife that I have for him,” he says. “The older I’ve gotten, the more I know that your family is first.”