Our Story
To know Agostino Financial, is to know the origin, inspiration and focus of my firm ... OUR STORY
My passion and guiding light as a financial life planner, advisor and business owner stems from my early family experiences. I grew up in a very traditional Italian family full of amazing food and love with my parents and older sister. When I look back, I am filled with thoughts and feelings of a childhood that most would love to have.
It all started with my parents, who grew up in southern Italy with very meager means. These circumstances undoubtedly shaped them early on and left their indelible mark. Many in their generation were tailors, hairstylists or shoemakers. Once settled in the U.S., they owned and operated a tailor shop for many years on Market Street in Camp Hill, Pa. They were highly regarded in the tailoring industry, which was great, except often you would find them in the shop late into the evening hours and on weekends. Integrity and quality of work were at the heart of all they did. They earned a decent living and proved to be good savers and investors. Although they lived well within their means, we had what we needed and sometimes what we wanted.
Providing for the family, saving for later, demonstrating integrity and living within their means, taught me important lessons, which ultimately helped to mold my foundation of Money + Life. As I matured into adulthood, I started to realize that there was real truth in all they had taught me. But I also knew there was something missing. Despite these great lessons, I started to realize that my parents had only figured out part of life. You see, working hard to pay the bills and save seemed to be their focus, instead of having balance and enjoying life along the way. Instead of taking idyllic vacations or acquiring things they’d only dreamed of owning, they were always focused on work and the day-to-day, which led to a pre-retirement life of chasing money and a retirement life of fearing the use of their savings. Unfortunately, when money is the only destination, one never arrives. Aside from family, happiness, purpose and satisfaction have been elusive for the two hardest workers I’d ever known – and they deserved more. Seeing this type of behavior has helped me to have balance within my own life and has provided me with a strong desire to help clients live their best lives with the money they have, because happiness is the true destination for all of us.
Cut to present day, and the story of my financial firm is even more rooted in these life lessons than you might expect. I’ve taken everything my parents, clients, education and 20+ years of professional experiences have taught me and brought it back to the place where my love of Money + Life began – my parents’ tailor shop on Market Street. Today, Agostino Financial Management is run in the very shop my parents ran their business out of many years ago. In fact, they still live above the shop and we have lunch together most days. It’s truly a blessing to be able to practice everything I’ve learned in the same place where my parents first showed me the power of financial stability.
And in that spirit, I use the same ideals of my parents’ tailoring business to give my clients just what they need – a custom plan that is created to fit them and their life goals perfectly. It is my mission to provide exceptional financial services and tools to help them avoid these common challenges in pre- and post-retirement. Life is too short to not experience the things we truly enjoy, and retirement can be too long to lack purpose and happiness. We want our clients to THRIVE, not just survive.
It’s true that money, sound investing, planning and proper insuring are very important to success, but money in and of itself is not the destination. Money is a utility, it’s the wind in your sails that helps you on your journey through life. It's up to us to help you point the sailboat in the right direction. It is a true desire of mine, on both a personal and professional level, to help families clarify their direction, implement effective financial strategies and help them get the most out of life with the money they have.
Retirement, or as I like to call it, your encore, is a topic that I deal with every day and is especially near and dear to my heart. Helping my clients prepare well for their vision of retirement is very important to me. In my 20+ years as a financial advisor and planner, I have learned that despite net worth and focus on money, many people struggle in retirement because they are simply not prepared. Our process, developed over many years, is designed to holistically help prepare clients - financially, mentally and behaviorally - so they have enough purpose to wake up in the morning and enough money to sleep well at night.
I am very proud of what Agostino Financial Management has become over the years and have never been more excited to share our services with our amazing clients. I would love the opportunity to partner with you and your family to help you win at the intersection of Money + Life.