SAN DIEGO—Independent broker-dealer, Independent Financial Group, LLC (IFG) announced the addition of Chad Cristo as Senior Vice President of National Sales and Marketing. Mr. Cristo will be managing all product areas and sponsor relationships for mutual funds, insurance and annuities, advisory services, retirement plans, and alternative investments. Cristo will also be responsible for the development of IFG’s advisor support offerings including practice management.“We’re very pleased to welcome Chad to the IFG team,” comments David A. Fischer, Co-Founder of the firm. He continues, “Chad is a seasoned industry professional who has the knowledge and the drive we’ve been looking for to take our advisors’ business to the next level and we’re excited to see what the future holds.”Cristo, when asked about his decision to join IFG, said, “29 years ago, I started in this business, and from the very beginning, I have admired the firms that hold themselves to the highest ethical standards, put the client’s needs first, support the value that financial advisors provide, offer an inclusive culture and prioritize relationships and true partnerships. From the very first day I attended an IFG Elite Advisor meeting nearly 14 years ago, it was overwhelming apparent to me that what Scott Heising, David Fischer, and Joe Miller were building, encapsulated all these points.”Cristo concluded, “the IFG team has built an outstanding organization that is growing, thriving, and attracting top talent and it’s an honor for me to now be a part of their family. IFG has proven its commitment to independent financial advisors and has the talent, vision and resources to deliver leading-edge products, services and support.”
About Chad Cristo
Cristo comes to IFG after serving 29 years at Putnam Investments as Managing Director and West Regional Director. Cristo is a proven sales and marketing leader that has hired, mentored, trained, and developed a sales team that has resulted in one of the top-performing regions for 14 consecutive years. He has a B.S. from Boston University in International Management and Finance, he is a Certified Investment Management Analyst and has obtained Series 24, 7, 65, 6 and 63 licenses.
About Independent Financial Group
Independent Financial Group, LLC serves the needs of independent financial advisors nationwide. As an independent broker-dealer, the company empowers their registered representatives by giving them the technology and tools to meet the needs of their clients. IFG’s corporate office now supports nearly 552 independent registered representatives. In 2021, IFG ranked #20 in largest broker-dealer by revenue on Financial Planning Magazine. Independent Financial Group has also gained nationwide recognition with Inc. Magazine’s Honor Roll status for multiple consecutive mentions on their annual Inc.500|5000 list and has been acknowledged consecutively in the San Diego Business Journal’s list of Fastest-Growing Companies since its formation in 2003.