Photo Credit: Mason Beuhring
*Knock, Knock.*
You lower your hand from what seems like the hundredth door you’ve knocked on today. Small beads of sweat drip down your face and your breathing is slightly labored from walking door to door.
*Knock, Knock.*
What you are doing seems crazy… but, here you are armed with only what some would see as a ‘pipe-dream.’
*Knock, Knock.*
You quickly put away the doubt that clouds your mind when you hear footsteps coming to the door, your posture straightens, you wipe the sweat from your brow, and you get ready… You are ready.
For some, the well-known sound of *Knock, Knock,* may sound like the beginning of a joke, but for a 22-year-old Chris Hall, this sound represents the beginning of his legacy.
After graduating with two business degrees from The Ohio State University in 1998, Hall, a Marietta native, began his professional advisor career in 1999. After a brief stint in the insurance field, Hall quickly learned that he had a knack and a passion for the investment field. He left the insurance industry and joined Edward Jones as a new financial advisor.
“While I’m grateful for the ‘insurance world’ it really led me to the ‘investment world,’” said Hall. “Investments stoked a fire within me that I had never felt before, so I knew I was on to something.”
When someone hears terms such as ‘finance’ or ‘investments,’ they often think about ‘money,’ and rightfully so. But, for Hall, money was a just by-product of the true reward… seeing his clients achieve their life goals.
“I was able to help people send their children to school, buy a second home, and retire early,” said Hall. “That was a reward that I did not expect… it’s not just about money… it’s an important part, but it’s really about a holistic relationship.”
The building block of creating these ‘holistic relationships’ with his clients would soon become a cornerstone to the young financier’s business philosophy. After several months of going door-to-door, Hall had created a base of clients that he would continue to cultivate until 2004.
After spending more than five years with Edward Jones, Hall had risen through the ranks to become one of their top advisors. It became apparent that Hall was quickly outgrowing what this system offered, so he began to build his own. In 2004 Hall Finacial Advisors, LLC was established and began servicing clients as an independent business.
“It was a very hard decision, but I knew it was the right thing to do,” said Hall. “It was time to make a change and it was dictated by what my clients needed.”
Since then, Hall Financial Advisors, LLC, has grown from a solo practice to a local business with two offices and 18 employees. They now manage and consult on over $900 million, most of which originates within the Mid-Ohio Valley. Hall has received numerous accolades within the financial industry, but again, for Hall, these are just by-products of his crowning achievement.
“I’m proud of our numbers and our achievements, but I’m most proud of the culture we have built,” said Hall. “We have been able to match up roles with personalities within our organization that has created a culture of selflessness and responsibility.”
It’s this ‘culture of selflessness and responsibility’ that has driven Hall to continuously give back to a community that has given him so much. While he practices philanthropy in the present, Hall has also created philanthropic goals for the future.
In 2015, Hall was inducted into Marietta Community Foundation’s 1788 Legacy Society after naming the Foundation in his trust.
“I just turned 44 years old,” said Hall. “I want to give back as much as I can along the way to enjoy seeing the benefits of the contributions that we make while we are here. But, my financial planning goal is to be able to take care of my family and my community after I pass away… financial resources are going to help combat whatever future issues this great community faces.”
For the past 21 years, Hall has built his business through trust: trust with clients, trust with employees, and trust with himself. So when it came to his own financial planning, he knew that any organization he would name needed to be trustworthy… which is why he chose Marietta Community Foundation.
“The Foundation has earned the reputation of ‘trust’” said Hall. “By leaving assets to you, I have all of the trust in the world that you will make sound decisions on where those dollars should go when I am not here to direct them any longer.”
Chris Hall is now the Managing Principal of Hall Financial Advisors, LLC. He and his wife, Kimberly have two children, Webb and Brynlie.
In 2017 & 2019, he was personally named to the respected Financial Times “Top 400 Financial Advisors” from across the United States. In 2018 & 2020 he was named “Top Financial Advisor in West Virginia” by the renowned Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors List. He has been named to the prestigious “Barron’s Top 1000 and/or 1200 Advisors” from 2011 through 2020, and the “2020 Barron’s #1 in West Virginia, State by State” ranking of financial advisors.
When it comes to building a legacy, you never know which doors will open… you just have to reach out and knock.
If you would like to build a long-term philanthropic legacy, please contact Heather Allender, President & CEO of Marietta Community Foundation at heather@mcfohio.org.