Into the familiar alphabet soup of financial services credentials such as CFP and RIA, David Ortiz can add an unusual designation: CTC, which stands for classically trained chef.
Ortiz has the advantage of having been tutored while growing up by a mother who was a trained chef, and by a famous Swiss pastry chef.
In addition to that pedigree, Ortiz attended the Wharton School of Economics.
He is managing partner of Financial Chef Asset Management LLC in Miami. Its tagline: Recipes for financial success.
Prospective and current clients meet Ortiz in his 24-foot long Mercedes Sprinter van, with both a kitchen and sitting area for business, to discuss investment options for retirement. He’ll bring the Sprinter to clients' office or home, or whatever location they want.
Ortiz focuses on advising baby boomers on financial planning for retirement, including which Medicare and Social Security options are best. Baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, total about 76 million Americans. Currently, he advises about 100 clients.
Depending on the time of day, Ortiz will offer biscotti or scones, with tea or coffee in the morning; he serves coffee and pastries at midday and a sit-down dinner at the close of business. He makes everything from scratch, including the pastries.
Ortiz, nearing 60, said combining food and financial advice happened almost by accident.
“When I first started in this business in 1996, I was taught that you have to find some way to get clients to like you, that people do business with you if they like and trust you.
“Invariably, I would sit down with a prospect, make chitchat, and whenever my background as a chef came up, I saw that it changed the tenor of the conversation and that most people were intrigued that I was a successful, classically trained chef. I did have pretty good career, I had a TV show before we had all those celebrity [cooking] shows, here in Miami, on public broadcasting back in 1983,’’ he said.