Santilli Financial is father-son team

THG/Julie Fink
C.J. (left) and Charles Santilli of Santilli Financial. The business, which was established in 1974, is located at 27 Fourth St. in Hammonton and can be reached by calling 561-4917.

by Julie Fink, Gazette Staff Writer

Charles Santilli established Santilli Financial in Hammonton in 1974 with a goal of helping people decipher the language of retirement, estate and investment planning, while building a future for him and his son.
Santilli Financial, 27 Fourth Street in Hammonton, is a family-owned and operated financial planning service organization with specialties in estate, retirement and investment planning.
As the president of the business, Santilli advises, guides and helps implement strategic strategies to assist people in their estate, retirement and investment goals.
“In the example of retirement planning, people come to me who are thinking about retiring and I put together a plan for them; or for people who have already retired, I help them keep abreast of the assets they have and how to manage them,” he said.
According to Santilli, the financial world is not small.
People need someone who works in this world on a consistent basis, not spontaneously, to understand it, he continued.
Santilli has always believed in the service business.
“My thrust for success was following what I believed in and it was to help people when they got older. Over the years my own personal gain was not important to me; it was helping others that made me feel successful,” he said.
Issues of finances are so complex that people need someone seasoned in those issues to help them through it, he continued.
Santilli worked his way up to Senior Manager of Prudential of Cherry Hill and retired after 30 years in 2004.
For more than 30 years he not only recruited 150 qualified salesman for Prudential but he built a foundation of trust and confidence in his own personal business, boasting a current clientele of over 500.
“For Prudential, I recruited 150 salesman in management and trained them in estate, investment and retirement planning,” he said.
And from 1984 to 1988 he had the leading agent record with five years or less in the business in the entire country, according to Santilli.
He had the future in mind while working two jobs.
“I was always thinking long-term. I wanted to retire with Prudential as soon as I had 30 years in with a goal of working alongside my son when he got of age,” he said.
In 2002, Santilli’s son C.J. joined the practice as vice president.
“We have such a good relationship out of the office, it just carries over into the office. I enjoy working with my father. I always loved working with numbers,” C.J. Santilli said.
C.J. received field training from his father and obtained his insurance license at the age of 18.
“C.J. received the best possible training - from me. To me, this is better than school because he was field tested. Books are great, but they don’t teach you the how to,” Santilli said.
“My father taught me everything. It was training at a different level than in school,” C.J. Santilli said.
C.J. also holds a Bachelors of Arts in Marketing from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and has utilized those skills within the family business.
Santilli said he enjoyed having his son follow him into the business.
“There is nothing more prestigious than having your son follow in your footsteps,” he said.
The choice to begin his business in Hammonton was an easy one.
A life-long resident and family history in the town allowed Santilli to create his business on a foundation of trust and confidence from the residents of Hammonton.
For more information on Santilli Financial call 561-4917 or e-mail at santillifinancial@yahoo.com.