State of the Street - December 2024

I grew up fortunate enough to have close relationships with all of my grandparents. They embodied a young-at-heart mindset that made them the best of friends to their grandchildren. And they unquestionably possessed the wisdom of their years. “Time flies, and every year it moves faster and faster,” they often shared.

As the end of another year approaches, I am once again reminded of exactly how correct they were. It feels like 2024 just began. Actually, it feels like 2014 just began. Time has been flying… ever faster.

The end of another year is always a fitting opportunity to take stock. Spotify and Apple Music have already summarized my listening habits for the year – a reminder that I have played the “Wicked” film soundtrack over the past month in a nearly continuous loop, seeing as it has risen to be my “Most Played Album” for all of 2024. 

So at Christopher Street we thought we would take a moment to reflect and share some of our highlights from this past year as well.

One of the biggest events for us has been the addition of two new financial advisors, Andrew Pollack and Brandyn Shetler. Andrew and Brandyn came to us with years of prior advising and investment experience combined with fresh perspectives and “Can Do” attitudes – one of our Core Values at Christopher Street. They were immediately asked to put that knowledge and energy to work, seeing as we also welcomed 20 new client relationships to Christopher Street this year. For those who have had the opportunity to work with Andrew and Brandyn, I’m sure you share our view that they embody the client-first perspectives expected from Christopher Street. We look forward to a bright future with them on the team. For some fun information on both of them, you can check out this blog entry from earlier this year.

2024 was also a year for us to move outside of the office and into the community. In June, we brought Christopher Street to Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, New Jersey for Out Montclair’s Pride Festival. We exchanged candy, stickers, and conversation among more than 30,000 people that attended the event. Here’s a picture of our team and our booth!

As another step in engaging with community and clients, we hosted our first in-person event since 2017! The pandemic had forced our hand in “going virtual”, and while we are grateful to again be meeting with more and more of you in our office, it had been far too long since we invited everyone to come together at 475 Park Avenue South. It was particularly meaningful to gather with so many familiar faces, and few new ones, for a presentation by the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. The event served as a reminder of how much we have missed these opportunities to connect in person – how uniquely meaningful it can be to share a handshake or a hug. In 2025, we plan to have more events, so watch this space for invitations.  And if you have an idea for an event, you can always reach out to our Director of Client Experience, Mark Lingenfelter – he would be happy to hear your ideas.

We’ve also been actively engaging with our financial planning peers. In July, we took the entire Christopher Street team to Kestra Connect. Kestra Financial is our business partner, providing operational services and regulatory compliance oversight. But just as meaningful are the opportunities Kestra provides to meet with similarly minded fiduciaries. Every year, Kestra holds full day sessions in several major financial centers across the country. They bring together financial advisors and investment professionals in a forum to share innovative ideas and best practices to serve clients in an ever-changing financial and technological landscape.  

 This year continued our long history of charitable giving, selecting Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) as our Charitable Partner for the year. A4TE was founded in 2024 as the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF), two long-time champions for the trans community, merged as one organization. A4TE builds on their success to boldly imagine a world where trans people live their lives joyfully and without barriers. We are extremely proud to be Founding Partners of this new organization, and we can’t wait to see the great work that will come from the joining of these two organizations. We have a few more activities planned with A4TE in 2025, so be on the lookout.

And if you’re reading this, then you probably know that 2024 was the year we launched our quarterly newsletter and blog. Christopher Street Financial exists because of our relationships with clients. So, we wanted to explore all the ways we can keep in touch with you, whether that’s sharing tidbits of financial advice or letting you in on some team news (which reminds me – we just got a gerbil!). We want you to be connected with Christopher Street throughout the year.

Thank you for being a part of this “family” at Christopher Street. As we said after the election in November, we acknowledge there may be some trying times ahead, but we are here for you, and we honored to be your partner through it all. Whatever comes, we are together.

Best wishes for a happy holiday season, and all the best in 2025. You’ll hear from us again very soon!