Make Plans That Can Wiggle with Rocky Christie Financial Professional

Welcome back to The Pauline Chilton Show, where we explore the best of Tampa's real estate, lifestyle, and everything in between. In today’s episode, we have a special guest, Rocky Christie, a Financial Professional with Prudential Advisors. 

Transcript

Pauline Chilton: 0:01

Welcome back to the Pauline Chilton Show, where we explore the best of Tampa's real estate lifestyle and everything in between. In today's episode, we have a special guest, Rocky Christie, a financial professional with Prudential Advisors. Rocky, tell us about yourself, things that you would like to share with the audience, to introduce yourself and help them to get to know you a bit.

Rocky Christie: 0:23

All right a little bit about myself. I was born in Guyana in South America. That's when I came to the United States when I was 10 years old to the Maryland DC area. It was a very hustle bustle, you know, but that was where I spent most of my elementary school, middle school, high school, and then decided at that point to go to college in South Carolina and a small college called Southern Wesleyan University, where I got an accounting degree. From there, I went to Delaware, where I started working for Chase Bank -- Chase wonderful company -- they decided to move me over to Tampa about 22 years ago and have been here ever since, and loved the area and don't ever plan on moving, so... How did you

Pauline Chilton: 1:01

like going to college in South

Rocky Christie: 1:03

Carolina? It was interesting. Different, one thing different. It was very rural, very nice people, very nice environment. Although there were some, a little bit of uncertainty about far as how the housing was like, so it was very definitive where the poor and the wealthy were also the black and the white were, and very much like that. But you know, once you got into the environment with them, they were very friendly people, just unknowing of the others. So, because they were so separated.

Pauline Chilton: 1:34

That's really interesting. So I would like at this point to dive into more about your. Profession and have you explain more about your expertise and your business as a financial advisor. So how did you become interested in the field of finance and decide to pursue a career as a financial advisor? Well,

Rocky Christie: 1:57

I do have the accounting background, but, really that extends even to my family. I have an uncle that's a cpa. I have nieces, nephews, cousins. They're all CPAs. And even my mother's a good a bookkeeper. So it, it was ingrained in me that I was gonna do something within the financial world, but I got into the accounting field and I really didn't love it as much as I thought I would. Was it because I didn't, it was hard. No, it was not a hard profession for me to get into. As I said, it was ingrained in me. So I went to work for Chase Bank for those many years, and once, I decide to leave there, It was a matter of what do I get into? Where will I be more valuable with my skills and what do I love to do well, I love to help people and I'm good with money, and I'm able to listen to people and understand where their need is and be able to assist them in that area. So it's really was, that's where I was pointing to at that point because it felt good to be able to help people. What

Pauline Chilton: 2:54

do you enjoy most about being a financial advisor and helping clients with their

Rocky Christie: 2:59

financial goals? I love to be able to say, to have someone in front of me that wouldn't have, would even have thought about doing anything with their finances or maybe have plans and thought, you know, Hey, these dreams are way, way outta my league. I will never get this, I'll never get that. And giving them a pathway towards actually making that come true. Because really for your dreams to come true, the biggest thing you need is the money. And without proper planning for that event, it's not gonna happen. If you want to take two, three vacations a year, if you want that new car, if you want to retire with an income bigger than what you actually earned in your lifetime, you have to plan for those things. And how do you do that on your own? When you already are doing your profession, you are a master of what you do. You're not a master of finance, so you may be good at it, but you don't, that's not what you do. So to be able to help them understand that we're gonna get to this together. And each step of the way we're gonna take just to get to what your dreams are. It's not about me, it's about you. It's about your dreams, your aspirations, what you want to get done. And I love just helping them get there.

Pauline Chilton: 4:10

What do you value most about your relationship with clients?

Rocky Christie: 4:14

The relationship is, is very key. And the reason for that is that they're giving you the very most valuable thing to them. The thing that can be most embarrassing, they're giving you, because people just don't want to talk about their money. Some are ashamed, some are very, you know, kind of, oh, I got this. They're, talking to me about that money that they hold precious, more precious than even their other things. You know, basically, the biggest thing as a person has is their body, their health, their life, but they value their money just as much because the money allows them to get to where they need to get to. And for me to be able to help them through that really rough environment, it makes me feel like if I've accomplished something. The one relationship, the reason I got into the business, one of the reasons is that I saw a commercial from, forgot the company what it was, but where there was a wedding and it was a very elaborate wedding. There was a scene on the table and they were talking about, oh, how, wow, this wedding must have cost a lot. You know, they must have really, you know, had to do something special, or they must have been making a million dollars or whatever. And it was like, oh, no, no, no. They have a, they had a financial advisor. And the person said, wow, wow. We all need a financial advisor. I wish we could find one. And she goes, well, Their financial advisor is right here. Actually, she's on the other table over there and she got invited to the wedding. See, that's what I want to be. That's what makes me really feel that the relationship is great, is that you're not just their financial advisor, you are their family. You are part of the family. You touch parts of their lives that only family know, and some families don't even understand what's going on. So being that part of the family is my goal. That's what I value in my relationship with my clients, it's more than just client to professional. It's more of a family thing. So that's

Pauline Chilton: 6:07

beautiful. Being a part of someone's life is important to me too. When I'm working with clients in real estate, many times I'm meeting them at different stages of their lives where they are experiencing something that is wonderful, beautiful, life-changing, whether it's having a baby, getting married, buying their first home, buying their move up home, or retiring and downsizing. So I love being a part of my client's lives and being that trusted advisor for them as well. How do you stay motivated and continuously improve your skills and knowledge as a financial advisor?

Rocky Christie: 6:52

The motivation is, that part is actually easy. Just because when I help someone, it's what brings me that joy. Now you don't always see that help showing up right away because of course when you're planning, there's short-term goals and long-term goals, but the motivation is that you are always in communication with that person. And it's not always a pick up the phone and saying, you know, Hey, your investments are going this way, or your this is going that way. It's, Hey, how are you doing? How's the family? You know, just those things get me motivated as well, because I know that that's a relationship and that's something more than just the financial part. Now, as far as keeping myself growing as an advisor, constant training. There's of course the required things and then of course there's the things that make me learn a little bit more about how I can help people. I learn how to help more people every day I go to seminars, I go to trainings, I go to all these things and I go, I get little light bulbs are like, I can do that? You know? And it's amazing what I can do to be able to find someone to be able to help them in that way. You know? It's like, okay, now the training and all the preparation is going into action. Now, if that's not motivation, I don't know what is. You know, it's like, Ooh, I learned that I can do this, and now I'm doing it. There's a lot of things that I now am learning what the wealthy take advantage of and now I can get to the common person. That's motivation. That's

Pauline Chilton: 8:28

amazing, just to hear about what keeps you motivated and being able to learn those secrets because there always is that interest. And what are the secrets? What are the rich doing? What are the wealthy doing to make their money or maintain their wealth? And you are learning these things and helping the common person. I love that. Have you ever encountered any common misconceptions or myths about financial advisors and how did you address them?

Rocky Christie: 8:58

One of the biggest myths that I run across is that financial advisors are very, very expensive. They're way outta reach for anyone. What they don't realize is that most of the costs that they see that are going along with their financial advisors aren't seen by them. It's usually being, I'm usually being paid by the company, designated by what I produce for that particular person. The only time they may see a financial cost would be is if we set up a financial plan for them upfront. And that will just be upfront cost is usually not that expensive unless you're dealing with a business, then yes, a business is gonna be a lot of work to make sure to set up a financial plan. Plus they need it for various reasons, like grants and loans and things like that. So that may be where you're going to see it but really for the common person, they are seeing, when they get their report, they're seeing a net of what their value of their account is. So if we say that you made 10%, the cost for the financial advisors are even taken off for that. And I use 10% because we don't want to, you know, use the, the bigger numbers cuz that doesn't apply to everybody. That is one misconception that I find, you know, very, it's very easy to deal with once you sit down and talk to them and realize that, hey, you are, you're not getting any cost from talking to me. It's free to talk to me. It's still free when you, you know, when you're doing business with me. It's just that I will get some kind of compensation from it, and it has nothing to do with you, and it doesn't have nothing to do with coming out of your pocket. So,

Pauline Chilton: 10:34

What do you believe sets you apart from other financial advisors in terms of your approach or style?

Rocky Christie: 10:41

Well, I believe the biggest thing that, sets me apart is that I am not transactional. I'm all about getting to know them, getting to know who they are and what they see themselves as. There is, you know, there's no talk about transactions there is no there's no push to get this done or that done in a particular order. It's just all about that person and what exactly helps them best. I really worry more about the relationship and making sure that they get where they need to get and understand that the relationship is what's gonna keep them around for a long time as my customers and friends and family. So if you're a family with, with a person that helps you with your finances, then it's more than just finance. It's, let me talk to my friend. Let me give them a call. They're not afraid to call you. They're not, you're not afraid to call them and thinking, oh my gosh, if I call them, oh my gosh, they're gonna, they're gonna be so disappointed that this is not happening, or this, and they're gonna be ready to go. It's just, let's talk and let's see how we can figure out your dreams, what you really want to do, and as life goes on, how does it change? And let's change with you, your life, your financial plan. The best thing I like to say is that the best plans are the ones that can wiggle. If you can wiggle, then I set plans that can wiggle and wiggle with your family. So

Pauline Chilton: 12:07

That's good. Can you share a rewarding experience you had while working with a client and how it impacted their financial wellbeing?

Rocky Christie: 12:17

This is probably the most difficult question I have because there were so many different good situations. One of the ones that I found that was really good and when I was talking about the one thing, I actually had an appointment a couple years back with a young kid. He was 22 at that time, and right now he's 24 ready to get married. So I'm meeting with him and his fiance next week to go over a plan for both of them. And really that's the rewarding part, is that now I met him, we set up some financial situations for his plan and now we're gonna go ahead and modify it towards him and his, I like to just fast forward and say wife, because there's no point in, you know, that whole stage, but you know, hey, I'm modifying it with now him and his fiance, and now they're gonna raise a family together with a strong structure. So, Really that whole idea of, you know what, I made a plan for you and we are really starting to develop it and now we're gonna make a modification to add your wife along. And then soon later we're gonna be adding children cuz they're young couple that's gonna happen. Well, you've

Pauline Chilton: 13:23

shared some great things about your business and about your approach to being a financial advisor and all really great stuff. So now just to end with something really great and positive, let's talk more about you. Outside of work, what are some hobbies and activities that you enjoy in your free time?

Rocky Christie: 13:44

There's a lot of hobbies, I guess, out there, but I would say I love spending time with my family. I have a 14 year old boy and a two year old boy, two different marriages. They're both totally different in their own well, so we're also, like, a lot of times on Sundays we go out to the park and we just hang out. That's always a wonderful thing to do. One of the great things I love is gardening. Actually, I have in my backyard about six different raised beds with different crops. So onions, garlic, peppers, hot peppers, sweet peppers, eggplant. So really it's fun trying to keep those plants from the elements, because you know, even though we're in Florida, the heat can do some things to the plants as well. So you really have to take care of them, shade them, things like that. So gardening is something that I love doing. It's kind of one of those things that's go along with my career kind of deal, because you don't see always the results right away. So you have to basically water it, make sure that it's got the proper nutrients. I even have went over to one of my networking friends that had cows to get manure. So I can put in my garden and give those crops a nice perk. So really it's a full-time hobby, really, you know, so, because it's an everyday thing. And then, Once it starts reaping, it continues. Like I've had scotch bonnet peppers for days like I don't think I've planted those two years ago. I don't think I went a time where there wasn't scotch bonnet to pick. Green onions, they're always bearing, you know, so there's always mint, there's always the different seasonings. So it's, always, it's nice when you cut up and put food together from your own garden. It's amazing how that is, and the taste and everything is like incredible, especially since it is fresh seasonings and always you're getting that extra taste and no chemicals. So those are the things I really love doing. Just basically spending time in the garden and with my family. And now my two year olds got to the point where he likes to just kind of you know, take the little digger and try to dig and things like that. And he likes to roll around in the sand. So it's always bath time after we finish gardening. So

Pauline Chilton: 16:01

you did mention we live in Florida, so how do you keep the pests and animals out of your garden? Or how do you protect your garden from getting eaten by the rabbits or, I know it's really, it's one of those things that you don't think about, you think you can just put some plants in the soil and it'll grow, but there are still some things you need to do to be able to make sure you're keeping your plants free from the pests and free from possible fungus or things that can damage your

Rocky Christie: 16:38

crop. There are a lot of natural solutions to that, especially even store bought. There are stuff that you can buy that are, that are more natural Pesticides, not really. Pesticides will kill. Plus, like the rabbits are always been an interesting one. Like I grew pumpkin a year and the vines were starting to grow. The leaves were starting to get up and the rabbit got in and ate all of it. The leaves and all, and I still get rabbits from every so often. One of the things I did for the rabbits is I got a couple owls, like the fake owls, and I put the, you know, so that they could see the eyes. It sometimes fears them, sometimes not. Squirrels sometimes they'll stay away from them. I started putting like a chicken mesh on the bottom of my fences because it'll come in also like for your, like if you're dealing with like snails, I started using eggshells. So once you use your eggs you know, you can just easily just crack the eggs and the yolk around the yard, the eggs itself with just a little yolk inside or whatever, let it dry. But the smell will get rid of some of the pests and the snails can't crawl over it. So you need to put it in, you know, right next to your bananas and things like that. Cause they love to eat those things. Oh, they love it. It's still a struggle for me, but day by day, you know, you gotta do certain things. You gotta keep up with the ants so you gotta get ant killers cause they're gonna be everywhere. A few ants are okay. A massive amount like we get here, especially with the sand. Not good. So, you know, you choose to just kind of control the pests a little bit, but you need them to come because without the bees, without the butterflies, without all those animals that pollinate you don't have crops. It is a delicate balance. Delicate, delicate balance. And I've not mastered it fully. But it's getting there. It's getting there. One more thing before

Pauline Chilton: 18:32

we leave. Can you share with our audience how can they get in touch with you if they want to call you or if they are interested in your services? Please help the audience to know where to find you. Well,

Rocky Christie: 18:45

you can give me a call. You can leave a voicemail most times I'm gonna pick up just because, you know, my phone is a hotline, so, but you can call me at, eight one three. 4 0 8 3 3 8 9 or you can email me at rockcliff, r o c k c l i f f dot Christie, c h r i s t i e at prudential.com. Either way, I will get the email, I will respond, make sure that, you leave a phone number or good contact information. I'll give you a call back, or you can, give me a call as well. I don't remember my website, but I will make sure to give it to you soon. Thank you

Pauline Chilton: 19:25

for joining us on this show and please tune in to the next episode of the Pauline Chilton Show, where we explore more of what the Tampa Bay area has to offer. I'm your host, Pauline Chilton, a licensed real estate broker associate in the state of Florida with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Florida Properties Group. I moved to Florida for the warmer weather to live a healthier, more active lifestyle, and I'm doing this podcast to document my adventures and share my experiences with others. I'd love it if you would follow me on this new adventure. Follow me on Instagram at Real Pauline Chilton for more content, check out my blog posts on the show's website at www.thepaulineshow.com, where you can find this episode in written form along with links to the websites of the places I've talked about. Listen to the show wherever you get your favorite podcast. And until next time, take care.