Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristina Briboneria.
Hi Cristina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m originally from Los Angeles, went to high school in Houston, Texas and ended up going to Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. I played NCAA Division III basketball while I was there and ultimately graduated with both Mathematics and History Majors, with a minor in Religion. After graduation, I knew that I wanted to help people as part of my career. Growing up, my family and I were not wealthy, and I often wondered how life would be different had we known about various financial planning strategies. When I started my career as a financial planner in 2005, I made it my mission to help educate and empower as many people as possible about their finances.
Throughout my career, I’ve learned to be an educator and person who helps empower people of their finances, an entrepreneur, real estate investor, speaker and philanthropist.
I am now in my 18th year as a financial planner and a Managing Director/Partner at my firm. Becoming a financial planner has been one of the best decisions I made, as I have been able to work and meet with hundreds of clients throughout my career. What has excited me the most over the last 18+ years of helping clients plan for their financial goals has been seeing them actually reach them. It excites me to see people getting to send their kids to college, people retiring, getting out of debt and now able to save for their dream homes. The excitement that clients have to do financially better for themselves excites me every day, which pushes me to work harder for them.
Outside of my professional and business projects, I enjoy being active in the gym and other activities that require movement, I am a world traveler(especially on points!) and love spending time with my family and friends. I could not have accomplished as much as I have without the support and encouragement of my clients, family, friends, and community!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Building a financial planning business, working with clients, and being in an industry that consists of only ~27% woman has definitely be challenging. Throughout my career, I had to rely on my mentors, family, friends to constantly encourage me. Additionally, I also had to learn how to tune out the “noise” and focus on my goals and what was important to me. The main thing that I continued to tell myself that helped me stay focused on my goals was to remind myself to “Do what you say you are going to do.”
I have lived by that saying for the last 18+ years, I am not sure exactly who told me or where it came from, but that was the business culture that I was around throughout my career. Even when days were tough, I told my clients I would help them, I told my family I would succeed, I told myself that I would reach my goals–and because of this, I did so.
Every day presents a new challenge, by being resourceful and doing what I said I was going to do, I am able to persevere and overcome challenges each day.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
When my colleagues and I started at oXYGen Financial in August 2008, we saw a need in the financial planning industry for transparency, independence, and providing clients with an unbiased approach to help them Breathe Easier® about their money, but more importantly about life! We created and trademarked the Private CFO® role that allowed clients to think of themselves as CEOs of their household finances and that they were running it like a business. Through the Private CFO® role, we became not just financial advisors that only handled their investments or insurance but a person that helped them look at their financial lives in a more comprehensive approach. We helped clients set up their budgets, shopped out their insurances, helped them do tax planning and investment and estate planning, we also help clients set up their businesses. Many of our clients were used to people who only dealt with insurance or investments, but we had an approach that was all-inclusive.
We started the company with 0 clients and $0 in assets that we manage for our clients, but because of the success of our model, we now work with over 4000 clients and manage nearly $1.5 Billion dollars across the country for our clients. The biggest challenge we saw when building the firm was getting our name and our brand out into the marketplace, so we did that through radio marketing, social media, doing complimentary seminars for companies throughout the city, and ultimately treating our clients like family. I truly believe what differentiated us was the care and love that we have for each of our financial planning clients. They’re not just a number at our firm, but they’re family, and we want the best for them.
I want people to know everyone can benefit from doing financial planning!
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I love getting out into the community and empowering people about their finances! People can work and collaborate with me in a few ways:
– Email me for a complimentary consultation at cbriboneria@oxygenfinancial.net
– Reach out and let’s collaborate on a speaking or educational talk. I have lectured for colleges and universities, corporations, and non-profits!
– Follow me on Instagram @Cristina23B as I do tips throughout the year to help people with their finances
I am always down to explore ways to help people with their finances!
Pricing:
- 10% Off Financial Planning Services for Readers who reference this article.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CristinaBriboneria.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cristina23b/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cristina23b/
- Twitter: @cristinabribs
